Gridiron Deacons Prepare For Virginia
10/30/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 30, 2001
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -
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WAKE FOREST FOOTBALL NEWS & NOTES
Game #8 - November 3, 2001
Wake Forest (3-4, 1-4 ACC) vs. Virgnia (3-5, 2-4 ACC)
Carl Smith Center, home of David A. Harrison Field at Scott Stadium (61,500) * Charlottesville, VA
Kickoff: 12:10 pm
Television: Raycom/Jefferson Pilot (locally on WFMY-TV). Steve Martin and "Doc" Walker call the action, with Mike Hogewood reporting from the sidelines.
Radio: The Wake Forest ISP Sports Network, heard on 19 stations in North Carolina and Virginia. Full station listing is on page five of this package. Voice of the Deacons Stan Cotten calls the play-by-play. Former Deacs Ed Bradley and Mike Pratapas serve as color analysts.
On the Web: The radio broadcast can be heard live over the internet via WFU's homepage: www.wakeforestsports.com
The Series: Saturday's game marks the 43rd meeting between Virginia and Wake Forest. Virginia leads the series 31-11, and has won 17 straight.
The Rankings: Neither team is ranked.
The Coaches: Wake Forest's Jim Grobe is 3-4 in his first season with the Deacs. His career record now stands at 36-37-1 in his seventh season as a head coach. Virginia head coach Al Groh owns a 29-45 overall record as a collegiate head coach. His career record, including one season as head coach of the New York Jets, is 38-52.
Tickets: Contact the Virginia ticket office at (800) 542-8821.
Officials: Announced on game day.
DEACS SEARCH for second ACC win on the road
Wake Forest (3-4, 1-4 ACC) leaves the state of North Carolina for the final time this season as it travels to Charlottesville, Va. to take on ACC rival Virginia (3-5, 2-4 ACC) this Saturday. For the second straight week, Wake Forest football will be shown on TV as JP Sports will broadcast the game to a regional audience (locally on WFMY-TV) at 12 noon.
The Demon Deacons are looking for their second conference win of the season after dropping another close game to Clemson, 21-14, last Saturday in Groves Stadium. Of Wake's seven games this season, five have been decided by seven points or less.
The Cavaliers return to Charlottesville after being shut out at NC State, 24-0, last Saturday. The loss marked the second time in as many seasons that UVa has been shut out by an ACC opponent. The Cavs' 35-0 loss at GeorgiaTech last season was the first time it had been shut out since 1984.
INJURY update
Quarterback Anthony Young, who aggravated a partial stress fracture in his right foot at the Duke game on Oct. 13, did not dress against Clemson and will be evaluated daily as he tries to return to practice this week ... running back Tarence Williams sprained his right ankle against the Tigers and is questionable for this weekend ... special teams contributor Drew Dayton suffered a quad contusion against Clemson, but is listed as probable for the Virginia game.
CLOSE calls
Although some of the end results have been disappointing, fans have certainly gotten their money's worth at Wake Forest football games this season. Five of Wake's seven games this season have been decided by seven points or less, including four of five ACC games. After winning by two points (21-19) at East Carolina in the season opener, Wake Forest defeated Appalachian State by 10 points (20-10) in its home opener. The Deacs opened ACC play with a seven-point loss to Maryland (27-20) before suffering its largest margin of defeat of the season at Florida State (48-24). The last three games - all ACC contests - have been decided by a touchdown or less, including a 17-14 loss to NC State, a 42-35 win at Duke and a 21-14 loss to Clemson.
In three of those close losses - Maryland, NC State and Clemson - Wake Forest had the ball with good field position and with a chance to go ahead or even the score late in the game. Two of those situations resulted in interceptions in the endzone.
While the Deacons would obviously like to see better results in the win column, the close games are a sign of improvement over the scores against these same teams last season. Against the five ACC opponents Wake Forest has faced so far this year, it has improved its scoring margin from its 2000 meeting with all five opponents.
GROUND GAME leads the ACC, offense puts up big numbers
Through seven games this season, Wake Forest is averaging 229.4 rushing yards per game, a mark that continues to lead the ACC and rank ninth nationally. The blossoming ground game is a new dimension for the WFU offense, as the Deacons have averaged over 200 yards rushing for the season only three other times since 1951. This season's average is the highest since Wake Forest set a school record for season rushing average in 1971 with 304. 0 yards per game.
Last season, Wake Forest ranked fifth in the ACC in rushing yardage with 150.2 yards per game. This season's average is an improvement from last season of over 79 yards a game.
Wake Forest is also averaging 388.3 yards in total offense, a figure which ranks fifth in the conference and 51st nationally. It is the highest average since the Deacons set a school record with 401.6 yards per game in 1986. Wake Forest has already tallied three 400-yard games in seven outings this season. Compare that to the 2000 season, when it had three 400-yard games the entire year.
MARKED improvement
Wake Forest continues to put up remarkably better numbers than it did through this point last season. The most noticable difference is in the win-loss column (3-4 this season, compared to 0-7 in 2000). Another improvement is the fact that three of Wake's four losses have been by a touchdown or less, while the Deacs lost games by an average of over 23 points through seven outings last season.
Statistically, the biggest difference has been in rushing offense, where this year the Deacons have more than doubled their output from last season (229.4 compared to 111.0). Other key indicators are on defense, as the Deacons are well ahead of last year's pace in tackles-for-loss and interceptions.
DEACON O-LINE stops the sacks
Wake's offensive line is one of the deepest, most talented and experienced position groups in the Deacon lineup. Two senior All-ACC candidates - left guard Michael Collins and center Vince Azzolina - both own 34 career starts, while Azzolina is riding a streak of 33 consecutive starts, dating back to his freshman season. Senior Michael Moosbrugger and junior Blake Henry have split starting nods at right guard. At the tackle spot, sophomore Tyson Clabo has started every game this season at left tackle, while juniors David Walters and Tim Bennett both have three starts apiece on the right side. Another senior, Seth Houk, provides depth at guard after starting seven games last season.
The offensive line has obviously been instrumental in Wake's rushing success this season, but the "Hogs" can also take credit for another impressive statistic. Wake Forest leads the ACC in fewest sacks allowed, giving up just 10 sacks (-88 yards) through seven games.
The effectiveness of the line this season can be attributed to the philosophy of head coach Jim Grobe and offensive coordinator Troy Calhoun. Their gameplan has been to play a number of linemen, keeping legs fresh while providing valuable experience at the same time. The Deacons have played up to 10 different offensive linemen in five games this season (not including three tight ends employed by the Deacs).
HEAD COACH Jim Grobe
The 2001 season marks the debut of new head coach Jim Grobe on the Wake Forest sideline. After opening the 2001 campaign with wins over East Carolina and Appalachian State, Grobe joined an elite group of first-year Deacon coaches. Only six coaches in school history have opened their WFU careers with two straight wins.
Grobe is no stranger to the Atlantic Coast Conference. After beginning his collegiate career at Ferrum Junior College, Grobe went on to the University of Virginia, starting two seasons for the Cavaliers and and earning Academic All-ACC honors. He earned both a bachelor's and master's degree from Virginia.
Grobe came to Winston-Salem from Ohio University, where in six years he resurrected a program that had previously been considered one of the worst in Division I football. Inheriting a team that was winless the previous season, Grobe turned the Bobcats into perennial conference contenders in the MAC and posted a 33-33-1 record during his tenure.
Prior to Ohio, Grobe served as an assistant coach at the Air Force Academy for 11 years under legendary coach Fisher DeBerry. The Falcons produced a record of 84-50 and went to seven bowl games during Grobe's tenure. He also served as an assistant coach at Marshall (1979-83) after beginning his college coaching career at Emory & Henry.
With a 3-4 mark through his first seven games at Wake Forest, Grobe's career record as a head coach now stands at 36-37-1.
LAST time out
Wake Forest got out to an early 7-0 lead, but Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler passed for two touchdowns and ran for another while totaling 230 yards of offense. Meanwhile, the Tiger defense grabbed two interceptions at key times to hold off the Demon Deacons in a 21-14 victory.
Due a stress fracture that sidelined quarterback Anthony Young, Wake Forest relied on just one signal caller, James MacPherson, for the first time this season. MacPherson got off to a shaky start, fumbling the ball deep in Tiger territory on Wake's first offensive series of the game. But after a scoreless quarter and a half, MacPherson directed a 12-play, 68-yard touchdown drive, capped by a four-yard run by Tarence Williams into the endzone, to give the Deacs a 7-0 lead.
Clemson responded immediately, as Dantzler found Derrick Hamilton just over two minutes later for a 43-yard touchdown reception to even the score just before halftime.
The Deacs were dealt a blow early in the third quarter, as Williams, Wake's leading rusher, exited the game with a severely sprained ankle and did not return. Sophomore running back Fred Staton stepped up, tallying 93 yards and recording a touchdown, his fifth over the last four games.
But Dantzler continued to be the catalyst for Clemson, rushing 119 yards of his own in addition to completing 16-of-27 passes for 211 yards and two TDs. He tossed a three-yard pass to Ben Hall for a score in the third quarter, then put the Tigers up 21-7 in the fourth with a 10-yard touchdown run of his own.
Wake trailed by just seven after Staton's one-yard run for a TD with 11 minutes remaining. The teams then traded turnovers as Deacon Eric King recovered a Clemson fumble, but the Tigers intercepted a MacPherson pass just two plays later. On the Deacons' final drive of the game, Wake got to Clemson's nine-yard line, but MacPherson's endzone pass to John Stone was intercepted by Clemson's Charles Hafley to seal the victory for the Tigers.
MacPherson completed 8-of-16 yards for 151 yards, but was intercepted twice. His favorite target of the day, Jax Landfried, caught three passes for 70 yards.
MORE NOTES from the Clemson game
* Wake's 21-14 loss to the Tigers...
- dropped the Deacons to 24-30-1 all time in Homecoming games and was its first Homecoming loss since 1998.
- dropped its all-time record against Clemson to 14-52-1.
- was the closest game in the Wake-Clemson series since a 20-16 Deacon win in 1993.
* It didn't take long for redshirt freshman Jason Anderson to keep his streak going of consecutive games with a reception. He caught a 11-yarder from James MacPherson on Wake's first offensive series of the game, extending his streak to seven games (every game of his collegiate career).
* Tarence Williams put Wake's first touchdown on the board with a four-yard run in the second quarter. It was the 13th touchdown of his career and sixth of the season. Williams has scored at least one touchdown in five of seven games this year.
* Tight end Ray Thomas set up Williams' touchdown with a 26-yard reception that moved the Deacons inside the 10-yard line. It was a career-long reception for Thomas, and the longest completion by a Wake tight end since former Deacon Rhamen Love-Lane had a 26-yard reception against App State in last year's season opener.
* Walk-on Chris Rolle, making the fourth appearance of his career as the Deacons' punter, enjoyed a career-best day, averaging 43.3 yards on three punts and booting a career-long of 47 yards in the first quarter. All three of his punts were 40 yards or better.
* Defensive end Nate Bolling recorded three tackles for loss against the Tigers, moving him into a tie for sixth place on Wake's all-time tackles-for-loss chart with 32 career TFL. Former Deacon Mike McCrary is WFU's all-time tackles-for-loss leader with 46.
* Although he was forced to leave the game with a sprained ankle midway through the third quarter, Tarence Williams' 37 yards on the ground pushed him over the career 1,400-yard mark and moved him into 18th place on Wake's all-time rushing list with 1,402 career yards.
* Another young Deacon has started a streak of his own, as sophomore running back Fred Staton has scored at least one touchdown in each of the last four games. After recording his first career touchdown against Florida State on Sept. 29, he also scored one against NC State, two at Duke and one versus Clemson.
ON THIS DATE in WFU history
The current crop of Deacons hope that history won't repeat itself this Saturday, as Wake Forest owns an all-time record of 2-9 in games played on November 3 ... five of those losses have been shutouts ... the two wins have come against Presbyterian (53-9) in 1945 and NC State (13-0) in 1956 ... Wake is 1-4 in ACC games played on this date, including the win over the Wolfpack, three losses to Clemson and one to Duke ... Saturday's game in Charlottesville marks the sixth straight road game played on November 3 ... Wake and Virginia have never met on this date.
CAVALIER comments
* Virginia is currently 3-5, 2-4 in the ACC, and is currently riding a four-game losing streak, all to league opponents. Comparing Wake and UVa against common opponents this season, both teams defeated Duke and lost to FSU, Maryland and NC State. Virgina defeated Clemson while Wake lost to the Tigers.
* Virginia's game at NC State was its last road game of the year, as it closes out the season with four straight home games against Wake, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Penn State.
* The Cavaliers' loss at NC State marks the fifth straight opponent that Wake Forest will face coming off a loss.
* Wide receiver Billy McMullen is the Cavaliers' most potent offensive threat, as he leads the ACC in receptions per game (7.0), ranks second in receiving yardage (85.5 ypg) and fifth in scoring (6.8 ppg)
* Like WFU, Virginia has utilized two quarterbacks this season. Sophomore Bryson Spinner has completed 64-of-112 passes for 740 and seven touchdowns, while classmate Matt Schaub's stats read 104-of-185 for 1,105 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.
* On paper, Wake Forest's running game should fare well against the Cavaliers. The Deacon ground game, which ranks first the in ACC (229.4), goes up against Virginia's rush defense (213.2) which ranks next-to-last in the league statistics.
THE SERIES with Virginia
Virginia leads the all-time series, 31-11... the Cavaliers have won the last 17 meetings - the longest current streak facing Wake Forest... in fact, the 17-game losing streak ties for the longest against one opponent in WFU history... the Deacons lost to North Carolina 17 consecutive times from 1893-1923... Wake's last win in the series was a 38-34 win in Winston-Salem on Oct. 22, 1983... the Deacons haven't won in Charlottesville since a 24-21 win on Oct. 24, 1981... in Charlottesville, Virginia leads the series 15-7... the two teams first met in 1889, in Richmond (UVA won 46-4)... Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe will coach against his alma mater for the first time... Virginia's Al Groh will coach against the team he once coached for the first time as a head coach.
BOTH HEAD COACHES have ties to other team, each other
For the first time in his 24-year coaching career, Jim Grobe will face his alma mater when Wake Forest plays at Virginia. Grobe was a two-year starter at Virginia in 1973 and 1974. The Academic All-ACC selection played middle guard in 1973 and linebacker in 1974.
Grobe transferred to Virginia from Ferrum Junior College in 1972. At that time, Al Groh was working at Virginia as head freshman coach and defensive line coach. Before Grobe made his debut in a Cavalier uniform, Groh departed to become an assistant coach at North Carolina.
In 1981, Groh was named head coach at Wake Forest. He coached the Deacons from 1981-86, producing a 26-40 overall record.
MORE WAKE-UVA connections
* Wake Forest director of football operations Bill Faircloth was on Al Groh's staff when Groh coached at WFU from 1981-86. Faircloth first served as an assistant coach on Groh's staff, then became director of football operations in 1984.
* Virginia assistant head coach Dan Rocco graduated from Wake Forest in 1984 and received his master's degree in education and counseling from WFU in 1987. Rocco played two seasons at Wake Forest (1982 and 1983) after transferring from Penn State. He began his coaching career at Wake Forest as a graduate assistant coach in 1984 and 1985 before being promoted to defensive line coach in 1986. Rocco played at Wake Forest and coached at WFU under Al Groh.
* Wake Forest has 10 players on its roster from the commonwealth of Virginia - Josh Warren (Big Stone Gap), Roderick Stephen (Colonial Heights), Chris Owen (Forest), Nick Burney (Glen Allen), Warren Braxton (Madison Heights), Mike Hamlar (Roanoke), Jonathan Helms (Roanoke), Arthur Orlebar (Sterling), Nick Smith (Sterling) and Ryan Tekampe (Woodbridge).
* Virginia junior linebacker Angelo Crowell (North Forsyth HS) and freshman running back Brandon Isaiah (Parkland) are both from Winston-Salem.
* Wake's injured offensive lineman Jonathan Helms and Virginia's Boo Battle both attended Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke.
* WFU's Trevor Harris and Virginia's Heath Boucek both attended Shorecrest Prep in St. Petersburg, FL.
AND IN THE coincidence category
Wake Forest's last win over Virginia was a 38-34 victory in 1983, when Al Groh was the Deacons' head coach. Dan Rocco was serving as one of Wake's team captains that season.
THE NEWEST deacon
Wake Forest offensive coordinator Troy Calhoun and his wife, Amanda, gave birth to their first child, a son, on Friday, Oct. 26 - the evening before the Clemson game. Nathan Tyler Calhoun checked in 8 lbs., 1 oz. and both the new mom and baby are doing well.
LANDFRIED coming up with the big plays
Although he ranks just fourth on the team in total receptions (12) for the year, wide receiver Jax Landfried has been the go-to guy on big plays. He currently owns a team-best 23.1 yards per catch, and of Wake Forest's eight longest completions this season, four of them belong to Landfried.
Landfried caught a season-long 44-yard pass from James MacPherson for the game-winning touchdown against East Carolina. He's also recorded a 38-yard catch and two for 36 yards this season.
Landfried led the Deacs with four catches for 90 yards against the Pirates. He also enjoyed a solid day against Clemson, grabbing three passes for 70 yards.
The versatile player, who serves as the Deacons' long snapper, is also on call to step in at quarterback if necessary.
BOLLING moves up tackles-for-loss list
Wake's defensive line boasts talent and experience, including senior Nate Bolling and junior Calvin Pace at the ends, with junior Montique Sharpe at nose tackle. Bolling and Pace rank fifth and sixth respectively on the squad with 44 and 39 tackles, while Bolling has a team-high 14 tackles-for-loss (-34 yards). Also, all three starters on the line caused or recovered fumbles in the first two games this season.
After recording three tackles-for-loss against Clemson, Bolling is now tied for sixth place on Wake Forest's all-time tackles-for-loss chart with 32 career TFL to his credit. Mike McCrary (1989-92) is WFU's all-time tackles-for-loss leader with 46.
COMING up next
Wake Forest returns to North Carolina, but plays a second straight road game as it travels to Chapel Hill to take on the 22nd-ranked Tar Heels on Nov. 10. The Virginia and North Carolina games are the only consecutive road trips for the Deacons this season.