GREENSBORO, N.C. - Wake Forest football had seven players earn All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors, as announced by the league office on Tuesday morning.
This marks the fourth consecutive season the Demon Deacons have had seven or more players make the All-ACC teams. The Deacs 21 All-ACC honors over the last two seasons rank third in the league, trailing just Clemson and North Carolina. Redshirt junior wide receiver Jaquarii Roberson was placed on the second team. Redshirt senior defensive lineman Carlos "Boogie" Basham Jr, graduate defensive lineman Miles Fox, freshman defensive back Nick Andersen and junior kicker Nick Andersen all earned third-team honors. Redshirt junior running back Christian Beal-Smith and senior defensive back Ja'Sir Taylor received All-ACC honorable mention.
Rack It Up Roberson
Roberson became the first Wake Forest player since Chris Givens in 2011 to record three consecutive 100-plus yard receiving games. He has also had three consecutive games with a touchdown catch. The Murfreesboro, N.C. native has five consecutive games with six catches or more. He currently ranks second in the ACC with 99.4 receiving yards per game, trailing by less than a yard for the overall lead. Despite playing in just eight games this season, the Biletnikoff Watch List member ranks sixth in the league in receiving yards (795) and eighth in the ACC in total receptions (54). He enters the bowl game needing just 72 yards to move into the top-10 in program history for single-season receiving yards.
The Man in the Middle
Fox is coming off the Louisville game where he totaled a game and career-high 4.0 tackles. He has recorded a season total of 4.5 sacks, which is second on the team behind only Carlos "Boogie" Basham Jr. The Piccolo Award (ACC Comeback Player of the Year) nominee, has had at least one tackle for loss in six of the Deacs eight games this season including the last four games. He leads the team with 10.0 tackles for loss this season, which also is top-10 in the ACC. His 1.25 tackles for loss per game ranks sixth in the league.
Boogie in the Backfield
Basham had the longest active streak in the country with 23 consecutive games tallying a tackle for loss. When it came to an end against Syracuse on Oct. 31, he was the only player in the country to have a streak in double digits. Throughout the year Basham earned national recognition being named a Senior CLASS Award Candidate while also being placed on the Chuck Bednarik Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Lott IMPACT Trophy watch lists. Prior to the start of the season he also was named a preseason All-American by six separate publications. The Roanoke, Va. native totaled a sack in the first five games of the season including on the opening possession of the season against No. 1 Clemson. He finishes his career fourth on Wake Forest's all-time sack list with 20.5 sacks in his career including 16.0 over the past two seasons.
Not Your Average Walk-on
Nick Andersen ranks second on the team in tackles with 55 total on the season while leading the Demon Deacons with three interceptions He became the first Wake Forest player since 1987 to have three or more interceptions in a single game on Oct. 24 against No. 19 Virginia Tech. He was also the first ACC player to have three or more interceptions since Louisville's Gerod Holliman in 2014. He is just the fourth player in program history to have three or more interceptions and is the first true freshman to do so. After the performance, Andersen was named Jim Thorpe National Player of the Week, Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week, Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week and College Sports Madness National Defensive Player of the Week. He led the team in tackles in three games including double-digit tackling performances against No. 19 Virginia Tech and Louisville.
Kick Sciba
Sciba's 12 consecutive field goals made rank second nationally, leads the ACC and trails the nation's leader by just one. The Lou Groza semifinalist has not missed a field goal since Oct. 2. The Clover, S.C. is the most accurate kicker in ACC history (min. 50 attempts), hitting 57-of-64 (.891) in his three seasons. He goes into the Duke's Mayo Bowl needing just 38 points to become the all-time leading scorer in program history.
Live with CBS
Beal-Smith was named ACC Running Back of the Week after North Carolina on Nov. 14, carrying the ball for 120 yards against the Tar Heels. The Winston-Salem, N.C. native leads the Demon Deacons in rushing with 650 yards on 121 carries this season. This included racking up 129 yards on 13 carries versus No. 19 Virginia Tech on Oct. 24. He also averaged 6.5 yards per carry against Campbell on 20 rushes for 130 yards, finding the endzone three times in the win.
Lockdown Corner
Ja'Sir Taylor has tallied a pair of interceptions this season including returning his interception at NC State returned 45 yards for a touchdown. During his senior campaign, he has totaled 40 tackles on the season including 32 solo tackles. In the ranked win over No. 19 Virginia Tech, he posted a career-best seven tackles in the victory. Over the course of his Wake Forest career, Taylor has played in all 47 games.
