With a win over Vanderbilt this weekend, Wake Forest has wrapped up its 2008 season on a positive note. This is after coming back from a two game loss to NC State and Boston College in previous weeks. Their season record is 7-5 but it could have been much better.

Wake Forest was not touted to win the Atlantic division in the ACC this year. Clemson or Florida State were predicted to do so. Yet for a few weeks, Wake Forest was the pride of the ACC as it was the only team from the conference that was ranked during that span. The Deacons got out to a 4-1 start before beginning the long stretch of inter conference games during which the team went 2-4. Yet until it lost that heart breaker to Boston College two weeks ago, the Deacons were still very much in the mix to get that division title.

So what went wrong this year?

I guess it begins and ends with an experienced offensive line. The loss of so many players from last year created a serious problem for the team’s offensive strategy which relies on a mix of rushing and passing plays that relied upon the arm of Riley Skinner and the running ability of Josh Adams. But the offensive line could not open those lanes for Adams to take advantage of which meant that the team was more reliant on the passing game to succeed. But teams know now how to take advantage of Skinner’s lack of deep ball threat. Skinner has in years past, relied upon a mix of short runs and passes to methodicially move the team down the field. But with a player like Kevin Marion or Kenny Moore, Skinner could unleash a 40 yard pass to break the game wide open. That ability was not there this year. Marshall Williams was supposed to be that threat but far too often passes sent his way fell through his hands.

Another critical part of the offense that was missing this year was the kicking game. Sam Swank phenomal ability as a kicker was loss to the team when he went out for 6 weeks with a leg injury. Shane Popham tried to fill in for Swank but was as reliable at greater distances as Swan has consistently been over the years. Several times, the team went on 4th down plays because the team had no kicker who could boot the ball from 40 -50 yards out like Swank.

So with a weakened kicking game, a tepid rushing attack and a misfiring passing offence , offensive production was down overall this year.

If anything else, it has been the play of the defense that has allowed the team to succeed as it did throughout the year. Alphonso Smith, Stanley Arnoux, Aaron Curry and Chip Vaughan as fifth year seniors, brought experience that few of Wake’s opponents had. The team’s ability to force turnovers and produce touchdowns kept the  team in games that they should not have won like the 12-6 win over Florida State. Except for the shutout loss to Maryland, the defense has always kept it close giving the offense a chance to win the game but far too often, the offense could not do it.

Still, the team made it through this year with a winning record and a good chance to get to another bowl game this year despite the unprecedented 10 ACC teams eligible for bowl games this year. Bowl selection will not occur until next when the conference championships end but it appears that the team may be playing in the Humanintarian bowl in Boise ID or the Congressional Bowl in Washington DC. They may not be the Orange Bowl or even the Meinke Car Care Bowl but it will be the third straight bowl for the team, the first time ever.

With the end of this season, it is also time time to say good bye to the best senior class that Wake Forest Football has ever produced. Smith, Curry, Swank, DJ Boldin among 16 graduating seniors have contributed in making Wake Forest Football respectable not just in the ACC but in the nation as well. More wins than any other senior class and more bowl appearances as well. These players will be difficult to replace next year and as Wake is not considered to be an university with a long distinguished record in college football, it is always harder to recruit players to come to Winston-Salem to play football unlike the colleges such as Florida State, Alabama, Georgia and so on. The team will have to rebuild again and next year may be a more difficult one than this year especially as other teams in the ACC such as North Carolina and Miami are now on the upswing in the same manner as Wake Forest did in the past three years.

But this is college football and you never know what may happen on any given game day.