Wake Forest Athletics
Fred Staton Shines in Spring Football Scrimmage
4/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 6, 2002
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest running back Fred Staton rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns during the football team??s final spring scrimmage, held at Groves Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The 61-play, 50-minute controlled scrimmage marked the end of the spring practice for the Demon Deacon squad.
Staton, a rising junior, scored the only three touchdowns in the contest, on rushes of one, 27 and 57 yards. The 57-yard scamper was the longest play of the day and also the final play of the scrimmage.
Three quarterbacks saw action for the Demon Deacons, including returning senior starter James MacPherson, redshirt freshman Cory Randolph, and freshman Nate Morton, who joined the squad this past January. The trio combined to complete 12-of-27 passes for 136 yards. MacPherson threw 6-of-10 for 65 yards and one interception, which was picked off by defensive back Warren Braxton on the scrimmage??s first series. MacPherson also threw a game-long 30-yard pass to junior Jason Anderson. Randolph was 5-of-11 for 64 yards, while Morton completed one pass ?V for seven yards ?V on six attempts.
Junior Anthony Young caught a team-high three passes for 31 yards, including a 20-yarder from Randolph. Young, who was originally recruited and signed with Wake as a receiver, saw action at quarterback the last two seasons before switching to wide receiver this spring. Both Anderson and redshirt freshman Maurice Moten caught two passes totaling 35 yards. Moten??s 28-yard reception from Randolph set up Staton??s one-yard touchdown run.
Wake Forest??s stable of running backs was reduced to Staton and junior Nick Burney, due to a lingering ankle injury to the team??s top rusher the last two seasons, senior Tarence Williams. Williams did not dress for the spring scrimmage. Staton collected his 157 yards on 15 carries, while Burney rushed 11 times for 29 yards. Senior fullback Ovie Mughelli also carried the ball one time for eight yards.
On the defensive side, junior linebackers Kellen Brantley and Dion Williams led the way with six tackles each. Senior linebacker Jamie Scott and redshirt freshman Dominic Anderson ?V a running back converted to defensive back this spring ?V each tallied five stops. Linebacker Brad White recorded one sack for -10 yards, while defensive linemen Montique Sharpe and Roderick Stephen each posted one tackle-for-loss.
The Wake Forest football team, under second year head coach Jim Grobe, returns 16 starters ?V eight offense, eight defense ?V from a squad that produced a 6-5 record in 2001. The 2002 campaign kicks off Thursday, August 29 at Northern Illinois (DeKalb, IL). The home opener is September 7 versus East Carolina.
Wake Forest Spring Football Scrimmage Statistics
Rushing Att. Gain Lost Net TD Long
F. Staton 15 157 - 157 3 57
N. Burney 11 35 6 29 - 10
O. Mughelli 1 8 - 8 - 8
C. Randolph 5 14 11 3 0 8
N. Morton 1 - 3 -3 - -
J. MacPherson 1 - 6 -6 - -
Receiving No. Yds. TD Long
A. Young 3 31 - 20
J. Anderson 2 35 - 30
M. Moten 2 25 - 28
C. Smith 2 12 - 7
S. Marino 1 9 - 9
D. Tharpe 1 9 - 9
R. Thomas 1 5 - 5
Passing Att-Com-Int Yds TD Long
J. MacPherson 10-6-1 65 - 30
C. Randolph 11-5-0 64 - 28
N. Morton 6-1-0 7 - 7
Defensive Leaders
K. Brantley - 6 tackles (1 UT, 5 AT)
D. Williams - 6 tackles (1 UT, 5 AT)
D. Anderson - 5 tackles (2 UT, 3 AT)
J. Scott - 5 tackles (5 AT)
B. White - 3 tackles (1 UT, 2 AT), sack (-10)
W. Braxton - 2 tackles (2 AT), INT
R. Stephen - 2 tackles (1 UT, 1 AT), TFL (-1)
M. Sharpe - 1 tackle (1 UT), TFL (-3), PBU
