It was a rainy day in Jacksonville, Fla., but there was nothing dreary and dismal about it for Wake Forest. The Deacons, picked for last in the Atlantic Division in the preseason rankings, are the new ACC champions.
Can you believe it? You believe it if you've followed the fortunes of this team at all during this improbable run. They won that 9-6 battle of field goals against Georgia Tech just like they won all year -- by somehow, some way, finding a way. All season, Wake Forest dreamed the impossible dream and Saturday afternoon it came true.
Riley Skinner, the redshirt freshman who became ACC rookie of the year, returned home to Jacksonville and did just enough, going 14 of 25 passes, 201 yards and no interceptions, and he was at his best when it counted in the fourth quarter. A clutch pass to John Tereshinski for 39 yards set up the Sam Swank field goal that tied the game at six apiece.
Then on the next possession, Skinner's perfect pass to Willie Idlette for 45 yards set up Swank's 22-yard game winner.
Skinner, who had to take over in Game 1 after starter Benjamin Mauck broke his arm, played with poise when it counted. He was not on anybody's radar coming out of high school, but with their last scholarship offer Jim Grobe took a chance, and where would they be if he hadn't? You can read all about the hot shots coming out of high school and how good they are, how much talent they have, but sometimes talent is trumped by smarts and heart and Riley Skinner certainly has both.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech senior Reggie Ball had another one of those bad Reggie Ball games that has marked his up-and-down career. Ball was just 9 of 29 passing for just 129 yards and two interceptions. Eight of those passes were caught by ACC Player of the Year Calvin Johnson for 117 yards, but Johnson also had two key drops. I thought all season that if only Georgia Tech had a quarterback, they would go further. Ball always tried but he was too small and too erratic. He could run all right, but his legs were always neutralized by his arm.
A lot of credit goes to this Wake Forest football team, which was smartly coached with all sorts of injuries to overcome. They were a team that played with heart and guts and with intensity. They could never be broken. They were a team that believed in what they were doing. They won the close games, and they won games that most everybody else thought they'd lose. The hammer of doom never fell on this team because they were strong enough to always keep it at arms length.
Wake Forest was stronger than anybody else in this strange ACC season. Maybe they weren't the most talented team or even the best team, but they are ACC champions and Orange Bowl bound. They won it. They deserve it.
