WINSTON-SALEM — Last week, Wake Forest was embarrassed by its 33-10 loss to Florida
State.So Saturday, the
Deacons made up for it by playing like the Seminoles. They won by 44 points.
Wake’s 47-3 victory over
hapless Alabama-Birmingham (3-4) was a statement game as much for the Deacons themselves
as the rest of the college football world.
“We’ve been struggling
the last few weeks,” said quarterback Ben Sankey, one of many Wake stars. “We
wanted to hit them in the mouth and get some momentum back.”
Sankey certainly did his part,
leading the Deacons in rushing with 114 yards and also completing 9-of-16 passes for 132
more. He became just the second quarterback in Wake history to top 100 yards rushing. John
Mackovic did it in 1964.
“I anticipated sometime
during the season that Ben would catch fire,” a very pleased head coach Jim Caldwell
said. “He gets better with every snap he takes.”
Sankey didn’t have to take
many in the first half because UAB kept giving Wake (4-3) such good field position. In
fact, Wake led 10-0 and only had 10 yards of offense, thanks to two terrible punts, a
blocked kick and an interception.
Wake’s first drive of 6 yards
came after Ed Kargbookorogie blocked a punt on the opening series. Matt Burdick followed
with a 41-yard field goal.
The next drive was a three-play,
4-yard walk-off. Tehran Carpenter picked off a Daniel Dixon pass on the 36 and ran it back
to the 4. Morgan Kane dove over from 2 yards.
From there, it became a laugher as
Wake won by the largest margin since a 66-21 victory over Virginia in 1975.
Caldwell said he never saw this
performance coming.
“Sometimes, you can tell but
not this week,” he said. “We had a lousy practice on Thursday and I got on
them.”
The game was a showcase for the
Deacon seniors.
Wake went up 17-0 when Jammie
Deese made a diving, 29-yard grab in the corner of the end zone.
“He made a great catch —
as always,” said fellow senior Sankey.
Kane’s turn came on the next
drive, romping 39 yards for a score.
Burdick, also in his last year,
kicked two field goals, tying Wilson Hoyle for the school record with 37.
Sankey’s big moment came in
the fourth quarter when he raced 64 yards before being caught at 3. He scored moments
later, ending an 11-play, 94-yard drive.
While Sankey’s offense ran up
396 yards and got most of the attention from the 20,000 fans, the defense was even more
powerful, forcing four turnovers and pressuring Dixon and his back-up Thomas Cox into a
13-for-38 passing night.
“The offense was a great
motivator for us,” said defensive lineman Fred Robbins, who recovered a fumble.
“It was our best pass rush of the season.”
The defense’s high point came
in the second quarter with Wake up 27-3 and UAB facing a first down on Wake’s 21. On
first down, linebacker Dustin Lyman ripped Dixon to the ground for a 5-yard loss. On
second down, Dixon was sacked by tackle Rufus Thomas. And on third down, Dixon was felled
by Robbins on a sack.
For the game, UAB had 27 yards
rushing on 26 carries and totaled just 165 yards on 64 plays. It was the Blazers’
worst loss since going Division 1-A in 1996.
“We had a blast,” said
Lyman. “Beating somebody like that is something most programs get to do but
we’ve never gotten to do. We were good in every phase of the game.”
Just like Florida State.
n
NOTES: Concord’s Jamie Scott
thought he had scored his first collegiate touchdown when he finished a 28-yard run by
hurling himself into the end zone in the fourth quarter. But an official said he stepped
out on the 8. “I thought I had my first one,” said Wake’s redshirt
freshman, who finished with 29 yards on four carries. ... Tyler Ashe kicked the first two
field goals of his career, one of 46 yards. ... Wake had 257 yards on the ground. ...
Caldwell’s career mark is 21-52 while UAB’s Watson Brown (Mack’s brother)
is 54-106-1. ... UAB had won three of its last four. ... Kane is ranked 14th nationally in
rushing. |
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