2006 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team The 2006 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team represented Wake Forest University during the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The team was coached by Jim Grobe , in his fifth season at the school , and played its home games at Groves Stadium ( now known as BB & T Field ) . The Deacons finished the regular season with a 10 – 2 record , giving them the first 10 - win season in their history , and won the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference . With a win in the conference championship game , Wake Forest ' s first conference championship in 36 years , they represented the ACC in the Orange Bowl . The team ended the season with an 11 – 3 record and a number 17 ranking in the nation . The team and its star linebacker Jon Abbate would become the subject of a 2011 feature film , " The 5th Quarter " . Pre - Season . After finishing 4 – 7 in 2005 and in a tie for fourth place in the Atlantic Division of the ACC , the Deacons were picked in the pre - season to finish last in the division by the ACC media , among others , making the Deacons ' run at the ACC title largely unexpected . Coaching change . After Deacons ' wide receivers coach Kevin Sherman left to take an assistant coaching position at Virginia Tech , Tim Billings was hired as his replacement . Billings was touted as having 23 - years of experience at the college football level , including a six - year stint as head coach of Southeast Missouri State . Roster changes . Although the Deacons returned an ACC high 18 starters from the 2005 team , they lost four key starters to graduation . On defense , the only starter to leave was nose tackle , Goryal Scales . On offense , three starters graduated , including wide receiver Chris Davis , quarterback Cory Randolph , and running back and ACC Player of the Year award - winner Chris Barclay . Finally , Ray Guy Award - winning punter Ryan Plackemeier also graduated . Recruiting . During recruiting , the Deacons signed 15 new players for the team , including a number of three - star recruits and Josh Adams , a top - 10 ranked running back . The team added eight players on offense , six on defense and a kicker , however before the season began , tight end recruit , Dennis Godfrey , decided not to enroll to the school . Award candidates . Five Demon Deacon players were named to pre - season national award watchlists : Along with the award candidates , six players were named as pre - season All - Americans on three lists . Andrews and Vallos on the first team and Abbate and Gattis on the second team were named so by the Sporting News , Abbate and Vallos were named on the first team by the Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook , and finally , Vallos on the third team and Abbate , Gattis , Matt Robinson , and Swank as honorable mentions by Street & Smith . Season . Game capsules . Syracuse . In the first game of the season , the Deacons took on the Syracuse Orange . For the first half , every time the Deacons scored , like quarterback Ben Mauk ' s 14 - yard pass to Willie Idlette , the Orange answered . The half ended with the teams tied 10 – 10 . In the second half , despite throwing an interception early in the quarter , Mauk led the Deacons to an eventual field goal to give them a 13 – 10 lead in the third quarter . However , before the field goal , Mauk suffered an injury to his right arm when two Syracuse players fell on the arm as he was attempting to recover a fumble . He was replaced by Riley Skinner who only threw one pass . In the fourth quarter , on the final scoring drive , the Deacons took nearly eight minutes off the clock with their running game , and scored on a 19 - yard run by De ' Angelo Bryant . The Deacons won the game 20 – 10 , but had to make a decision on their quarterback . Duke . With Riley Skinner given the go - ahead to take over as the starting quarterback , the Deacons had to take on visiting Duke , a team who had only won one game in 2005 . Duke , however , took an early lead with a 27 - yard field goal and a 47 - yard touchdown pass to take a 10 – 0 lead at halftime . Finally answering , Skinner threw the first touchdown pass of his career , a 5 - yard pass to John Tereshinski , to bring them within three . The Blue Devils kicked another field goal , this one of 39 - yards to take a 13 – 7 lead into the fourth quarter . Late in the fourth , the Deacons took their first lead of the game on a 2 - yard touchdown run by Micah Andrews . With a minute remaining , the Blue Devils started a drive that brought them to the Deacons 11 - yard line . With six seconds remaining , they attempted a game winning field goal , however , Chip Vaughn was able to block the attempt to give the Deacons a 14 – 13 win . Connecticut . On their first road game of the season , the Deacons went to face the Connecticut Huskies . They took an early lead on an interception of D . J . Hernandez by Jeremy Thompson , who returned the ball 86 - yards for the touchdown . Hernandez was able to bring the Huskies back and tied the game later in the quarter on a 6 - yard pass , but Micah Andrews ' 6 - yard run for a touchdown gave the Deacons a lead they would never relinquish . In the second quarter , Lou Allen ' s 15 - yard touchdown brought the Huskies within one after a missed extra point , to have the half end with the Deacons ahead 14 – 13 . With no score in the third quarter , the Deacons padded their lead in the fourth with a 43 - yard field goal by Sam Swank and another 6 - yard touchdown run , this time by Richard Belton , to give the final score of the game as 24 – 13 . With the win , the Deacons were 3 – 0 for the first time in 19 years . Mississippi . The Deacons visited Ole Miss for their fourth game , and once again relied on their running and kicking games to win a game . Despite not having Micah Andrews , De ' Angelo Bryant took over for him and gave the Deacons an early lead on a 9 - yard touchdown . With a 38 - yard field goal by Swank , and the Rebels ' only answer of a 26 - yard field goal , the Deacons took a 10 – 3 lead into the half . In the third quarter the Deacons added two more rushing touchdowns and another field goal to pad their lead . With no score in the fourth , the Deacons won the game 27 – 3 . Liberty . The Deacons next took on the Division I FCS Liberty Flames . This time winning without only relying on their running game . Skinner threw for 218 yards including a 59 - yard touchdown that that gave the Deacons a 27 – 7 lead at halftime . Although the Flames were able to score twice , the Deacons easily outscored and outplayed them , winning 34 – 14 . Clemson . The No . 12 ranked Clemson Tigers next came to visit the Deacons . Although the Tigers took an early lead with a field goal , a pair of touchdown passes , one by Skinner and the other on a trick play Nate Morton to Skinner , gave the Deacons a 14 – 3 lead at the half . In the third quarter , a 22 - yard field goal by Swank gave the Deacons a 17 – 3 lead that wouldn ' t hold . On the first play of the fourth quarter a fumble on the Deacons ' 35 - yard line was returned by Gaines Adams for a touchdown . Three minutes later the Tigers tied the game on a 20 - yard pass and then took a lead with a 72 - yard touchdown run . With a final field goal , the Tigers ended the game , winning 27 – 17 and breaking the Deacons ' winning streak . North Carolina State . The Deacons next visited the NC State Wolfpack . Taking an early lead with a touchdown run and a 51 - yard field goal , the Wolfpack came back and scored two touchdowns to give them a 14 – 10 lead . However , after Swank kicked a 53 - yard field goal , the Deacon defense forced a safety with a minute left in the half . Skinner was able to capitalize with a 57 - yard touchdown pass to Nate Morton to take a 22 – 14 lead into the half . In the fourth quarter , with the Wolfpack down five after a field goal , Swank kicked another 53 - yard field goal to give the Deacons an eight point advantage . With a touchdown with five minutes remaining , the Wolfpack brought the score within two points , however failed on the two point conversion attempt . After holding the Deacons , the Wolfpack moved to the 40 - yard line before a pass intercepted by Josh Gattis ended the game . The Deacons won the game 25 – 23 and were 6 – 1 for the first time since 1979 . After the game the team was ranked North Carolina . The Deacons next visited the North Carolina Tar Heels . After a blocked punt was returned for a touchdown by the Deacons , the Tar Heels were able to tie the game with a 1 - yard touchdown pass . In the second quarter , after another touchdown by the Deacons , the Tar Heels once again answered and the teams were tied 14 – 14 at the half . In the third quarter the Tar Heels took their first lead with a 35 - yard field goal . The Deacons wouldn ' t answer until early in the fourth quarter on a Swank field goal . They took their final lead on a Skinner pass of 39 - yards . Down by a touchdown , the Tar Heels drove to scoring range , however , an errant pass on the final play of the game was intercepted by Jon Abbate to seal the win for the Deacons , 24 – 17 . With the win the team was 7 – 1 for only the third time in school history . Boston College . The No . 16 ranked Boston College Eagles next faced the Deacons . The Deacons took the lead midway through the first quarter on a 9 - yard reverse by Willie Idlette . After a drive that ended on the first play of the second quarter gave the Eagles a 1 - yard touchdown run , the Deacons answered later in the quarter with a 46 - yard touchdown pass by Skinner . On the Eagles ' next drive , quarterback Matt Ryan threw an interception in the endzone that ended their scoring chance . The half ended with the Deacons winning 14 – 7 . On the Deacons first play of the second half , after holding the Eagles on a fourth down attempt , Kevin Marion ran for an 81 - yard touchdown . Ryan answered later on a 2 - yard scramble to put the Eagles down 21 – 14 at the end of the third quarter . In the fourth , the Eagles , after missing a 40 - yard field goal , forced an interception from Skinner . On their drive , however , after an 11 - yard run , L . V . Whitworth fumbled the ball to end the drive . On their last chance in the game , after converting a fourth down , Ryan threw a second interception in the endzone to Patrick Ghee , to seal the win for the Deacons , 21 – 14 . The Deacons beat a ranked team for the first time in nine chances , were 8 – 1 for the first time since 1944 , and tied a school record for wins in a season . Florida State . The Deacons next went to Tallahassee to face the Florida State Seminoles , a team the Deacons hadn ' t beaten in Tallahassee since 1959 and who they had lost to 14 straight games . The Deacons dominated the game , however , and had a 20 – 0 lead at halftime . With both Seminole quarterbacks throwing two interceptions each , one of which was returned for a 48 - yard touchdown , the Deacons held the Seminoles scoreless for the first time at home since Bobby Bowden started as their coach . With a final score of 30 – 0 , the Deacons won a school record ninth game in the season . Virginia Tech . The No . 19 Virginia Tech Hokies next visited the Deacons . The Hokies took an early lead on a 49 - yard touchdown pass in the first quarter . After losing ACC - leading rusher Branden Ore in the first quarter , the Hokies didn ' t score again until after the half . The Deacons , however , couldn ' t take advantage , and only scored a field goal to trail 7 – 3 at halftime . Early in the third quarter , the Hokies scored again on a long pass of 53 - yards . The Deacons answered with another field goal , but the Hokies kept an 11 - point lead after their own field goal . After a fumble was returned by the Hokies for 35 - yards , the Deacons never answered again . The Hokies padded their lead with a fourth quarter field goal , to give them the win , 27 – 6 . Maryland . The Deacons visited the Maryland Terrapins for their final game of the regular season and with a chance to win the ACC Atlantic Division . The Terrapins took a touchdown lead midway through the first quarter , however a Kevin Harris 2 - yard touchdown run answered for the Deacons . The Deacons then scored two touchdowns , including a 49 - yard pass from Skinner to Willie Idlette to take the lead . The Terrapins scored late in the half to bring the halftime score to 21 – 14 in favor of the Deacons . In the third quarter both teams traded field goals , but another Harris touchdown run gave the Deacons another two touchdown lead . In the fourth , both teams scored short touchdowns , but the early lead was enough for the Deacons who won 38 – 24 . With the win , the Deacons won the Atlantic Division of the ACC and advanced to the ACC Championship game against the Coastal Division champion Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets . ACC Championship Game . The Deacons next went to Jacksonville to face the No . 22 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the second annual ACC Championship game . Both teams ' defenses dominated the game , as each held the opposing offenses to under 300 yards for the game . The Deacons defense intercepted two Reggie Ball passes to help their effort . In the first half , both teams kicked field goals to go to halftime tied at 3 . Early in the fourth quarter the Yellow Jackets took another lead with a second field goal to take a 6 – 3 lead . However , the Deacons came back and kicked two more field goals , the second with three minutes remaining in the game , to win the game 9 – 6 . The winning score was the lowest for a conference champion ever . With the win , the Deacons won their second ACC Championship and won the ACC ' s spot in the BCS . Orange Bowl . In the Deacons ' first BCS bowl game they went to the Orange Bowl to play the No . 6 Louisville Cardinals , winners of the Big East . The Deacons took an early lead with a field goal , however the Cardinals answered with their own field goal and a touchdown in the first quarter to take a 10 – 3 lead to halftime . In the third quarter , Skinner tied the game on a 30 - yard touchdown pass and took a three point lead in the fourth after a 36 - yard field goal . The lead didn ' t last too long , as the Cardinals scored a quick touchdown and another one later in the quarter . With the scores the Cardinals took a 24 – 13 win . Even with the loss , the Deacons finished their best season in school history . Post season . Awards . Conference . Upon winning the conference many Deacons players and coach Jim Grobe received conference honors . Grobe was unanimously named the ACC Coach of the Year by the media . Along with Grobe ' s honor , Riley Skinner was singled out by the media and was named the ACC Rookie of the Year . Along with the individual awards , nine players , five on the first team , one on the second , and three honorable mention , a Wake Forest record , were named to the All - ACC team . National . Two players and once again Jim Grobe were honored as finalists for national awards . Zac Selmon was named as a Wuerffel Trophy finalist , Sam Swank was named as a semifinalist for both the Lou Groza Award and the Ray Guy Award , and Grobe was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year . Although none won , Grobe was named coach of the year by five other organizations , including the AP award and the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award . Along with the award winners , six players were named by four sources to their All - America teams . Sam Swank was named to the first teams of Rivals . com , ESPN , and " Sports Illustrated " . Also named by " Sports Illustrated " were Steve Vallos also on the first team and Jon Abbate and Josh Gattis as honorable mentions . Vallos was also named by the Sporting News to their team . Finally , Jeff Griffin on the second team and Riley Skinner on the third team , were named by the Sporting News to their Freshman All - American team . Roster changes . Ten former starters left due to graduation or being drafted in the 2007 NFL Draft . Mauk , who had to undergo extensive reconstructive surgery on his injured throwing arm , graduated and then left to pursue a master ' s degree . He took advantage of a now - repealed NCAA rule allowing graduate students with remaining academic eligibility to transfer and gain immediate eligibility at their new school , and finished his college career as the starting quarterback at the University of Cincinnati . Nine other players went on to the NFL , including Josh Gattis who was selected in the fifth round of the draft by Jacksonville and Steve Vallos who was selected in the seventh round by Seattle . After the season , former recruit Dennis Godfrey enrolled with the new class .