Nov. 3, 2008

A trio of Wake Forest football players earned Player of the Week honors from the Atlantic Coast Conference on Monday following Wake Forest's 33-30 overtime win over Duke on Nov. 1.

Nose tackle Boo Robinson was named the Defensive Lineman of the Week, cornerback Alphonso Smith was the Defensive Back of the Week and punter/placekicker Shane Popham earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Robinson, a 6-2, 325-pound redshirt junior from Monroe, La. (Richwood), led all of Wake's defensive linemen with nine tackles including two solos and seven assists. Robinson also recorded a tackle for loss of one yard in helping Wake Forest's defense hold Duke to 112 yards rushing.

Smith, a 5-9, 190-pound redshirt senior from Pahokee, FL, had two interceptions, a blocked punt and a pair of tackles against Duke. Smith's blocked punt occurred with 1:59 to play in the first quarter and put Wake Forest ahead 9-7. His first interception of the day came with 12:44 remaining in the third quarter and led to a touchdown that gave Wake Forest a 19-7 lead. Smith's second interception came in overtime and gave the Deacons the win.

The first interception was Smith's 18th of his career and broke the school record for career interceptions. The blocked punt was his first of the season and the fifth of his career. Smith is now second all-time in the ACC in career interceptions with 19. The record is 20 set by former North Carolina player Dre' Bly from 1996-98.

Popham, a 5-11, 192-pound redshirt freshman from Crestview Hills, KY (Covington Catholic), booted a career-high three field goals and scored 11 points in Wake Forest's win over Duke. Popham hit from 24 and 44 yards in regulation and added a 28-yarder in overtime to provide Wake Forest's winning points. Popham was a perfect three-for-three on the day in field goal attempts. He had been three-for-eight in field goal attempts since replacing the injured Sam Swank four games ago. Against Duke, Popham punted four times for a 36.5 average including a long punt of 45 yards.