Football Hosts Maryland In Regular Season Finale
11/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 24, 2003
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WFU FOOTBALL NEWS & NOTES
Game #12/Nov. 29, 2003
Maryland (8-3, 5-2 ACC) at Wake Forest (5-6, 3-4 ACC)
Groves Stadium (31,500)/Winston-Salem, NC
Kickoff: 3:30 pm
Television: Broadcast nationally on ESPN. Ron Franklin calls the play-by-play, with Mike Gottfried providing analysis and Adrian Karsten on the sidelines.
Radio: Broadcast by the Wake Forest ISP Sports Network, heard on 16 stations across North Carolina and in Virginia. Full station listing is on page 12 of this package. Voice of the Deacons Stan Cotten calls the play-by-play with former WFU great Ed Bradley serving as color analyst.
On the Internet: With the purchase of a paid subscription, the radio broadcast can be heard live over the web via WFU's athletics homepage: www.WakeForestSports.com.
The Series: Saturday's game marks the 52nd meeting between the conference rivals. Maryland leads the series 37-13-1 and has won four straight over the Deacons.
Records: WFU dropped below .500 for the first time all season with a non-conference loss to UConn on Nov. 15. Maryland improved to 8-3, 5-2 in ACC play with a two-point win at NC State this past weekend.
Rankings: Neither team is ranked. Maryland is receiving votes in the both the AP poll and ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.
The Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe owns a 18-17 mark in his third season with the Deacs. Now in his ninth season as a head coach, Grobe's career record stands at 51-50-1. Maryland's Ralph Friedgen owns a 29-8 record in his third season as a head coach, all with the Terrapins.
Demon Deacons Host Maryland In Regular-Season Finale
After an open date last week, Wake Forest football returns to action with the regular season finale, hosting the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday, Nov. 29 at Groves Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.
The Demon Deacons (5-6, 3-4 ACC) are looking to overcome the disappointment of its previous two games -- losses to North Carolina and Connecticut. A win over Maryland would make Wake Forest bowl-eligible for the third consecutive season and give it its best ACC record in over 10 years.
Wake Forest will also try to halt a four-game Maryland win streak in this series and notch its first win over the Terps at home since 1997.
Speaking of win streaks, Maryland enters Saturday's contest with three straight victories and the ACC's second-best record at 8-3, 5-2 in league play.
Five Demon Deacons Named All-ACC
Five Wake Forest players have been named to the 2003 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Football teams, as announced by the league office on Monday. Offensive guard Tyson Clabo, cornerback Eric King and punter Ryan Plackemeier were selected to the first team, while running back Chris Barclay and offensive tackle Mark Moroz picked up second-team honors.
Wake's three first-team selections are the most since four Demon Deacons were named first-team All-ACC in 1992. The school's five total selections this season equal the number of Deacs honored in 2001, which included one first-team selection and four second-teamers.
ACC champion Florida State led the way with five first-team selections. Georgia Tech, Maryland and NC State each had four honorees, followed by Wake's three picks. Clemson and Duke had two selections each while Virginia had one.
Clabo's All-ACC selection marks the third straight year a Deacon guard has been named to the first team. King is the first Demon Deacon defensive back to earn first-team honors since A.J. Greene in 1987. Plackemeier received 56 first-team votes out of 63 ballots. He becomes the first Demon Deacon to be named first-team All-ACC as a sophomore since John Henry Mills received the first of his three consecutive first-team selections in 1990. He is also the fourth Wake Forest punter -- and first since 1988 -- to be tabbed all-conference.
Barclay becomes the third Deacon running back in four years to earn second-team All-ACC honors, while Moroz, an honorable-mention All-ACC pick last season, was named to the second-team and was the third-leading vote-getter at offensive tackle.
Clabo, King and Plackemeier, along with the rest of the All-ACC first team, will be honored at the ACC Football Banquet on Monday, Dec. 1 in Atlanta, Ga.
Improved ACC Record At Stake
A win over Maryland would be important for many reasons -- a seven-win regular season for the first time since 1999, bowl-eligibility for the third straight year, the first win over the Terps since 1998, and a 4-4 record in ACC play, which would be Wake's best league record in 11 seasons.
The last time WFU finished .500 in ACC play was 1992. That squad finished 8-4 overall following a win over Oregon in the Independence Bowl. Since then the Deacs have compiled one winless ACC season, four 1-7 marks, one 2-6 record and four 3-5 records in conference play. A loss to the Terps on Saturday would give Wake a 3-5 league ledger for the third consecutive season.
Scouting the Terrapins
Wake Forest will take on Maryland for the 52nd time on Saturday, the 49th time as a conference rival. The Terrapins bring an 8-3 mark into Groves Stadium this weekend, and with a 5-2 ACC record, will look to solidify second place in the final ACC standings with a victory over the Deacs.
Head coach Ralph Friedgen is in his third year with the Terrapins after serving two separate stints as Georgia Tech's offensive coordinator. It will be the second time in as many games that WFU has faced a former Yellow Jacket coordinator, as UConn head coach Randy Edsall was a defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech in 1998.
The Terps bring a three-game win streak into Winston-Salem. Following a 26-24 win over NC State in Raleigh last weekend, Maryland is playing consecutive road games for the second time this season. The Terps opened the 2003 campaign at Northern Illinois and at Florida State, going 0-2. Maryland then reeled off five straight victories before suffering its only other loss of the season, a 7-3 decision at Georgia Tech.
The Terrapins have had four games decided by 10 points or less this season, including three of the last four.
Maryland leads the ACC and ranks 13th nationally in total defense, allowing 304.0 yards per game. It should create an interesting matchup with the Deacons' ground game, as the Terps are giving up 110.1 rushing yards per game (second-lowest in the league), while WFU is averaging a league-high 193.0 rushing yards per outing.
The Terrapins also lead the ACC in red zone offense, scoring on 40 of 42 trips inside the 20 (95.2 percent), but their touchdown percentage in that same territory (64.2/27 of 42) is just under Wake Forest's .667 (26 of 39).
Wake Forest and Maryland have similar numbers in net punt average (WFU 38.7, Maryland 38.4), third-down conversion percentage (Maryland 42.8, WFU 40.8) and sacks allowed (WFU 14, Maryland 19). The Deacs own a large advantage in turnover margin (+0.82 to -0.36).
Saturday's game will feature some of the league's top players at the running back, cornerback and punter positions. WFU's Chris Barclay and Maryland's Josh Allen currently rank 3-4 in the league with 86.3 and 78.4 rushing yards per game, respectively. WFU cornerback Eric King leads the league in passes defended (17) with three interceptions while Curome Cox (11 PBU) and Domonique Foxworth (3 INTs) form a one-two punch in the Terrapin secondary. Deacon punter Ryan Plackemeier ranks first in the league with a 45.8 punting average, while Maryland's Adam Podlesh is second at 42.9.
Maryland's defensive presence can be felt elsewhere as well -- linebacker D'Qwell Jackson is the team's top tackler and ranked sixth in the ACC with 10.6 stops per game. Defensive tackle Randy Starks is one of the league's big playmakers, with 14.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks so far this year.
The Series With Maryland
* Maryland has won four straight and eight of the last 10 games against Wake Forest.
* Over the last four meetings (all Terrapin victories), the home games have proven to be much closer than the ones played in College Park. The Terps have won by a average of 24 points on their home turf, but their last two victories in Winston-Salem have only been by an average of five points. Maryland won by a touchdown, 27-20, in 2001 and escaped with a three-point win, 17-14, in 1999.
* Wake Forest is facing Maryland in the regular season finale for the third time in the last 10 seasons. The Deacs lost at home by a point, 33-32 in 1993 and fell 32-14 in College Park last season.
* Four of the last 10 meetings between the two teams have been decided by a touchdown or less, including two of the last four.
* Wake Forest is looking for its first win over Maryland in Groves Stadium since the 1997 season -- a 35-17 Deacon victory.
* Four of WFU's last five victories in this series -- dating back to 1986 -- have taken place in College Park.
* The winning team has scored at least 27 points in five of the last seven meetings.
Deacon-Terrapin Connections
* Both head coaches -- Wake Forest's Jim Grobe (Virginia) and Maryland's Ralph Friedgen (Maryland) -- played college ball in the ACC.
* Maryland assistant coach Ray Rychleski was previously an assistant at Wake Forest from 1993-2000.
* Maryland defensive coordinator Gary Blackney was the head coach at Bowling Green from 1991-2000, which means he is very familiar with Grobe and his staff. Grobe, of course, was the head coach at Ohio University from 19915-2000. Grobe went 4-2 against Blackney's Falcons during that time.
* Blackney was a graduate assistant at Connecticut in 1968 and 1969. At that time, current WFU baseball coach George Greer was an undergraduate at UConn.
* Wake Forest has five players on its roster from Maryland -- John Finklea (Wheaton), Eric King (Woodstock), Jerome Nichols (Glenn Dale), Joe Salsich (Annapolis) and Napoleon Sykes (Woodstock).
* Maryland has two players on its roster from North Carolina, including sophomore Russell Bonham of Winston-Salem. Bonham played at Carver High School.
* Wake's King and Maryland's Darren Sanders both attended McDonogh High School in Maryland.
* WFU's Finklea, Arthur Orlebar and Daniel Orlebar, and five Maryland players -- Ryan Mitch, Andrew Henley, Scott McBrien, Dennard Wilson and John Wilson -- all attended DeMatha High School.
* Deacon freshman Aaron McKenzie and Maryland's J.P. Humber were teammates at George Jenkins HS in Lakeland, Fla.
* WFU's Brian Woychik and Terrapin junior Ryan Flynn were teammates at Cardinal Mooney HS in Ohio.
Notable Performances Vs. Maryland
* Quarterback Cory Randolph saw the first significant action of his career last year at Maryland, completing 7-of-16 passes for 142 and one interception. His 78-yard completion to Jax Landfried in that game was the third-longest pass in school history before he threw a 79-yarder to Jason Anderson this season versus ECU.
* Receiver Jason Anderson caught five passes for 88 yards and a TD as a freshman in 2001, the last time Maryland visited Groves Stadium.
* Linebacker Kellen Brantley is averaging 6.3 tackles per game in three previous meetings with the Terrapins. Last year he had a season-high six solo tackles in College Park.
* Strong safety Warren Braxton set a career high with eight total tackles (seven solo) and a forced fumble at Maryland last season.
* Defender Obi Chukwumah set a career-best with 10 tackles (six unassisted) against Maryland in Groves Stadium in 2001.
* Linebacker Brad White tallied nine solo tackles against Maryland last season.
* In two meetings with the Terps, free safety Quintin Williams is averaging 8.0 tackles. He also had a pass break-up and TFL last season.
Getting Defensive
Wake Forest has scored five defensive touchdowns this season -- one more than the number of such scores in the previous eight seasons combined. In fact, WFU scored more defensive touchdowns versus Clemson this year (two in the second quarter) than in all of the 2001 and 2002 seasons combined (zero in 2001, one in 2002).
Wake Forest's first touchdown of the 2003 season was scored by the Deacon defense, when Jamaal Argrow caused a QB fumble and Warren Braxton picked it up and had 53 yards of open field into the endzone at Boston College.
Braxton's TD was the first defensive score since the Duke game on Oct. 12, 2002, when Kellen Brantley had a 29-yard interception return for a TD. It was the first fumble recovery for a TD since Bryan Ray fell on the ball in the endzone versus UNC in 2000.
Brantley added the Deacs' second defensive TD of the season when, for the second straight year, he returned an interception against Duke. Eric King (85-yard INT return) and Jyles Tucker (forced fumble, 12-yard fumble return) tacked on the team's third and fourth defensive TDs against Clemson, while Brad White had an 11-yard pick for a score at UNC.
Prior to the Clemson game, the last time Wake Forest scored two defensive touchdowns in a game was Oct. 10, 1992 at Vanderbilt, when George Coghill returned both a fumble and interception for scores.
Wake Forest currently ranks second in the ACC in both defensive touchdowns (5) and total non-offensive unit scores (6). NC State leads both categories with six and 10.
Barclay Approaching 1,000-Yard Season
With 949 yards on the season and four 100-yard performances over the last six outings, sophomore running back Chris Barclay has an opportunity versus Maryland to notch just the ninth 1,000-yard season in school history.
Only seven Demon Deacons have recorded 1,000-yard seasons James McDougald had two -- as a freshman in 1976 and a senior in '79. The last player to reach 1,000 was Tarence Williams with 1,018 yards as a junior in 2001.
Should Barclay reach the 1,000-yard plateau, he would become just the third Deacon underclassmen to notch such a season and first to do it as a sophomore.
Morton Makes An Impact
Redshirt freshman quarterback-turned-receiver Nate Morton has really come on in the second half of the season. The 6-3, 200-pounder has 14 catches for 160 yards to his credit, with a 11.4 yards per catch average that currently ranks third on the squad. All 14 of his receptions have come over the last five games, and he was the Deacs' leading receiver versus UConn with five catches for 42 yards. The previous week at UNC, Morton's six receptions for 61 yards were second only to Jason Anderson's 137-yard outing.
Morton came to WFU as a quarterback and, after redshirting last season, moved to wide receiver in the spring. He is the second Deacon QB in recent to make that switch, following Anthony Young.
Turnover Margin Still In Deacs' Favor
One telling statistic that has carried over from last season is WFU's success in turnover margin. The Demon Deacons currently rank first in the ACC and 17th nationally with a +0.82 advantage in turnovers per game. WFU opponents have committed 26 turnovers (13 interceptions, 13 fumbles) while the Deacs have lost 17 (eight picks, nine fumbles).
Of the 307 points scored by Wake Forest this season, over 26 percent (80 points) have been the direct result of an opponent turnover Comparatively, 21 percent of WFU's opponents' points (65 of 306) have been the result of Deacon miscues.
Wake's advantage in turnover margin could have been even higher. In the two-game set with Purdue and East Carolina in September, the Boilers and Pirates combined to fumble the ball 11 times, but lost just three of those.
Wake Forest's losses to Georgia Tech and UNC are the only games this season in which the Deacs have not been even or held the advantage in turnover margin. WFU had two turnovers while Georgia Tech committed none, and the Deacs lost three at UNC while the Tar Heels had one. Carolina was also able to capitalize on WFU's miscues, scoring touchdowns on all three turnovers.
Wake Forest also led the ACC and ranked fifth nationally in turnover margin a year ago with a +1.38 advantage.
Odds & Ends
* Over the last five games, quarterback Cory Randolph has completed 55 of 86 passes, a .640 completion percentage.
* Only two true freshman have seen action for the Deacs this season -- defensive end Jyles Tucker and running back D'Angelo Bryant ... Tucker is the only true rookie to earn a starting nod in 2003, starting the last three games.
* Wake Forest is riding a streak of 68 games without being shutout, dating back to a 42-0 loss at Air Force in 1998.
* Free safety Quintin Williams recorded his 200th career tackle versus ECU ... Williams (259), linebacker Kellen Brantley (253) and bandit Caron Bracy (207) are the only current Deacon defenders with at least 200 career stops .
* Jason Anderson ranks fourth among active ACC receivers with four 100-yard games (NC State's Jerricho Cotchery leads the league with 14.) ... Anderson's 1,728 career receiving yards also ranks fourth among active players in the league.
* Fullback Nick Burney has caught just one pass all season, but it was good for six points as he recorded a four-yard touchdown pass from Cory Randolph at North Carolina. It was his first receiving touchdown, as he has caught just three passes for 10 yards in his career.
* Wake Forest's 562 yards of total offense at North Carolina was the most since amassing 577 at Navy on Nov. 18, 2000. It was also the ninth-highest single-game total in school history.
King of the Break-Up
No, that doesn't mean he's breaking hearts all across campus, but junior cornerback Eric King has established himself as a key pass break-up specialist and one of the top cornerbacks in the ACC. With 13 career PBU entering this season, King has already surpassed that mark this season -- with at least one more game to go.
As he has for most of the season, King continues to lead the ACC in passes defended, currently with 17 (14 PBU, three interceptions), an average 1.55 per game. His 14 break-ups are also a conference high -- the second-place defender in that category has 12.
King, as well as senior free safety Quintin Williams, is moving up WFU's career PBU chart. King is fifth with 27 break-ups while Williams is seventh with 24.
King recorded four tackles, two key pass break-ups and an interception in the Deacs' victory over NC State. King's first PBU of the day came on a 3rd-and-goal play from WFU's six-yard line, forcing NC State to settle for a field goal. His acrobatic interception in the third quarter led to a Deacon field goal. Perhaps his biggest play of the game was another pass break-up in the fourth quarter, when NC State, trailing 31-17, faced a 4th-and-30 play from the WFU 31. The change in possession led to WFU's final TD drive of the day which sealed the Deacon victory.
King's 85-yard interception return for a touchdown versus Clemson goes down in the record books as the second-longest such return in school history, and longest since 1955.
King is doing more than just breaking up passes. He was also impressive versus ECU, recording both an interception and a fumble recovery in addition to three tackles and a PBU. He ranks fourth in the league in fumbles forced and fifth in fumbles recovered. Overall, he's played a role in eight opponent takeaways this season.
Nichols On The Pick
Defensive end Jerome Nichols is the first Demon Deacon defensive lineman to record two interceptions in a season since a pair of ends, David Braxton and James DuBose, each grabbed a pair of picks in the 1988 season. That season, in fact, was the last time any WFU defensive lineman recorded an interception.
Nichols intercepted both of the ACC's preseason Heisman candidates, NC State's Philip Rivers and Virginia's Matt Schaub.
Clabo A Key Cog On The Line
Offensive lineman Tyson Clabo should be considered as one of the ACC's most versatile, as well as reliable, offensive linemen. Clabo owns 36 career starts, 35 consecutive nods. In an unofficial survey of career OL starts, Clabo's numbers rank among the top 30 nationally and fourth in the ACC behind NC State's Chris Colmer, Maryland's Lamar Bryant and Duke's Drew Strojny.
Entering the 2003 season as the Deacs' left guard, Clabo has started at three positions (LG, LT, RT) along the line while seeing time at every spot but center this year. He consistently grades out among the highest on the line (87 percent for the season) and is averaging nine knockdowns a game.
Gattis Gets 'Em Covered
Despite playing behind three-year starter and honors candidate Quintin Williams, redshirt freshman free safety Josh Gattis has quickly made a name for himself with an impressive number of tackles and some hard-hitting stops this season.
The Durham, N.C. product has tallied 33 tackles (28 solo) and has forced two fumbles. But he's really made an impact on special teams, as he is often the first one downfield making the stop on the opponent's return man.
Gattis has recorded 10 tackles on punt returns, including three for negative yardage. Versus UConn, he forced a fumble on a punt return. He's also made the stop on three kickoff returns this season.
Bracy, White & Williams: A Formidable Tackling Trio
The team's top three returning players in terms of tackles -- linebacker Brad White, defensive back Caron Bracy and free safety Quintin Williams -- are simply offering a repeat performance this fall. The trio currently leads the team -- Bracy with 86 stops through 11 games, Williams with 83 and White with 70. Together this trio is combining for over 29 percent of the team's tackles.
Bracy, a junior who finished second on the squad with 82 tackles last season, owns a team-best 64 solo tackles to go with 22 assisted stops. He also has four TFL, two PBU, a blocked kick and two forced fumbles.
Williams, a senior, has 55 solo tackles to go with four TFL, an interception, five PBU and a league-leading three fumble recoveries. He also now appears on WFU's career solo tackles chart, ranking 19th with 170.
White, another junior who had a team-high 94 stops in 2002, currently has 45 solo tackles and 25 assisted stops this season. He has also been credited with five TFL, two pass break-ups and had his first interception (which he returned for a touchdown) versus UNC.
Grobe Among Select Company
Jim Grobe is one of just three coaches in Wake Forest history to win 13 games during his first two years with the program. Like Grobe, Hank Garrity won six games in his first season with the Deacs (1923) and posted seven wins the following year. The only other coach to accomplish this feat was Bill Dooley (seven wins in 1987, six in 1988). With two more wins this season, Grobe could post the best three-year win total by a coach in school history, surpassing Garrity's 19 from 1923-25.
On This Date in WFU History
One has to go pretty far back in the record books to find the last time Wake Forest played a game on Nov. 29 ... the last appearance on this date was in 1952, a 39-14 home victory over South Carolina ... that is the one and only win for the Demon Deacons on this date, as their overall record on Nov. 29 is 1-4-1 ... Saturday's game with Maryland marks the second-latest conference game in WFU history, following last year's Nov. 30 date at Maryland ... the Deacs played future league foes NC State (1926) and South Carolina (1952) on Nov. 29 ... this weekend's matchup with the Terps will also marked the first Groves Stadium appearance for WFU on this date ... four of Wake's six games on Nov. 29 have been decided by four points or less, although the most recent games (1941 and '52) were decided by substantial margins.
Deacs Among the Elite
Since January of 2001, only ten schools have not suffered a losing season in football, men's basketball or baseball. Wake Forest is one of those schools, although the Deacons must beat Maryland to remain on that list. Alabama, 4-7 in football this season, will fall off that list. The nine schools remaining are: Boston College, Florida, Fresno State, Georgia, McNeese State, Ohio State, Texas, Wake Forest and Western Kentucky.
The Big Picture
The 2003 campaign marks the 102nd season of Wake Forest football. WFU owns an all-time record of 371-559-34 with a record of 97-242-5 in ACC play.
Coming Up Next
A victory over Maryland would make Wake Forest bowl-eligible for the third straight year. With six other ACC bowl teams eligible, including BCS-bound Florida State, the Deacs would have to await word of a possible bowl berth.