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Wake Forest still seeking offensive consistency

Oct 18, 2008 - 10:16 AM (19) Wake Forest (4-1) at Maryland (4-2), 12:00 pm EDT

COLLEGE PARK, Maryland (Ticker) -- With an offense still struggling for consistency, Wake Forest is 2-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference for the first time since 1987.

Coming off a 12-7 victory over Clemson, the 19th-ranked Demon Deacons head to Maryland on Saturday in the first of two straight conference road games.

After committing six turnovers in a 24-17 non-conference loss to Navy, Wake Forest's offense sputtered against Clemson until Riley Skinner engineered a 15-play, 78-yard drive in the fourth quarter.

The Demon Deacons erased a 7-6 deficit when senior receiver D.J. Bolden caught a 7-yard TD pass with 5:38 remaining, the first score of his career.

Wake Forest (5-1, 2-0 ACC Coastal) and Virginia Tech are the only ACC teams without a loss in conference play.

Maryland may have to guard against the potential threat of Skinner running the ball. In an attempt to boost the offense, Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe called a number of running plays for Skinner against Clemson, and the junior quarterback gained 76 of the Demon Deacons' 156 rushing yards.

"We came into the game and told Riley that one of the reasons why we can't run the ball is because we have a quarterback that nobody expects to run the ball," said Grobe, who won his 50th game at Wake Forest. "We told him to buckle up because it was his turn."

The health of kicker Sam Swank remains an issue for Wake Forest. He missed last week's game with a right quadriceps injury, though the Demon Deacons hope to have him back in the lineup this week.

Freshman Shane Popham handled the kicking duties against Clemson and missed two of his four attempts.

Maryland (4-2, 1-1 ACC Coastal) appeared ready to make a move in the league, but took a step back last week with a 31-0 loss at Virginia. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Terrapins.

"It was our chance," Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. "It's frustrating. It really is. You (media) guys must think I'm out here trying to throw these games, but I'm trying my hardest to prepare them, to motivate them."

Friedgen was frustrated after last season's 31-24 overtime loss to Wake Forest, as the Demon Deacons rallied from a 24-3 deficit midway through the third quarter.