Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: Wake Forest

NC STATE (5-5, 3-3) at WAKE FOREST (6-4, 4-3)

DATE: Saturday, November 17, 2007

TIME: Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. (EST) at BB&T Field, Winston-Salem, NC (31,500)

RADIO: Wolfpack Sports Network. Airtime: 3:00 p.m. (EST)

TELEVISION: Raycom/Lincoln Financial Sports (ACC Network)

OPPONENTTommy Bowden called Saturday’s 44-10 rout of Wake Forest at Memorial Stadium the team’s best performance in his nine seasons as Clemson’s football coach. He’s probably right.

Senior linebacker Nick Watkins led an inspired defense with 14 tackles. Quarterback Cullen Harper threw for three touchdowns and ran for one, and Mark Buchholz kicked three field goals as Clemson (8-2, 5-2) won its fourth straight game to set up a showdown with Boston College for the ACC Atlantic Division championship.

Suffocating defensive pressure that included 5 sacks kept Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner off balance. He completed 21 of 30 passes with one interception, but the Deacons mounted only one drive that led to a touchdown. That score came late in the first quarter on a Josh Adam’s 2-yard run. By halftime, Clemson had a commanding 27-7 lead.

The Tigers also won the special teams battle. Buchholz had field goals of 46, 48 and 52 yards after going two for eight beyond 40 yards the first nine games.

Wake's Kenny Moore returned a punt 55 yards to set up Sam Swank's 52-yard field goal, and Kevin Marion returned six kicks for 130 yards. But C.J. Spiller returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers a 34-10 third quarter lead after Wake's field goal.

Even with tailback James Davis and Spiller held to a combined 116 rushing yards, Harper had time to throw. Aaron Kelly hauled in 10 of Harper’s passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns and Tyler Grisham caught nine for 100 and a TD. For the Deacons, Moore led the way with 5 receptions for 62 yards.

Clemson outgained Wake Forest 411 yards to 287 and scored all four times it had the ball in the Red Zone. The Deacons were flagged for 8 penalties for 62 yards and ran for only 83 yards. Obviously, falling behind early limited the Wake Forest ground game.

The Deacons are defined by their toughness, unity and their ability to overcome adversity. They are bowl eligible, but have lost two straight after winning six consecutive games.

Injuries on the offensive line have become a problem for Wake Forest. Starting tackle Joe Birdsong is doubtful for the NC State game while top reserve Matt Brim (a starter in ’04 and ’05 at guard) continues to battle ankle and knee injuries. However, the Deacons still possess depth and experience up front.

Senior Louis Frazier (6-4, 315), who was a starter at guard in ’06, has moved to left tackle. There is also talent and experience on the right side. Center, Steve Justice, is a third-year starter who is one of the best in the ACC and both right guard Chris DeGeare (6-4, 362, Jr.) and tackle Jeff Griffin (6-3, 298, RSo.) are second-year starters.

The Deacons lead the ACC in time of possession (31:52). They run the ball 59 percent of the time and average 143 yards a game with a combination of deception and power. Redshirt freshman Josh Adams (6-0, 180) and redshirt senior Micah Andrews (5-10, 212) handle the inside running game. They have accounted for 72 percent of the Deacs rushing yards.

Adams is No.4 in the ACC with 692 yards, 7 touchdowns and 4.2 yards per carry average. He’s also a good receiver with 24 catches for an average of 11.4 yards.

However, the most dangerous man in the Wake Forest lineup is Moore. The veteran wide receiver with outstanding speed leads the ACC with 70 catches, averages 78 receiving yards a game and he can hurt you on the ground, too. Moore averages 8.1 yards per carry and has 3 rushing touchdowns.

Also a great return specialist, Moore is the only player in the nation this season to have run for more than 100 yards in a game (116 vs. Nebraska), record 100 receiving yards in a game(126 vs. BC) and return a punt for a touchdown (55 yards vs. Army).

Obviously, Moore is Skinner’s favorite target, but there are others who contribute in the passing game.

Tight end, John Tereshinski, is the team’s No.2 receiver with 25 catches while junior Chip Brinkman (19 catches) and Kevin Marion, one of the ACC’s fastest players, (11.5 ypc.) are also threats to make plays.

Wake Forest usually does not beat itself. The Deacs have a plus-6 turnover margin and they find unconventional ways to score. They lead the ACC with nine touchdowns by special teams or defense and have scored 84 points off turnovers this year.

The leader is cornerback Alphonso Smith. The third-year starter tied ACC records with his 3^rd interception return for a touchdown this year and the fourth of his career on September 22^nd against Maryland. Outside linebacker Aaron Curry has also returned two interceptions for touchdowns this season.

Defensively, the Wake Forest front-seven is extremely experienced. Three, third-year starters anchor the line. Tackle Zach Stukes, a redshirt senior, is tied for the ACC lead with three fumble recoveries while end

Jeremy Thompson is fifth in the league with 6.5 sacks.

Curry, who has defensive back speed, and Stanley Arnoux are the standouts of the linebacker corps. Curry

has picked off three passes and recorded a team-leading 9.5 tackles for loss.

In the secondary, the big hitter is safety Chip Vaughn (6-2, 220). The redshirt junior is the Deacs leading tackler (93) and has broken up a team-leading 9 passes. With the exception of Smith, who returned an interception for a TD against NC State in ’05, everyone else in the secondary is a first-year starter.

Wake Forest is ninth in the ACC in pass defense (227 ypg.) and has allowed a league-high 17 touchdown passes.

The kicking game is pretty solid. Redshirt junior, Sam Swank (6-2, 206) was named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award. His 52-yard field goal against Clemson was his second this season from 50-yards or more. During his career he’s 9-of-12 from that distance.

In last year’s game against NC State, Swank kicked 3 field goals of 50 or more yards.

As a punter Swank, has a respectable 40.1 yard average, but the Deacons average net punt of 34.1 yards is in the bottom fourth of the league.

Marion is one of the most dangerous kickoff returners in the nation. His 30.6 yard average is No.2 in the ACC. Against UNC, Marion returned a kick 98 yards for a touchdown.

Moore is an outstanding punt returner. His 11.9 yard average trails only Virginia Tech’s Eddie Royal and the Wolfpack’s Darrell Blackman.

NOTES: Saturday’s game marks the 101^st meeting between Wake Forest and NC State...The Deacons are the Wolfpack’s most frequent football rival...Wake Forest has won 3 of the last 4 games in its series with NC State, but the Deacons have won in Raleigh only once since 1984. That was last year’s 25-23 win at Carter-Finley Stadium ...Each of the last four games in the series have been decided by 6 points or less...During State’s 4-game winning streak, the Wolfpack has either won or broken even in turnover margin in each game...The Wolfpack has held 3 of its last 4 opponents to less than 100 yards rushing...NC State has 7 interceptions in its last 3 games and has forced 9 turnovers during its four-game winning streak...Also, during the winning streak, State has held opponents to 21.8 points a game, about 5 points under its season average...Darrell Blackman is No.3 in the ACC in all-purpose yards (135.2) and is the league’s No.2 punt returner (13.7)...Jamelle Eugene, who rushed for 159 yards and 3 touchdowns last week against UNC, is ninth in the ACC in rushing (60.4 ypg.) this week. Eugene has rushed for more than 100 yards in 3 of his last 5 games, averaging nearly 105 yards a game during that span. Eugene has gained 557 all-purpose yards in the last 4 games while averaging 74 snaps...Defensive end Willie Young ranks 6th in the ACC in tackles for loss (12.5)...In the Wolfpack’s last 4 games, Daniel Evans has averaged 279 passing yards with 7 touchdowns and 4 interceptions...State’s improving pass rush is reflected in its sack numbers. During the 4-game winning streak, the Wolfpack has recorded 14 quarterback sacks...Linebacker Ernest Jones leads the Pack in tackles, averaging 9.5 stops a game...Safety DaJuan Morgan who has recorded 34 tackles in his last 3 games is the Pack’s “Disrupter.” He leads the team with 13 pass break-ups. His brother, cornerback DeAndre Morgan, broke up 5 passes at Miami, including two in the end zone... NC State has scored in 149 consecutive games, the fourth-longest streak in ACC history...The Pack is 7-4 in overtime games...NC State has thrown an ACC-high 19 interceptions this year...Eleven Wolfpack starters have missed a total of 36 combined games this season due to injury. State will be seeking its first five game winning streak since 2002 and its first four-game ACC winning streak in five years...Wake Forest has held 6 of its 10 opponents to less than 100 yards rushing.

INJURIES--NC State: DT John Bedics (concussion) questionable; SS Javon Walker (knee)-out; FB Ced Hickman (shoulder)-probable; OT Julian Williams (knee) probable; TB Andre Brown (fractured foot)-out; RB Toney Baker (knee)--out for season; TE Anthony Hill (knee)-out for season; FB John Kane (concussion)-out for season; TE Rashad Phillips (rehab from auto accident)-out for season. Wake Forest: OT Joe Birdsong (ankle)-doubtful; OT/OG Matt Brim (ankle)-probable.

North Carolina State University Athletics

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