In the dreamy minds of TV directors and fantasy-football coaches, quarterbacks usually combine pretty faces with prettier arms.
These paragons of finesse and grace operate in a different world, however. They take shots from 290-pound marauders. They read defenses right before reading the grain on fake grass fields. They fling passes toward stadium walls merely to avoid interceptions, and in return often hear boos.
Wake Forest's Riley Skinner and N.C. State's Russell Wilson returned to their special reality theater yesterday. Skinner took a knee on the game's final play, yet he was the last man standing, the victor by virtue of Wake Forest's 30-24 scoreboard mastery.
For the third straight week, Skinner established a new career high for passing yards (361, with 31 completions in 45 attempts and three touchdowns). He broke the school record for career touchdown passes (45 and counting) and total yards (now 8,041). He moved within 81 passing yards of whisking past Brian Kuklick on the career charts -- again.
Senior Skinner heard about the touchdown record over the public-address system. "It's an honor to be mentioned with the names of guys that have played here before, but that doesn't win games," Skinner said. "The records are neat, but I think the wins feel a little better than that."
Wilson, the All-ACC quarterback last season as a freshman, read from the same playbook after hitting 20 of 43 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns. "They won," Wilson said. "He won, so I'm always impressed with the guy who wins. That's the most important part as a quarterback."
National record
Wilson extended a remarkable national record as he took an early lead in the quarterback derby. Defensive end Willie Young pounded Skinner from behind on the game's second play, jarring the ball loose and triggering a short State touchdown drive. Skinner had other rough moments. He was intercepted twice and sacked six times, a dubious career high.
Wilson pushed his NCAA record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception to 379 before inexplicably launching an over-the-moon shot into double coverage in the second quarter. Josh Bush, a Wake Forest safety, fielded the ball like a punt and returned it 61 yards.
Coach Tom O'Brien surmised that the interception might have eased the pressure of sustaining perfection. Wilson shrugged off that line of thinking.
"Even when I was still fighting for the streak or whatever, and even when I got it, I didn't think about it," he said. "I'm going to keep throwing the ball and keep giving my guys chances. That's what a quarterback does."
About three minutes from game's end, with the Deacons leading by six, Wilson could smell the end zone just 29 yards away, but his throw sailed behind Donald Bowens and far over his head, evidently headed out of bounds. Deacon cornerback Kenny Okoro intercepted deep in the end zone.
"I saw an opportunity," Wilson said. "I went for it. They won."
The week before, the Deacons lost largely because they imploded on the final overtime play, a sweep that blew up when tailback Brandon Pendergrass cut the wrong way. Skinner, alone with the ball, froze. As he spun and headed left, Boston College stripped the ball and recovered.
Skinner recovered his bearings in time for a significant turnaround win.
"I talked to my parents and coaches," he said. "This is my fourth year playing, and I've been through some tough losses and some pretty good wins in the last second. They hurt for a day, for sure, but you've just got to put them behind you. The sun comes up the next day, and the next team you're playing doesn't care if you lost by half a point or in the last second or on a busted play."
State didn't care -- about the Boston stumble or the news that it will never, ever run into Riley Skinner again.
lrawlings@wsjournal.com.
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