2007 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team
The 2007 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team represented Wake Forest University during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Jim Grobe in his seventh season at the school and played its home games at BB&T Field. The team began its season with an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) game on Saturday, September 1, 2007 against Boston College. Wake Forest played its first season since winning the 2006 ACC championship, their first in 36 years.[1]
Preseason
Following the most successful season in team history in 2006, the 2007 team was not widely predicted to win the ACC despite returning many offensive starters from 2006.[1] Some sports writers stated that they believed 2006 to have been a fluke and that Wake Forest was not going to win as many games in 2007, especially because of the losses on defense, including the loss of linebacker Jon Abbate to the National Football League.[2] Wake Forest was picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Division of the ACC in the annual preseason poll conducted by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. Lindy's was the only major preseason magazine to pick Wake Forest as a Top-25 team. [3]
Roster changes
Linebacker Eric Berry was ruled academically ineligible for the 2007 season.[4]
Mike Rinfrette moved from fullback to linebacker in spring practice.
Recruiting
On National Signing Day, Wake Forest signed 20 recruits in all, eleven defensive players and nine offensive players.
Award candidates
- Steve Justice (C)- 2007 Lombardi Trophy Watch List [5]; 2007 Outland Trophy Watch List [6]; 2007 Rimington Trophy Watch List [7]
- Zac Selmon (TE)- 2007 Wuerffel Trophy Nominee [8]
- Riley Skinner (QB) 2007 Maxwell Award Watch List [9]; 2007 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List [10]
- Sam Swank (P)- 2007 Ray Guy Award Watch List [11]
Roster
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Bold indicates starter in last game
Quarterbacks
- 6 Brett Hodges - Sophomore
- 10 Zach MacDowall - Freshman
- 11 Riley Skinner - Sophomore
- 12 Skylar Jones - Freshman
- 13 Ryan McManus - Junior
Running Backs
- 3 Micah Andrews - Senior
- 20 Lucas Caparelli - Freshman
- 22 Brandon Pendergrass - Freshman
- 23 Kevin Harris - Sophomore
- 27 Josh Adams - Freshman
- 34 Willie Dixon - Freshman
- 49 Jose Domenach - Freshman
Wide Receivers
- 4 Demir Boldin - Junior
- 8 Marshall Williams - Freshman
- 8 Geoff Wissing - Sophomore
- 14 Kevin Marion - Senior
- 15 Delon Lowe - Senior
- 17 Christopher Langley - Sophomore
- 21 Kenneth Moore - Senior
- 22 CJ Washington - Freshman
- 24 Trey Schmidt - Senior
- 36 Casey Hill - Sophomore
- 36 Nicholas Schulz - Freshman
- 37 Max Opamuratawongse - Senior
- 48 Anthony Williams - Sophomore
- 80 Devon Brown - Freshman
- 81 Danny Dembry - Freshman
- 82 Jordan Williams - Freshman
- 86 Matt Hartford - Sophomore
- 88 Chip Brinkman - Junior
Fullbacks
- 18 De'Angelo Bryant - Senior
- 35 Rich Belton - Junior
Tight Ends
- 83 Cameron Ford - Freshman
- 84 Zac Selmon - Senior
- 85 Ben Wooster - Sophomore
- 87 Ted Randolph - Sophomore
- 89 John Tereshinski - Senior
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Offensive Linemen
- 60 Mike White - Freshman
- 61 Barrett McMillin - Sophomore
- 62 Doug Weaver - Freshman
- 64 Jeff Griffin - Sophomore
- 65 Gage Crews - Sophomore
- 67 Trey Bailey - Sophomore
- 68 David Cox - Freshman
- 70 Chris DeGeare - Junior
- 71 Ryan Britt - Freshman
- 72 Russell Nenon - Freshman
- 73 Cannon Gaskin - Freshman
- 74 Steve Justice - Senior
- 75 Michael Hoag - Freshman
- 76 Joe Birdsong - Sophomore
- 77 Boomer Peterson - Sophomore
- 78 Louis Frazier - Senior
- 79 Matthew Brim - Senior
Linebackers
- 28 Cyhl Quarles - Freshman
- 35 Lee Malchow - Sophomore
- 39 Chantz McClinic - Junior
- 40 Kyle Jarrett - Freshman
- 43 Stanley Arnoux - Junior
- 44 Mike Rinfrette - Sophomore
- 45 Mike Simmons - Junior
- 46 Matt Woodlief - Freshman
- 49 Michael Potteiger - Sophomore
- 52 Dominique Midgett - Sophomore
- 55 Tristan Dorty - Freshman
- 56 Hunter Haynes - Freshman
- 57 Gelo Orange - Freshman
- 59 Aaron Curry - Junior
- 63 Andrew Conroy - Junior
- 66 Collin Granger - Freshman
- 94 Tripp Russell - Freshman
Cornerbacks
- 2 Alphonso Smith - Junior
- 5 Marcus Williams - Freshman
- 17 Brandon Ghee - Sophomore
- 24 Channing Schofield - Sophomore
- 25 Josh Bush - Freshman
- 29 Kerry Major - Junior
- 41 Mike Williams - Freshman
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Safeties
- 7 Alex Frye - Freshman
- 9 Chip Vaughn - Junior
- 10 Kevin Patterson - Junior
- 25 Andrew Wright - Junior
- 26 Jonathon Jones - Sophomore
- 28 Peter Grimm - Freshman
- 30 John Stamper - Freshman
- 32 Aaron Mason - Senior
- 37 Junior Petit-Jean - Freshman
Defensive Ends
- 34 Antonio Wilson - Junior
- 42 Matt Robinson - Senior
- 90 Will Wright - Freshman
- 93 Anthony Davis - Junior
- 94 Tripp Russell - Freshman
- 97 Kyle Wilber - Freshman
- 98 Jeremy Thompson - Senior
Defensive Tackles
- 50 Teddy Tomlin - Freshman
- 51 John Russell - Sophomore
- 58 Michael Carter - Freshman
- 91 Dennis Godfrey - Freshman
- 95 Zach Stukes - Senior
- 96 Boo Robinson - Sophomore
- 99 Michael Lockett - Sophomore
Place Kickers
- 30 Shane Popham - Freshman
- 38 Sam Swank - Junior
- 40 Zach Collins - Freshman
- 69 Win Joyner - Freshman
Punters
Long Snappers
- 53 Greg Bechtel - Sophomore
- 92 Nick Jarvis - Senior
Kick Returners
- 2 Alphonso Smith - Junior
- 14 Kevin Marion - Senior
- 21 Kenneth Moore - Senior
Punt Returners
- 21 Kenneth Moore - Senior
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Personnel
Position |
Name |
First year at WFU |
Head Coach |
Jim Grobe |
2001 |
Wide Receivers |
Tim Billings |
2006 |
Fullbacks / Tight ends |
Tom Elrod |
2003 |
Defensive Ends |
Keith Henry |
2001 |
Defensive coordinator / Secondary |
Dean Hood |
2001 |
Linebackers |
Brad Lambert |
2001 |
Offensive coordinator / Offensive line |
Steed Lobotzke |
2001 |
Defensive tackles |
Ray McCartney |
2001 |
Assistant Head Coach / Running backs / Kickers |
Billy Mitchell |
2001 |
Quarterbacks |
Jeff Mullen |
2001 |
Source: http://wakeforestsports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/wake-m-footbl-mtt.html |
Schedule
Date |
Time |
Opponent# |
Rank# |
Site |
TV |
Result |
Attendance |
09/01/2007 |
3:30 pm |
at Boston College |
|
Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA |
ABC |
L 38-28 |
42,292 |
09/08/2007 |
12:00 pm |
#17 Nebraska* |
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BB&T Field • Winston-Salem, NC |
ESPN |
L 20-17 |
32,483 |
09/15/2007 |
3:30 pm |
Army* |
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BB&T Field • Winston-Salem, NC |
ACC Select |
W 21-10 |
32,142 |
09/22/2007 |
3:30 pm |
Maryland |
|
BB&T Field • Winston-Salem, NC |
ESPNU |
W 31-24 OT |
31,964 |
10/06/2007 |
1:00 pm |
at Duke |
|
Wallace Wade Stadium • Durham, NC |
ACC Select |
W 41-36 |
20,134 |
10/11/2007 |
7:30 pm |
#21 Florida State |
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BB&T Field • Winston-Salem, NC |
ESPN |
W 24-21 |
32,906 |
10/20/2007 |
1:00 pm |
at Navy* |
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Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD |
CSTV |
W 44-24 |
36,992 |
10/27/2007 |
12:00 pm |
North Carolina |
|
BB&T Field • Winston-Salem, NC |
Raycom Sports |
W 37-10 |
33,023 |
11/3/2007 |
12:00 pm |
at Virginia |
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Scott Stadium • Charlottesville, VA |
Raycom Sports |
L 17-16 |
60,106 |
11/10/2007 |
12:00 pm |
at #20 Clemson |
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Memorial Stadium • Clemson, SC |
ESPN2 |
L 44-10 |
82,422 |
11/17/2007 |
4:00 pm |
North Carolina State |
|
BB&T Field • Winston-Salem, NC |
ESPNU |
W 38-18 |
33,052 |
11/24/2007 |
2:00 pm |
at Vanderbilt* |
|
Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN |
None |
W 31-17 |
27,650 |
12/29/2007 |
1:00 pm |
vs. Connecticut* |
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Bank of America Stadium • Charlotte, NC (Meineke Car Care Bowl) |
ESPN |
W 24-10 |
53,126 |
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |
Game capsules
Boston College
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
Wake Forest |
14 |
7 |
0 |
7 |
28 |
Boston College |
7 |
14 |
14 |
3 |
38 |
[12]
Nebraska
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
Nebraska |
3 |
10 |
7 |
0 |
20 |
Wake Forest |
0 |
10 |
7 |
0 |
17 |
[13]
Army
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
Army |
0 |
7 |
3 |
0 |
10 |
Wake Forest |
14 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
21 |
[14]
Maryland
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
OT |
Total |
Maryland |
10 |
7 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
24 |
Wake Forest |
3 |
0 |
7 |
14 |
7 |
31 |
[15]
Duke
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
Wake Forest |
7 |
17 |
10 |
7 |
41 |
Duke |
9 |
0 |
14 |
13 |
36 |
[16]
Florida State
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
Florida State |
0 |
14 |
0 |
7 |
21 |
Wake Forest |
0 |
7 |
7 |
10 |
24 |
[17]
Navy
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
Wake Forest |
14 |
13 |
10 |
7 |
44 |
Navy |
10 |
7 |
7 |
0 |
24 |
[18]
North Carolina
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
North Carolina |
0 |
3 |
0 |
7 |
10 |
Wake Forest |
10 |
7 |
6 |
14 |
37 |
[19]
Virginia
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
Wake Forest |
3 |
3 |
7 |
3 |
16 |
Virginia |
3 |
7 |
0 |
7 |
17 |
Clemson
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
Wake Forest |
7 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
10 |
Clemson |
10 |
17 |
10 |
7 |
44 |
[20]
North Carolina State
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
North Carolina State |
0 |
3 |
15 |
0 |
18 |
Wake Forest |
7 |
14 |
7 |
10 |
38 |
[21]
Vanderbilt
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
Wake Forest |
7 |
7 |
17 |
0 |
31 |
Vanderbilt |
3 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
17 |
[22]
Connecticut
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
Connecticut |
7 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
Wake Forest |
0 |
0 |
14 |
10 |
24 |
[23]
Post Season
Conference
- Kenneth Moore (WR)
- Steve Justice (C)
- Alphonso Smith (CB)
- Josh Adams (RB)
- Aaron Curry (LB)
- All-ACC Honorable Mention
- Chip Vaughn (S)
- Sam Swank (K)
- Kevin Marion (KR)[25]
- Josh Adams (RB)- 2007 ACC Rookie of the Year and 2007 ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year [26]
- Matt Robinson (DE)- 2007 ACC Brian Piccolo Award [27]
National
- 2007 AFCA First Team All-American[29]
- Louis Frazier (OT) - 2007 ESPN Academic All-American[30]
References
External links
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Venues |
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Bowls & rivalries |
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Culture & lore |
- Demon Deacon
- "O Here's to Wake Forest"
- Spirit of the Old Gold and Black
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People |
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Seasons |
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