Sept. 24, 2009
Video: Game Preview With Jim Grobe By Alex Botoman, WakeForestSports.com WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest (2-1) will travel to Chestnut Hill, Mass. on Saturday to take on Boston College (2-1, 0-1 ACC) in the Demon Deacons' first ACC game of the season. Recent meetings between the two sides have proved to be exciting affairs as only one of the last six games has been decided by more than a touchdown. In addition to being the conference opener for the Demon Deacons, the game will be the first of the season that Wake will play away from the confines of BB&T Field. The Deacons have come away empty on their last two trips to Alumni Stadium and will be looking to pick up their first win there since Boston College joined the ACC in 2005. "Boston College has been a really tough place for us to play in the past," said head coach Jim Grobe. "We've lost our last couple of games up there, but I think in this league if you're going to compete for bowl games and championships you've got to play well on the road." "If you lose to a team the year before, it's in the back of your mind," added fullback Mike Rinfrette. "They have good fans. They're always loud and they stay on the opposing players because the student section is right behind our bench." Under first year head coach Frank Spaziani, the Eagles have already had some ups and downs, easily defeating Northeastern and Kent State before falling at Clemson last weekend in a game in which they recorded only 54 yards of total offense. Boston College, a program with a history of outstanding quarterbacks, has struggled to find consistency at the position this year, with last week's starter Justin Tuggle throwing three interceptions to go with only 23 passing yards against the Tigers. For the game against Wake Forest, Tuggle, a redshirt freshman, is listed as a co-starter with true freshman Dave Shinskie, and there is a good chance that both will get an opportunity to take some snaps. "It's early in the season. They're probably having a few problems at quarterback right now, but I'm sure their coaches will get it together," said safety Cyhl Quarles. "They'll be a great team and a force to be reckoned with in the ACC. Boston College has a strong defense, so they'll be OK." As usual, defense is a strength for the Eagles this season despite the fact that there are many new faces on the field. Boston College lost defensive tackles B.J. Raji and Ron Brace to the NFL and linebacker Mark Herzlich, last year's ACC Defensive Player of the Year, was diagnosed with cancer in the spring. The Eagles' defensive unit has allowed only one offensive touchdown all year, and they forced Clemson to kick six field goals last weekend despite the fact that the Tigers started multiple drives deep in BC territory. "They always have a physical defense," said Rinfrette. "They lost some guys last year, but they always seem to reload pretty well. We have to match their intensity and be as physical as they are." Wake Forest will take some momentum with them on the road as they are fresh off of a dominating 35-7 win over Elon. The Demon Deacons put up 426 yards of total offense and didn't allow the Phoenix to score until midway through the fourth quarter. Quarterback Riley Skinner had one of the best games of his career, throwing for a career-high 289 yards and three touchdowns, including an 80-yard touchdown pass to Marshall Williams -- the longest Wake Forest pass in BB&T Field history. The Demon Deacons have put together several long offensive series in their past two games, and their ability to continue that trend against the stifling Eagles defense will go a long way in determining the winner of the game. "They are one of the better coached defensive teams we'll face," said Grobe. "They are fundamentally sound, they don't beat themselves and they really make you make plays. If you don't take care of the football, things get ugly in a hurry." The matchup on the other side of the ball will be equally intriguing as Boston College's young offense takes on an equally inexperienced Wake Forest defense. The Demon Deacons will be looking to get penetration into the backfield in order to force mistakes from the Eagles' young signal-callers. "I feel some pressure to help out the defensive backs because they are young just like we are young up front," said defensive end Tristan Dorty. "Technique-wise, we've been struggling in a way, but I think we can get that squared away, and it won't be a problem for long. I feel like we can and should help the (defensive backs) out more, and I hope that everybody across the defensive line will take that same emphasis." In addition to the revenge factor, the Demon Deacons will head to Massachusetts knowing that the winner of this game has represented the Atlantic Division in the ACC Championship Game in each of the past three years. "It's what we all came to college for, to get a chance to play for the championship," said Dorty. "We know that they're going to come out even harder because of last week's loss. They don't want to fall behind 0-2 in the division and possibly be out of the title race when the conference season has just started. Both teams are going to come in looking for a division win, and hopefully the Deacs come out on top." Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Alumni Stadium. The game can be seen online via ESPN360.com, and can also be heard on the Wake Forest ISP Radio Network.
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