Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Football's Iron Men
11/3/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 3, 1999
by Sam Walker
Wake Forest advertises Sam Settar and Brian Wolverton as the "iron men" of the football team. The iron man title refers to their streak of consecutive offensive plays that dates back over two seasons, but it probably better testifies to their durability rather than their stamina. Both Settar, affectionately known as "Sparky" by the other linemen, and Wolverton are offensive guards. They are destined to hit and be hit on every play simply because of the nature of their position.
Entering the 1999 season, Settar and Wolverton had both played every offensive down since 1997. Settar's streak ended on Sept. 25 when he sprained his knee and ankle and had to leave Wake Forest's game against N.C. State. He had participated in 1,729 consecutive offensive snaps before the injury.
Wolverton's streak also began in 1997 and was broken when he left the game for a well-earned rest after the Demon Deacons had all but finalized their 47-3 victory over the University of Alabama-Birmingham on Oct. 23. Wolverton's "iron man" streak dated back to the fourth quarter of Wake Forest's 1997 game against East Carolina.
"I just like to play and be on the field," Settar said. "In high school I played both ways so I never got taken out unless we were killing a team or something. But if they want to put me in there, I want to do my job and help the team. The team is the most important thing."
Settar's sprained knee and ankle ended the streak of consecutive snaps. Not being able to play has been frustrating, and Settar has been aggressively rehabilitating his leg. He practices as much as the injury and trainers will allow, but the healing process has not happened as fast as Settar would like.
"I've never been out this long, and it's a different perspective I guess," Settar said. "I haven't seen the game from here (the sidelines) since 1996, but I'm not getting down on myself, and I'll be back soon."
Wolverton, who grew up near the Wake Forest campus and graduated from North Forsyth High School, also played both offense and defense in high school. He has played so many snaps for the Deacons because he is versatile enough to play both tackle and guard. The "iron man" moniker is simply the result of diligent work.
"I don't, and I'm sure Sam doesn't, care about the 'iron man' thing," Wolverton said. "We want to win. We don't care who is out there as long as the job is getting done. It's an honor to have a title like that, but what is most important is winning."
The change in offensive philosophy has been a welcome change, according to both Settar and Wolverton.
The pass-happy days at Wake Forest are over for now, and running the ball has been the Deacons' primary weapon. Wake Forest's large offensive line is now attacking more and pass blocking less, which is the brand of smash-mouth football the "hogs" like.
"We have been wanting this for a long time," Settar said. "We think it's great we're going mostly run. We just wanted 50-50 at least. It's hard on the lower back when you're pass blocking all the time, and it's a lot more fun when you run block because you're attacking the opponent instead of just sitting back and letting the defensive guy just do whatever he wants to you."
Wake Forest has rolled up 1,305 yards rushing in seven games this year, helping its leading rusher, Morgan Kane, to 778 yards for the season. Last season Wake averaged 65.4 yards per game on the ground. This season the Deacons have averaged over 186 yards per game, largely because of the commitment of the linemen to the running game.
"I'm really excited about running the ball this season," Wolverton said. "In the past we had some opportunities but were not really prepared to run the ball, and that's what we're doing this season. Also this is about Wake Forest turning the corner officially. Wake Forest football really doesn't leave a mark in anyone's mind, but (turning the corner) that is why all these guys came here."
Wake Forest can match its largest win total in the Jim Caldwell era with one more victory. In 1997 Wake Forest went 5-6 and hoped that season marked a turning of the corner. With 27 seniors helping put Wake Forest two victories away from ensuring a winning season, the corner seems just a few steps away.
"The biggest thing I see within the team is composure," Wolverton said. "Before when bad things would happen people would lose their calm, and now we stay focused and go on to the next play. And we expect good things to happen instead of just hoping they will happen. We expect to be effective."
"We go into games and we're not saying, 'Oh no, it's Florida State or it's North Carolina,' " Settar said. "We go into games saying 'we're going to beat these guys no matter what their tradition is.' They don't know about us. We're a cocky group and do what we have to out on the field." There may be a little more swagger when the Wake Forest offense comes onto the field through the smoke-filled inflatable tunnel simply because the Deacons know they're going to come off the ball and hit somebody. The "iron men" of Wake Forest football think so.
