100% Cotten
9/13/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 13, 1999
by Stan Cotten
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I'm sure a lot of the Wake Forest football players would just as soon skip practice this week and take on Virginia as soon as possible. Think about it. The Deacs just completed one of their better performances in years, and the Cavaliers have to be reeling following their upset loss at Death Valley. The scenario mix will make for high drama this Saturday night in Charlottesville, a homecoming affair for the Wahoos as they renew their ACC rivalry with the Demon Deacons.
Adding to the storyline was Wake's eyebrow-raising ability to rush the football at Army this past weekend at West Point. The Deacons were last in the NCAA a season ago averaging just over 65 yards on the ground per game. Against the Cadets, Wake ran an amazing 81% of the time (56 of 69 snaps), piled up 320 yards rushing and won 34-15.
Tailback, er fullback, wait, yes, tailback, Morgan Kane ran the ball for a career high 211 yards and became the first Deacon to eclipse the 200-yard mark since John Leach's ACC record 329-yard performance against Maryland in 1993. Kane, a senior from Ottawa, Canada, started the game at tailback. He was to have started at fullback with fellow senior Kito Gary getting the nod at the tailback spot in Jim Caldwell's new two back look. But with Gary nursing a sore hamstring, Kane was back at tailback, while redshirt freshman Ovie Mughelli played most of the day at fullback.
"I don't think it mattered who was back there," said Kane following the game. "Our offensive line played so well. I've been with these guys for five years now, and I didn't want to let them down."
Gee, do you move Kane back to fullback after a game like that? I'm not sure I do. You make the call.
So now Wake Forest takes its season, and its newfound ground attack, to the next step to face Virginia. The Cavaliers have had the Deacs' number since the 1983 season, the last time Wake beat Virginia, 38-34 in Winston-Salem. The last 15 games have belonged to the Wahoos. Wake Forest will beat Virginia again sometime. Deac fans are hoping the streak stops this week.
It'll be homecoming in Charlottesville this weekend, so add to the reasons why Virginia will want to bounce back from the Clemson shocker. The last two times the Demon Deacons have played at UVA have been alumni pleasers at homecoming. Wake had a great chance to win in 1997, leading through three quarters before losing 21-13. The Cavaliers scored two touchdowns in the last 5:29 to win it. The killer was a 25-yard scramble by quarterback Aaron Brooks on a defensive-assignment-busted Deacon defense at the 5:29 mark of the 4th quarter. The final touchdown was an interception return of a desperate Brian Kuklick pass in the waning seconds. No doubt it, though, Brooks' run did it. I can still see him, eyes as wide as saucers at what lay (or didn't) ahead of him. Oh well, that was then...
What a shot in the arm it would be for the Deacs to open this season with two road wins. And what a blow it would be for the Cavaliers, who were ranked 19th prior to their trip to Clemson, to lose twice in as many weeks and drop to 0-2 in the ACC. Both teams will have plenty of motivation.
The last time Virginia lost twice in two weeks was at the close of the 1996 season. That Cavalier team blistered Wake Forest 42-7 in late September and finished 4th in the ACC with a 5-3 worksheet before losing its regular season finale to intra-state rival Virginia Tech, 26-9. The Wahoos then lost the Carquest Bowl to Miami (Fla.), 31-21, to end their season.
Even though last season was a disappointment for the Deacs at 3-8, Wake did win two games back to back following their season opening fumble at Air Force. Wake rebounded nicely to win their home opener against Navy, 26-14, which led into a 29-19 conquest of Clemson at friendly Death Valley the following week.
Personally, the Deacons' win at Army this past weekend was the most satisfying since I got here for the 1996 season. The win over Northwestern that season was pretty sweet, but, in many ways, Saturday's win had more at stake. I don't think it was a stretch necessarily to say the Army game was a "must win" for Wake Forest. I usually don't subscribe to such heavy labels this early, but the Deacs just had to have the Army game...they just had to.
I also thought so much was at stake for Jim Caldwell. He promised a healthier running game. And did he ever deliver. His mix of plays, too, as the new offensive coordinator, always seemed one step ahead of the Army defenders. He's breathed new life and enthusiasm into his players. They believe, even if few others do or have. Army believes, trust me. Now Virginia. If I know the pulse of this current Deacon team, their rushing to get there.
