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Skinner kept Clemson guessing
Deacons scored only 12 points, but QB controlled ball and game plan
AP Photo
Quarterback Riley Skinner of the Deacons rushed for 73 yards on 11 carries against the Tigers.
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Published: October 11, 2008
Riley Skinner followed perhaps the worst performance of his career with one of his best.
Just as his Wake Forest coaches and teammates said he would.
Skinner's statistical production in the Deacons' 12-7 victory over Clemson Thursday night would hardly compare to his 29 completions on 38 attempts for 268 yards in last year's bowl win over Connecticut, or, for that matter, the 32 completions on 43 passes for 267 yards last month against Mississippi.
Instead the way Skinner played Thursday night, coming off his five turnovers against Navy, transcended the numbers -- which in themselves weren't bad. He completed 22 of 34 passes for a relatively modest 186 yards, but chipped in a team-high 73 yards on 11 carries.
He easily eclipsed his previous career high of 30 yards on four carries in the division-clinching victory at Maryland in 2006.
"He was just really sharp tonight," Coach Jim Grobe said after the game. "Whenever we asked him why he did something he had the right answer for it. I just thought he was in control of the game plan.
"He didn't panic. He played four really solid quarters making good decisions, not turning the ball over.
"We got our Riley Skinner back tonight."
The Deacons used their days off since the loss to Navy on Sept. 27 to come up with several new offensive components for Clemson.
One was a series off the direct snap to the tailback, which proved only marginally successful.
Another was a move to wider splits by the offensive linemen, which helped the Deacons tie their season-high of 156 yards rushing, also accomplished in the season-opener at Baylor.
The third was a reliance on Skinner to run as well as pass. He carried 11 times, most on plays called from the sideline, and was not sacked once.
"We just told Riley, ‘One of the reasons we can't run the football is we've got a quarterback nobody expects to run,' " Grobe said. "We told him `Here we go. Buckle up, big boy.'"
The strategy produced a 21-yard run on Skinner's first carry of the night, as well as gains of 8, 11, 6, 6 and 8 yards. The 8-yard gain advanced the ball to the Clemson 11, setting up a game-winning 7-yard touchdown pass to senior D.J. Boldin three plays later.
He was asked how much of the production was by design.
"Part of it," Skinner said. "But some of it was just in pass protection where they had the guys locked down, so all there was to do was to run it. I just took off a couple of times.
"It worked out a lot better than I thought it really would tonight."
His fancy footwork surprised even those who know him best, among them Ben Wooster, his tight end and roommate.
"I had no idea," Wooster said. "I was telling him on the sidelines, ‘Where did that spin move come from?'
"He did a great job getting down when he needed to get down, too. Sometimes when you end up running like that you can take a big hit."
Teammates know Skinner as one always wanting to do more. In that regard, his biggest regret -- other than not being able to capitalize on enough scoring opportunities -- was that he emerged from the game a double threat instead of a triple threat.
The direct-snap package required him to split wide as a receiver.
And sure enough Steed Lobotzke, the offensive coordinator, finally called his number in the second quarter.
Skinner broke long when the ball was snapped to Brandon Pendergrass, who handed off to receiver Jordan Williams on a reverse. Williams pulled up and heaved a pass of about 45 yards to the end zone, where Skinner was battling for position with two defensive backs.
Skinner got his hands on the ball, but cornerback Byron Maxwell yanked his arms apart. The ball landed incomplete.
"I was open a little bit if Jordan had thrown it," Skinner said. "He said he didn't have a good grip on the ball, so he had to re-grip it and put it back in the air, which allowed the guy to recover.
"But what can you do? I was pretty pumped up for the play. I couldn't wait for it to get called."
■ Dan Collins can be reached at 727-7323 or at dcollins@wsjournal.com.
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