Wake Forest executed in the final 30 seconds because of good coaching.
Boston College quarterback Jeff Smith ran the ball for a first down and got down to around the 1-yard line, for a 1st-and-goal situation with 29 seconds remaining in the game. Had Hunter Williams not made a very good tackle, then Smith walks into the endzone, and this clock mismanagement column never happens. However, Williams' tackle gave each the two teams an opportunity to display vastly different versions of situational football.
Boston College was given a gift with 29 seconds remaining when the officiating crew decided to measure if Smith had earned a first down.