The first time Wake Forest kicked the ball deep to Maryland senior Josh Wilson on Saturday night, he returned it 40 yards and nearly broke free for a touchdown. The Demon Deacons kicked away from him the next three times.
But after taking a 31-17 lead late in the third quarter, Wake decided to kick to Wilson again. This time, Demon Deacons sophomore Chip Vaughn stopped Wilson cold, dragging him backwards with a ferocious tackle at the 20-yard line.
“Prior to that, Josh had challenged us. He was like, ‘We need a big play right now,’ and I was like, ‘Alright Josh, I got you,’” said Vaughn, a Fairfax native and Robinson High grad. “I said, ‘Okay coach, kick deep to Josh. Stop squibbing, skying it.’ He said, ‘Alright Chip, make a play.’”
His response was just one of a number plays demonstrating the Demon Deacons’ overflowing confidence this season. Vaughn’s four-tackle performance also had particular meaning in his return to the Washington area.
“It felt real good here, especially at Maryland, because in high school they didn’t even recruit me at all,” said Vaughn. “In fact, they told me that I was not their type of player. I thought, this is great, I’ll come back and show them.”
Before the 38-24 win over Maryland, Wake Forest (10-2, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) already set a record for wins in a season and will finish with a winning record for only the seventh time in program history.
“I was joking with coach before the game, I bet you a lot of people that wrote columns on Wake Forest went back and bought some Wite-Out,” said Deacons senior free safety Josh Gattis. The ACC Atlantic Division champions had been picked to finish last before the season by The Sporting News.
This week Wake Forest takes its 6-0 road record — the first ever by any team in the ACC — to face Georgia Tech in Jacksonville, Fla., for the conference championship.
Every game, the Deacons and their karma surprise someone new, such as Maryland, which until last weekend thought the stars were aligned in its favor.
“I never saw this coming,” said Terrapins wide receiver Isaiah Williams. “The team of destiny against another team of destiny, and Wake Forest won.”
ACC CHAMPIONSHIP
» No. 16 Wake Forest (10-2, 6-2) vs. No. 23 Georgia Tech (9-3, 7-1)
» When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
» Where: Alltel Stadium,
Jacksonville, Fla.
» TV: ABC
