KEEP AN EYE ON ‘EM

Kenneth Moore, WR / Sr. / 6-0 / 204 pounds

Moore’s 15 catches against Boston College last week were nearly half his 2006 season total of 32. He was called into emergency running back duty last year, so don’t be surprised to see Wake Forest try him on the ol’ end-around sometime Saturday.

Sam Swank, PK-P /So. / 6-2 / 206 pounds

In the opener, he certainly didn’t look like the team MVP or All-ACC player of a year ago, averaging just 31.3 yards on six punts. NU shouldn’t expect to see a guy who in 2006 averaged 41.2 yards and hit 23 of 31 field goals to be off his game again.

Alphonso Smith, CB / Jr. / 5-9 / 191 pounds

Boston College tried to pick on Smith on its opening play last week and he returned an interception for a score. Don’t let his size fool you into thinking he lacks pop, either. He also forced a second-quarter fumble that was returned for a TD.

Quarterbacks: Nebraska catches a break here, as last year’s ACC rookie of the year, Riley Skinner, is listed as doubtful after separating his shoulder in the opener. Another 6-foot-1 Floridian, Brett Hodges, replaced Skinner late in the third quarter last week and completed 17 of 23 passes for 130 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. Skinner marched the Demon Deacons 77 yards to pay dirt on his first drive. But without the support of a running game, he needed to keep up that Superman act — tough task considering Wake Forest’s offensive system is designed for the quarterback to be more of an efficient manager than a super hero.

Running backs: Wake Forest’s 2-yard rushing output last week had people bringing up a 1998 game against Florida State in which the Deacons wound up with minus 30. The top tailbacks, senior Micah Andrews (coming back from knee surgery) and sophomore Kevin Harris, may need to work on their shake-n-bake moves, because they were definitely in the frying pan while producing a combined 17 yards in the opener. Redshirt freshman Josh Adams, the leading rusher in North Carolina two years ago, could get a shot, as De’Angelo Bryant is moving to fullback to provide depth for the versatile Rich Belton.

Wide receivers: It’s scary to think what Kenneth Moore might have done last week had he not spent most of the third quarter receiving fluids to fight off dehydration. As it was, he still grabbed a nation-best 15 passes. Wake Forest’s  passing game is more East-West than North-South, but opposite Moore, Kevin Marion is a reliable deep threat (he had two plays of longer than 80 yards last year), and he had five catches against Boston College.  Demir Boldin, whose brother, Anquan, was 2003 NFL rookie of the year, could be the wild card. In 2005, he was No. 2 on the team in receptions, but last year was academically ineligible.

Offensive line: The folks at Athlon who touted Wake Forest for having the best offensive line in the ACC must be scratching their heads after last week’s struggles. Or maybe that ranking was based on pass protection? The line did give up just two sacks in the opener. The respect for this group starts with senior center Steve Justice, a preseason first-team All-American by Lindy’s, and NFL prospect Chris DeGeare (6-foot-4, 362 pounds) at right guard. Even with these guys, Wake Forest, trailing by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, couldn’t get the yard it needed on consecutive runs and had to turn the ball over on downs.

Defensive line: NU’s offensive tackles probably won’t have to deal with end Matt Robinson, who led the Deacons in sacks and tackles for losses in 2005, and had worked his way back after missing last season with a broken kneecap. But he sprained his ankle on the first play against Boston College and isn’t expected to play Saturday. On the other side, Jeremy Thompson has similar explosiveness. He’s one of only nine players from coach Jim Grobe’s seven recruiting classes to play as a true freshman. The four who’ve exhausted their eligibility went on to play professionally. Inside, holding blocks against Zach Stukes is a tough assignment.

Linebackers: This group might have been considered the best in the ACC if Jon Abbate hadn’t declared for the NFL following his junior season. As it is, Abbate is with the Houston Texans and Wake Forest is still pretty salty. Aaron Curry, the No. 2 tackler in 2006, appears ready for an expanded role, while Stanley Arnoux , who manned the outside position opposite Curry last season and finished No. 4 on the team in tackles, is replacing Abbate in the middle. Chantz McClinic has taken Curry’s old spot and was the third-leading tackler last week. Depth might be a concern, as redshirt freshmen are at two of the backup spots.

Defensive backs: After allowing 408 passing yards in their opener, the Deacons rank 114th out of 115 NCAA Division I-A teams. Kevin Patterson, a starting cornerback in 2006, has moved to strong safety but might switch back if Kerry Major doesn’t make quick strides. Boston College picked on him often last week (he had eight tackles and just one breakup). The other corner, Alphonso Smith, began the season with an interception return for a TD and also caused another turnover that produced a score. Free safety Chip Vaughn turned Smith’s second play into a 38-yard fumble return.

Special teams: Maybe Sam Swank was miffed that the offense didn’t give him any field-goal opportunities last week. Whatever it was, the two-time Lou Groza Award semifinalist (who in two seasons has made 42 of 55 field goals, including 7 of 9 from at least 50 yards), barely averaged 30 yards on six punts and had just one of those fair-caught. Don’t expect a repeat performance. The Deacons’ starting wide receivers double as return men. Kenneth Moore averaged 13 yards as a part-time punt returner last season. Now, he’s the No. 1 option. Kevin Marian (16.8-yard average last week) handles kickoffs.

SCOUTING REPORT

In his first game as Boston College’s coach last Saturday, Jeff Jagodzinski watched his team overcome a 14-0 deficit to beat Wake Forest 38-28 thanks to quarterback Matt Ryan throwing for five touchdowns and the defense limiting the Demon Deacons to 2 yards rushing.

The Eagles rushed for just 54 yards, but “we got our game plan upside down a little bit, because we had to throw the football to get back in it.”

Jagodzinski credited Ryan for executing the game plan when Wake Forest had good pass coverage.

“One of the things that we do here is we spread the ball around pretty well, and we had nine different receivers catches passes. Our scheme is built on that. We don’t have a go-to guy, so Matt’s the guy who runs the whole train.

“Our defense did a really good job all (game) on stopping the run. They were forced to pass, which they’re not a passing team. They want to run first, and we ended up taking that away from ‘em.”

That was not surprising, though.

“I thought our run defense in the spring and preseason was pretty darn good. We had a hard time running against ‘em.”

After Wake Forest lost Skinner in the third quarter, Hodges led the Deacons on a 77-yard TD that made it 35-28. But the next two series produced just 28 yards, and Hodges then threw an interception on the final possession.

“They were driving to tie the ball game up, and then we got up two scores, so they had to throw. I don’t think they changed (their play calling) at all (because of having a different quarterback).”