Hey Deacs, There’s a Game Going on
About 25 minutes into today’s game with Florida State, I wondered if someone shouldn’t call the Marriott Hotel, where Wake Forest stays on Friday night before home games, and tell the Deacons there was a game going on out at BB&T Field. The defense obviously missed the wake-up call, judging from the way the Seminoles rolled to three touchdowns, a field goal and Greg Reed’s 68-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 31-7 lead.
Skinner wasn’t sharp either, missing wide open receivers in a manner that’s somewhat shocking from a guy who has been so precise over his four years as a starter. He really hasn’t returned fully from his concussion in the fourth quarter of the loss to Miami two weeks ago.
Boo Robinson, who has been nursing a sore back, didn’t start and for a long time we couldn’t find him on the sidelines. Robinson, who did take part with his family in the pregame ceremony honoring the 22 seniors playing their final home game, must have been on a table alongside of the wall, outside of our eyesight from the press box. He did take the field in the third possession and played a fair share of the rest of the first half.
The mood is nasty on the field. The Seminoles are obviously out for vengeance after losing three straight to the Deacons and there’s a lot of yapping going on by both sides. The monster hit by Jarmon Fortson on Cyhl Quarles after Quarles’ interception was hard to watch, and thankfully for all involved the coaches and teammates settled Alex Frye down before he did something he would live to regret. But there’s no room for the mild and meek on the field today.
Wake gets the second-half kickoff, trailing 31-14. With a touchdown, the Deacons could get back in the game. But Defensive Coordinator Brad Lambert and his coaches still have to figure out a way to stock EJ Manuel and the steamrolling Seminoles offense, which amassed 290 yards in the first half.