By Kelly Laffey
Wake Forest's Campus Correspondent
TheRoadtoTampaBay.com

Wake Forest is coming off of its most successful stretch in decades. Since its 11-3 ACC Championship season in 2006, the Demon Deacons have finished 9-4 and 8-5, respectively over the last two years. Those 28 combined wins are better than any three-year period in school history (to put this accomplishment in perspective, the previous best was 19 combined wins from 1944-1946). The memory of the 2006 championship is still fresh in every Wake fan's mind, leaving a yearning for more.

The Deacons are in a familiar position in the recent preseason media poll, picked fourth, far from the favorite, in the Atlantic Division. Now, as in 2006, the Wake Forest team feels it is "flying under the radar." And that, according to quarterback Riley Skinner, is "when we play our best."

Offense

Wake Forest should feel pretty confident with in offensive lineup with nine returning starters. While in the past the Deacon offense was overshadowed by the more promising defense, this year the roles are expected to reverse. With one of the top offenses in the conference, the Deacs have what it takes to get the points on the board.

Quarterback Riley Skinner

Quarterback: Senior Skinner's stunning statistics speak for themselves. After beginning his tenure as a freshman in 2006 with an ACC Championship, Skinner has continued to make impressive strides. He is the school record holder in completion percentages (.673) and passing efficiency (132.3). His 26 career wins is also a Wake Forest record. In last year's inaugural EagleBank Bowl, Skinner set the NCAA record for completion percentage in a bowl game with his perfect 11-of-11 performance in Wake's 29-19 win over Navy. He is clearly a clutch member of what looks to be a very promising Deacon offense.

Running Backs: The team's solid running backs provide impressive depth. Brandon Pendergrass is the team's leading returning rusher with 528 yards. He is joined by junior Josh Adams who ranks fifth in ACC career rushing yards among active players (1,355). Senior Kevin Harris posted Wake's best individual rushing game last year with 136 yards against Navy.

Wide Receiver: This is the offensive position most hurt by graduation with the departure of D.J. Boldin and Chip Brinkman. Last year, Boldin was Wake's dominate leader in receptions with 77, more than the next three Deacon receivers combine (68). Devon Brown returns for his third season as a Deacon. Despipte being hampered by a back injury throughout last season, Brown led the team in kickoff returns (16) and yards (350). He is joined by Marshall Williams, the top returning receiver from 2008.

Offensive Line: As with the other offensive positions, the Deacs should feel confident in their O-Line for its depth and experience. Six returning linemen combined to make 63 of the Deac's 65 possible starts last year. Senior left tackle Chris DeGeare returns after missing last season, giving the Wake seven returning players who have a combined 116 career starts. No concerns about the Deacs ability here.

Defensive Back Brandon Ghee

Defense

Defense is the area where Wake Forest may have the most of its struggles. The squad only returns four starters. Losses of linebackers Aaron Curry and Stanley Arnoux, cornerback Alfonso Smith, and safeties Chip Vaughn and Kevin Patterson will be especially hard to overcome. Last year, 'interceptions' were Wake's middle name. The team led the Football Bowl Subdivision with 37 takeaways in 2008 and 72 over the past two seasons.

Defensive Line: Seniors John Russell and Boo Robinson are two of the conference's best defensive tackles. In 2008, Robinson finished 11th in the ACC in sacks and Russell was second on the team with four. They should make the Deacons strong up front and can hopefully balance out the lack of experience on the rest of the defense.

Linebackers: Replacing talented linebackers Curry, a first-team All-ACC pick and All-American, and Arnoux will be difficult at best and probably will be handled by committee. Juniors Matt Woodlief and Hunter Haynes were the Deacs' leaders in special-teams tackles last year. Another junior Jonathan Jones played in 11 of the Deacons 13 games last season alongside Curry.

Secondary: The losses on defense continue as Brandon Ghee is the lone returning starter in the secondary. Ghee finished second in the ACC in fumbles forced, but the team will have to account for the loss of Smith and his 21 career interceptions. Sophomore cornerback John Bush played in all 13 games last year, experience that should strengthen the Deacon defense.

Special Teams

The Deacons will sorely miss kicker Sam Swank for his consistency and reliability, especially late in the game. Replacement Shane Popham, who filled in during Swank's injury-absence last year, will be the Wake Forest starting punter and place-kicker. Ranked the No. 13 kicker in the nation during high school and with some valuable college experience already, Popham has the ability to fill Swank's large shoes.

2009 Prediction

Can Wake Forest pull off another conference title? The team is certainly talented enough to make the trip to Tampa Bay. With the Atlantic Division as congested as it is, every game is going to count. The Deacons are lucky enough to begin the season with five of their first six games at home. BB&T Field provides an unparalleled home field advantage. Though the non-conference games against Baylor (September 5) and Stanford (September 12) will not be "easy wins," the Deacs could get off to a strong start, possibly even 6-0. That will be key as the latter half of the season is definitely more difficult.

Winning another conference title may be a lofty goal because of Wake's inexperienced defense, but Grobe never ceases to work wonders. For those in-the-know, WF really stands for "We Finish" so expect to see Wake Forest compete in some hard-fought battles.