Wake Forest Athletics
Football Prepares For ACC Opener at NC State
9/9/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 9, 2002
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WFU FOOTBALL NEWS & NOTES
Game #3
Saturday, Sept. 14
Wake Forest (1-1) at #19/20 NC State (3-0)
Carter-Finley Stadium (51,500)/Raleigh, NC
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m.
Television: None
Radio: Broadcast by the Wake Forest ISP Sports Network, heard on 20 stations across North Carolina and in Virginia. Full station listing is on page five of this package. Voice of the Deacons Stan Cotten calls the play-by-play with former Deacon great Ed Bradley serving as color analyst.
On the Web: The radio broadcast can be heard live over the internet via WFU??s athletics homepage: www.WakeForestSports.com.
Records: Both teams kick off their ACC schedule with this game. The Deacons enter with a 1-1 record after defeating ECU last week. NC State is 3-0 on the season with wins over New Mexico, East Tenn. State and Navy.
The Series: Saturday??s game marks the 96th meeting with NC State leading the series 58-31-6. The Wolfpack have won three of the last five meetings, while the Deacs haven??t won in Carter-Finley Stadium since 1984.
Rankings: The Wolfpack have appeared in the top 25 since the preseason and are currently ranked 19th (AP) and 20th (Coaches). WFU is not ranked.
The Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe is in his second season in Winston-Salem after guiding the Deacs to a bowl-eligible 6-5 record last year. Entering his eighth season as a head coach, Grobe??s overall career record stands at 40-39-1. Grobe is 0-2 all-time against NC State.
NC State??s Chuck Amato is 18-9 in his third season as a head coach, all with the Wolfpack. Amato is 2-0 all-time against Wake Forest.
Tickets: Contact the NC State Ticket Office at 919-515-2106.
Deacs Get First Win of 2002; Open ACC Play at NC State
After getting back on the winning track with a 27-22 home opening victory over East Carolina last Saturday, the Wake Forest football team opens its ACC schedule this weekend. The Deacs travel down I-40 to Raleigh, N.C. to face the 3-0 and nationally-ranked NC State Wolfpack. Kickoff is set for 7:00 pm at NCSU??s Carter-Finley Stadium.
After giving up 42 points in the season-opening overtime loss at Northern Illinois, the Deacon defense made big plays at key times to hold off a second-half Pirate rally in Wake??s victory over ECU. Wake held a 20-3 lead midway through the third quarter, but the Pirates scored three touchdowns in the final 23 minutes of the contest to make the game close. Wake defenders forced five Pirate turnovers, including four interceptions, and blocked both a punt and an extra-point attempt.
The Deacon ??D?? sealed the win by stopping ECU on its final offensive play, a 4th-and-3 situation with 33 seconds remaining.
Wake Forest must now shift its attention to conference play, starting with the Wolfpack. NC State??s high-octane offense, led by junior quarterback Philip Rivers, leads the league in scoring (44.3 ppg) and pass efficiency, while its defense is holding its opponents to a league-low 67.0 yards passing per game.
The 2002 campaign marks the 101st season of Wake Forest football. WFU now owns an all-time record of 360-548-34 overall.
Opening ACC Play
With Saturday??s game versus NC State, the Deacons hope to reverse the trend they??ve experienced in their previous conference openers. In the Atlantic Coast Conference??s 50th year of existence, Wake Forest (a charter member of the league), has posted a 14-35 record when opening conference play. In the last 10 years, Wake has gone 1-9, with the lone win a 29-19 victory at Clemson in 1998.
The good news for the Deacons is that exactly half of those wins - seven - have come against the Wolfpack. NC State has been Wake??s most popular conference-opening opponent over the last 49 seasons as the two teams have met 22 times in that situation.
King Named ACC Player of the Week
Sophomore cornerback Eric King was named the ACC Defensive Back of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday. It is the first such honor earned by a Demon Deacon this season.
King came up with some big plays as the WFU defense held off a late rally to defeat visiting East Carolina, 27-22. The Woodstock, Md., native came up with the first two interceptions of his career and forced a fumble. King was also credited with three tackles (two solo) and a pass breakup.
King, who has started nine consecutive games at cornerback, currently ranks tied for first in the ACC and 10th nationally in interceptions per game.
A Balanced Rushing Attack
After leading the ACC in rushing last season (221.6 ypg), the Deacon ground game continues to be prolific. However, it??s not the ??usual suspects?? putting up the big numbers so far this season. Last year??s leading rusher, Tarence Williams (1,018 yards) is gradually returning to action after suffering a broken foot this summer. His top backup in 2001, Fred Staton (583 yards), is sitting out this season for academic purposes.
Instead, the Deacons have employed a ??running back by committee??, as five different players have lined up in the backfield so far this year. Junior Nick Burney is the starter and is averaging a team-best 69.5 yards per game and an impressive 8.2 yards per carry on 17 attempts. Redshirt freshman Cornelius Birgs has received the most handoffs, with 26 carries for 99 yards and two touchdowns. All-purpose threat Fabian Davis, a senior, has nine touches for 104 yards. Even true freshman Chris Barclay has seen some action, with 94 yards on 14 rushes.
Senior fullback Ovie Mughelli has perhaps provided the biggest spark to the Deacon ground game. After recording no rushing stats last season, Mughelli scored four touchdowns at Northern Illinois - tying a school record - and finished the night with 74 yards. He added another TD versus East Carolina.
The approach has worked well so far. The Deacs rank second in the ACC (behind FSU) and eighth nationally with 262.5 rushing yards per game. Wake recorded 344 yards on the ground at NIU, its highest single-game rushing total since tallying 396 versus Maryland in the 1993 season. Three Deacs (Burney, Davis and Birgs) all rank among the ACC??s top 10 rushing leaders. Mughelli ranks fourth in the NCAA in scoring.
Head Coach Jim Grobe
Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe is in his second season with the Demon Deacons and eighth overall season as a head coach with a 40-39-1 career record. Grobe led the Deacs to a bowl-eligible 6-5 ledger in 2001, becoming just the eighth coach in WFU history to post a winning record in his first season at the helm. His career record at WFU now stands at 7-6.
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.
After beginning his collegiate career at Ferrum Junior College, Grobe went on to the University of Virginia, starting two seasons for the Cavaliers and earning Academic All-ACC honors. He earned both a bachelor??s and master??s degree from Virginia.
Cardiac Deacs Keep Streak Going
With the 27-22 final score versus East Carolina, the Deacs keep up a streak of nine consecutive games decided by a touchdown or less. That streak dates back to a 48-24 loss at 15th-ranked Florida State last Sept. 29. Wake Forest's record in those close games is 5-4.
Despite the close games as of late, Wake Forest played just its second-ever overtime game at Northern Illinois in the 2002 season opener. The first overtime game in school history was a 30-27 loss to Appalachian State at home in 1998.
Tale of the Turnover
Wake Forest currently ranks first in the ACC (tied with Duke) and third among NCAA leaders in turnover margin (+8/+4.0 per game). Through two games this season, the Deacons have forced nine turnovers while committing just one of their own. The WFU offense has not had a turnover, as the one miscue occured on a fumbled punt attempt in the fourth quarter versus East Carolina.
At Northern Illinois, Wake intercepted two passes and recovered two fumbles. Versus ECU, the Deacs picked off four Pirate passes and forced another fumble.
Through the first two games of last season, Wake had not thrown any interceptions, but had lost four fumbles. The Deacs finished the 2001 campaign with a -3 turnover ratio (25 to 22).
Scouting the Wolfpack
Wake Forest heads into Raleigh to face the 3-0 NC State Wolfpack, a team that is ranked 19th/20th nationally after opening the 2002 season with three convincing victories. The ??Pack opened with a 34-14 win over New Mexico, then shut out East Tennessee State 34-0. Last week at Navy, NC State??s offense was even more potent, blowing the Midshipmen out of the water, 65-19.
As a result of these high-scoring games, NC State leads the ACC and ranks 11th nationally in scoring with 44.8 points per game.
A look at the offense begins with junior quarterback Philip Rivers. In three games so far this season, Rivers has completed 69 percent of his passes (35-of-51) for 730 yards and eight touchdowns. He leads the ACC in pass efficiency and ranks second in passing yards (243.3 ypg).
Rivers?? favorite target in 2002 has been senior Bryan Peterson, who has eight catches for 259 yards. Half of those receptions have gone for touchdowns, including an 88-yarder at Navy.
Sophomore tailback Greg Golden leads NC State in rushing, averaging 63.0 yards per game with three touchdowns this season.
The Wolfpack defense has also contributed greatly to the team??s early season success, allowing a league-low 199.7 yards per game and ranking second in the ACC in scoring defense (11.0 ppg). Linebacker Andre Maddox leads the team in total tackles (30), while senior linebacker Dantonio Burnette owns a team-high two sacks and six TFL.
Sophomore Lamont Reid leads the ACC in kickoff returns, averaging 38.3 yards per return, including a 90-yarder for a touchdown.
The Series With NC State
* NC State is Wake Forest??s second-oldest rival behind North Carolina. The Deacs and the ??Pack will meet for the 96th time on the gridiron Saturday, with NC State leading the series 58-31-6.
* NC State has won three of the last five and 12 of the last 14 meetings.
* The Wolfpack enjoy a 37-20-5 series lead in games played in Raleigh. Wake Forest, in fact, has not won at Carter-Finley Stadium since a 24-15 victory in the 1984 season.
* Wake Forest??s last win in the series was a 31-7 victory at home over the 25th-ranked Wolfpack in 1999. It marked the Deacons?? first-ever victory over a ranked ACC opponent at Groves Stadium.
* NC State will be the first ranked opponent the Deacons face since falling to 15th-ranked Florida State last Sept. 29.
* Last year??s three-point NC State victory at Groves Stadium marked just the second time in the last 11 meetings that the game had been decided by a single-digit scoring margin. The Deacs won by one point, 19-18 in 1997.
WFU-NC State Connections
* NC State offensive coordinator Marty Galbraith was the offensive coordinator at Wake Forest in 1989 and 1990. He also served as a Deacon assistant coach from 1978-82.
* Wake Forest assistant coach Brad Lambert and NC State assistant coach Greg Williams were on the same coaching staff at Georgia from 1996-2000.
* Wake redshirt freshman Derek Tharpe and NC State senior Dantonio Burnette are both from Warner Robins, Ga.
* Wake??s Quintin Williams and State??s Manny Lawson both hail from Goldsboro, N.C.
* WFU??s Christopher Carrothers and NC State??s T.A. McLendon both attended Albemarle (N.C.) High School.
* NCSU??s Brandon Moore and Wake??s Fred Staton both played for West Charlotte High School.
* Wake Forest??s Jamie Scott and NC State??s Lamont Reid are both from Concord, N.C.
* Wake??s Dion Williams and Pierre Easley and State??s J.J. Washington are all from Stone Mountain, GA, but all attended different high schools.
* Wake Forest graduate assistant coach Vince Azzolina is a native of Easton, Pa. and a graduate of Easton High School. NC State head coach Chuck Amato is also an Easton alumnus and began his coaching career in at the school as an assistant coach in 1969 and 1970.
* ESPN broadcaster Dr. Jerry Punch earned his undergraduate degree from NCSU then graduated from Wake Forest??s medical school.
* Groves Stadium Complex Coordinator Ken Anderson previously worked with NCSU??s Wolfpack Club and also as director of athletic housing.
* Wake Forest women??s basketball assistant coach Sharon Manning is a 1991 NCSU graduate and former ACC Tournament MVP for the Wolfpack.
Scott On the Block
In just his second season as a linebacker, Deacon senior Jamie Scott has made an impact. Not only is he starting at one of the outside spots and is the team??s second leading tackler in 2002 (20 stops in two games), Scott blocked his second career punt last Saturday versus East Carolina. As mainly a special teams contributor last season, Scott also blocked a punt at Florida State which led to a Wake safety.
Scott spent his first two seasons in a Deacon uniform on the offensive side of the ball at running back. He recorded 194 yards and two touchdowns on 61 carries before switching to linebacker. Scott??s father, Tony, also played linebacker at Wake Forest (1981-85). Jamie, who wore jersey No. 6 as an RB and No. 46 last year, switched to his father??s number, 53, for the 2002 season.
Poll Particulars
Two 2002 Wake Forest opponents are currently ranked among the nation??s Top 25 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. Ranked opponents include No. 5 Florida State, and No. 19/20 NC State.
Wake opponents Georgia Tech, Maryland, Clemson, North Carolina and Purdue are among the teams receiving votes in at least one of the major polls.
Coming Up Next
Playing three of their first four games on the road, the Demon Deacons travel to West Lafayette, Ind. to meet Purdue on Saturday, Sept. 21. Kickoff is set for 2:00 pm Eastern time. Wake Forest is facing Purdue for the fourth time in school history, but first since 1978. The Boilermakers lead the series 3-0.
