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2006 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team

2006 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football
Wake Forest University Athletic logo.svg
ACC champion
ACC Atlantic Division champion
Orange Bowl, L 13–24 vs. Louisville
Conference Atlantic Coast Conference
Division (Atlantic)
Ranking
Coaches No. 17
AP No. 18
2006 record 11–3 (6–2 ACC)
Head coach Jim Grobe
Offensive coordinator Steed Lobotzke
Offensive scheme Spread
Defensive coordinator Dean Hood
Base defense 4–3
Home stadium Groves Stadium
(c. 31,500, FieldTurf)
Seasons
← 2005
2007 →
2006 ACC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
Atlantic Division
#18 Wake Forest x$   6 2         11 3  
#20 Boston College   5 3         10 3  
Maryland   5 3         9 4  
Clemson   5 3         8 5  
Florida State   3 5         7 6  
NC State   2 6         3 9  
Coastal Division
Georgia Tech x   7 1         9 5  
#19 Virginia Tech   6 2         10 3  
Virginia   4 4         5 7  
Miami   3 5         7 6  
North Carolina   2 6         3 9  
Duke   0 8         0 12  

Championship: Wake Forest 9, Georgia Tech 6
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2006 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team represented Wake Forest University during the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Jim Grobe, in his fifth season at the school, and played its home games at Groves Stadium (now known as BB&T Field). The Deacons finished the regular season with a 10–2 record, giving them the first 10-win season in their history, and won the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. With a win in the conference championship game, Wake Forest's first conference championship in 36 years, they represented the ACC in the Orange Bowl. The team ended the season with an 11–3 record and a number 17 ranking in the nation. The team and its star linebacker Jon Abbate would become the subject of a 2011 feature film, The 5th Quarter.

After finishing 4–7 in 2005 and in a tie for fourth place in the Atlantic Division of the ACC, the Deacons were picked in the pre-season to finish last in the division by the ACC media, among others, making the Deacons' run at the ACC title largely unexpected.

After Deacons' wide receivers coach Kevin Sherman left to take an assistant coaching position at Virginia Tech, Tim Billings was hired as his replacement. Billings was touted as having 23-years of experience at the college football level, including a six-year stint as head coach of Southeast Missouri State.

Although the Deacons returned an ACC high 18 starters from the 2005 team, they lost four key starters to graduation. On defense, the only starter to leave was nose tackle, Goryal Scales. On offense, three starters graduated, including wide receiver Chris Davis, quarterback Cory Randolph, and running back and ACC Player of the Year award-winnerChris Barclay. Finally, Ray Guy Award-winning punterRyan Plackemeier also graduated.


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