Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
Appalachian St
Gridiron Deacs Climb Over Mountaineers, 20-10
9/8/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept 8, 2001
By DAVID DROSCHAK
AP Sports Writer
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Fabian Davis and John Stone scored in a 4{-minute span of the third quarter as Wake Forest beat Division I-AA nemesis Appalachian State 20-10 Saturday night.
The Demon Deacons (2-0) had lost three of their last four meetings against the third-ranked I-AA team and nearby rival. And this one didn't come without a struggle as Wake Forest trailed 10-6 at the half.
But after allowing the Mountaineers (1-1) close to 200 yards of offense in the opening 30 minutes, the Demon Deacons clamped down and took control of things in the third quarter to win their first two games for the first time since 1996.
Wake Forest, 2-9 a season ago under Jim Caldwell, upset East Carolina on the road 21-19 last weekend in new coach Jim Grobe's debut.
Tarence Williams, who rushed for 158 yards in Wake Forest's opener, got 116 more on 25 carries Saturday night.
Anthony Young drove Wake Forest 90 yards for the go-ahead score, capping the march with a 23-yard TD pass over the middle to a diving Davis with 6:03 left in the third.
Less than a minute later, Joe Burchette and Jimmy Watkins fumbled an exchange in the Appalachian State backfield and Dion Williams recovered at the 23. Stone scored on an 8-yard run seven plays later for a 10-point lead.
The Mountaineers wasted a 46-yard fumble return to the Wake Forest 24 late in the game after being whistled for holding, a personal foul and then motion on three straight plays and Wake Forest ran out the final 3{ minutes.
Wake Forest, which turned the ball over just once last week in its season-opening victory, lost it twice on consecutive second-quarter plays, leading to 10 points for the Mountaineers.
Williams fumbled a pitch that came late from Young deep in Wake Forest territory. Watkins took it in from the 11 four seconds later.
On the next play from scrimmage, backup quarterback James MacPherson, who rotated in every other series, was hit from the blind side by Josh Jeffries, who also recovered the fumble at the Wake Forest 18.
Erik Rockhold's 36-yard field goal gave the Mountaineers 10 points in a span of 1:21.
The Demon Deacons ran into their second straight week of red zone problems, driving the ball to the Appalachian State 13 and 17 in the first half, but managed just two Tyler Ashe field goal in the opening 30 minutes. They and trailed 10-6 before rallying and denying Jerry Moore his 100th victory as coach of the Mountaineers.
