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Wake Forest looks to follow up impressive win opener

Sep 6, 2008 - 11:31 AM Mississippi (1-0) at No. 20 Wake Forest (1-0), 3:30 p.m. EDT

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Ticker) -- After a milestone victory by quarterback Riley Skinner, No. 20 Wake Forest seeks a fifth straight victory Saturday when it hosts Mississippi of the Southeastern Conference.

The Demon Deacons kicked off the 2008 season in fine fashion, routing Baylor, 41-13, last week.

Riley won his 19th game to become the winningest quarterback in school history. The junior completed 27-of-36 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns.

It was a dramatic turnaround from last season's opener, when Skinner threw three interceptions in a 38-28 loss to Boston College and suffered a separated shoulder that caused him to miss two games.

"Riley took care of the ball really well, which was different from last year when we opened at Boston College," Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said.

A victory Saturday will give Wake Forest its 400th win in the program's history. A perennial doormat before Grobe's arrival seven years ago, the Demon Deacons have an all-time mark of 399-581-33. However, they are 46-39 under Grobe.

One of Grobe's victories was a 27-3 triumph at Ole Miss in 2006 in the only previous meeting between the schools. The start of that game was delayed two hours due to thunderstorms in the Oxford area.

Trying to build on a 3-9 season, Mississippi (1-0) opened its campaign with a 41-24 victory over Memphis in Houston Nutt's debut as coach.

Jevan Snead passed for 185 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start as the Rebels surpassed 40 points against an opponent from Football Bowl Subdivision for the first time since a 43-40 win over South Carolina on November 1, 2003.

Nutt resigned at Arkansas after posting a 75-48 record in 10 seasons and replaced Ed Orgeron at Ole Miss. Orgeron was fired after a three-year mark of 10-25. The Rebels finished winless in the SEC last last year.