Wake Forest Athletics
Football Begins Second Week of Two-A-Days
8/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 20, 2001
Winston-Salem, NC - The second week of preseason two-a-day practices began at 9:15 this morning for the Demon Deacon football squad. After enjoying a day off on Sunday, Wake Forest plunged back into preparations for the upcoming campaign, which begins September 1 at East Carolina in Greenville, NC.
"I think for a Monday practice it was pretty good," said head coach Jim Grobe. "Usually when you come back on Monday things are a little sluggish, but we worked them a little harder today than we normally do on a Monday. They responded really well. Overall, for a Monday practice it was a pretty good day."
The team spent a portion of the afternoon practice in a brief scrimmage, giving Grobe a chance to further evaluate the Deacons on both sides of the ball.
"Our quarterbacks are reading the option a little bit better now, we're in a few more sets now and I like that. We've still got some things to do offensively - things to put in and work on."
Returning starters James MacPherson and Anthony Young continue to split time at the No. 1 quarterback position. Both players saw a significant amount of playing time last season and have been battling for the starting job during preseason drills.
Seven starters return in 2001 on the defensive side of the ball, and those seven continue to play key roles in the development of the Deacon defense this fall.
"Defensively, I like the way the first unit is flying around. Our second unit has to become a little more competitive," Grobe said.
Wake Forest will continue with two-a-day practices through the end of the this week, and will conduct scrimmages on Wednesday morning and Saturday evening. Scrimmages are closed to media and fans.
After opening the season against ECU, Wake returns to Winston-Salem for its home opener versus Appalachian State on Saturday, Sept. 8 at Groves Stadium.
