Virginia Tech slows down Wake Forest with Air Assault
WINSTON-SALEM- Even the full, frequently fickle “Screamin’ Demon” student-section understood the national implications of Wake vs. VA Tech on a chilled night in Winston-Salem Saturday. It was the first time in two seasons the section was completely filled, and it would be naïve to think it was solely on account of the n.19 ranked Hokey squad in town. Not even a win and sure spot on the “top 25 AP list” of NCAA football teams magnetized Wake Forest fans to Groves Stadium. No, it was what every Wake Forest University or small school student pines for. It was the special moment in the first quarter when the crowd was sent reeling in a maniacal frenzy after quarterback Tanner Price coolly hooked up with Chris Givens for an 80-yard touchdown and 10-0 lead that brought the fans to this untelevised event. It was in that moment, more timeless in worth than any ranking system, the crowd began to feel a hope for recognition.
Any Wake Forest student whose hometown resides outside of North Carolina and/or the East Coast has a growing familiarity and annoyance for the questions, “What’s Wake Forest?” or “Oh you mean, Lake Forest, right?”, so a top 25 bid in an AP or USA Today poll suddenly became significant in highlighting a team thirsty for respect. But on the 20-yard line with 46 seconds left in the first half that hope seemed to slip away with a Price interception preceded by three unanswered Virginia Tech touchdowns sinking the Demon Deacons into a 21-10 halftime hole. The play squeezed the life out of a stadium turned silent as if the fans had been the ones who’d taken the hit on the arm that forced the game-changing interception.
The Demon Deacons would continue to be nothing more than a blip on the BCS radar, and knowing this, fans began to take a familiar, permanent halftime exit to the chagrin of the upperclassman coming to terms with an all too familiar pain and lower classman shaken from a new empty feeling. This “sport-ache” was very different than the beginning of the season overtime loss to Syracuse. For the “Screamin’ Demons,” this sentiment was new because before Saturday, Wake Forest Demon Deacon football, riding a four-game winning streak, had begun to feel relevant again.
Saturday, students diverged from their normal participation in the “Black-out” theme of shuffling into the stadium intoxicated in a “black-out” state of alcoholism and converted to the practical implication of the theme: arriving reasonably and orderly, dressed in black. This spoke immensely to the overall change in demeanor and bravado of Wake Forest University itself, demonstrating a strong belief in their underdog team. One thing is for sure, the presence of an emphatic student crowd, particularly in the first half, sent a sobering message to a Wake Forest athletics program struggling to fill seats in its student section: pride is earned through success.
In contrast, all the credit to a Virginia Tech team with a greater quarterback in Logan Thomas and with taller, more skilled receivers like Jarrett Boykin. But the game on October 16th was ultimately a step in the right direction for the Demon Deacons if fans continue to show up with the same bravado, confidence and belief they exhibited in the first half of Saturday’s game. The morale of the Wake Forest faithful shouldn’t be down and out, but rather supporting of a team only two wins away from its first bowl game since the departure of Price’s famed predecessor, Riley Skinner.
The top 25 might have to wait one more season for the strengthening program in Winston-Salem to join the elite, but recognition and respect can be earned through a pride and confidence now that will transcend press polls and computer rankings in the future. Though the life was sapped out Wake Forest’s Groves Stadium, look for a resurgence and resiliency among “Screamin’ Demon” fans on November 5th against a ruthless Notre Dame team, understanding maybe their underdog team might not be considered underdog for much longer.
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