Wake Forest Athletics
Preseason Football Practice Report: August 13
8/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Preseason Practice Report
Sunday, August 10, 2003
Making Contact: Wake Forest took the field Wednesday morning for their first scrimmage. The Deacs arrived at Groves Stadium about 9:05 am. Following some warmups and stretching, the Deacs began the day working out in position groups, before moving to passing drills and o-line vs. d-line. The Deacs then worked on punt, kickoff and field goals over the next 30-minutes.
The Deacs started the 11-on-11 scrimmage around 10 am. The first team offense opened against the second team defense. Cory Randolph started at quarterback for the first team offense which started at its own 1-yard line. Chris Barclay opened with four consecutive carries for 26 yards. Randolph completed 2-of-3 passes on the drive, but it stalled at their 45-yard line. The first team defense was impressive in its first action. After allowing an initial first down to the second team offense, the first team defense stopped them on their second series.
Highlights from the scrimmage included a 63-yard scamper from Barclay, 33-yard pass completion from Randolph to Jason Anderson, 35-yard field goal by Matt Wisnosky, pair of sacks by Goryal Scales and Obi Chukwumah and a tremendous fourth down stop by defensive tackle Arthur Orlebar.
Quoting Head Coach Jim Grobe: On scrimmage: "We are about where we should be - nothing to really write home about, but not that bad either. There were definitely more good things than bad things. Typically, this time of the year our offense is a little behind, just rusty. We just made too many mental mistakes. We need to continue to work on taking care of the football. Defensively, I thought the guys flew around pretty good. We had some mental lapses that allowed some big plays, but overall I was pretty pleased."
Quoting Head Coach Jim Grobe: On Cory Randolph: "We always want Cory looking down the field. We want him to throw the ball down field whenever possible, but also want him to make good decisions with the football. We are not opposed of him tucking the ball and running with it, but we do not want to make a habit of it. When we want to throw, we need him to throw down the field. We need to make sure he exhausts every effort to get the ball thrown. If nothing is there, then let's see what we can get out of it."
Quoting Head Coach Jim Grobe: On Chris Barclay: "Chris is where he needs to be, but our running backs as a whole need to keep working on their peripheral vision. Chris is doing well, but needs to get better and I am confident he will. He is starting to get into good shape now. My concern is the continued development of Cornelius Birgs and Dominic Anderson. We gave it to our running backs almost 37 times a game last year and I do not expect Chris to get it all the time. Those guys will be counted on for carries. Dominic did some good things today and Cornelius had a great run down on the goaline for a touchdown."
Quoting Head Coach Jim Grobe: On early injuries: "We had another guy on the offensive line get banged up today (Mark Moroz). We were kind of thin there already, with Joe Salsich breaking his wrist yesterday and now Moroz going down. This is a physical game and we have to play physical in order to win games. We can't tell the guys to not go hard out there. We just need to keep hoping and praying nothing else bad happens out there."
Quoting Running Back Chris Barclay: On execution: "I felt like the first team offense executed pretty well. We can always work to eliminate the penalties, but guys are still learning assignments. If we can eliminate those mistakes and work on some small things like picking up the right blocks, we will be alright. Overall, it was a pretty good day."
On The Sideline: Freshman offensive lineman Brodie Overstreet continues to be sidelined after undergoing eye surgery. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Willie Idlette is wearing a boot on his sprained right ankle and will continue to be evaluated this week. Junior offensive lineman Joe Salsich is out after breaking a bone in his hand at practice on Tuesday. Salsich is wearing a cast and is out at least the next two days. Senior offensive lineman Mark Moroz is out after spraining his MCL Wednesday morning. Moroz's status is unknown pending evaluation from a physician.
Upcoming Practice Schedule: Per NCAA rules, teams must practice using a two-a-day, one-a-day format, so the Deacs will follow that schedule for the next two weeks. Listed below are upcoming practice times:
Thursday, Aug. 14 2:45-5:45 pm (Campus Field) Friday, Aug. 15 9-11:30 am (Campus Field) 3:30-6 pm (Campus Field) Saturday, Aug. 16 9-12 noon (Groves Stadium) - Scrimmage 1-2:30 pm FAN FEST
Fan Fest: The 2003 Wake Forest Fan Fest is Saturday, August 16 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. at Groves Stadium. This year's Fan Fest will feature coaches and athletes from all the WFU fall sports, including the football, field hockey, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country and volleyball squads. Demon Deacon athletes and coaches will be available for autographs and pictures. There will also be food, games and DTZ inflatables for the children. The Demon Deacon, as well as the Wake Forest cheerleaders, will also make a special appearance. The Wake Forest Fan Fest is free of charge. For more information, contact the Sports Marketing office at 366-758-5011.
Player Q&A's on the Web: Visit www.WakeForestSports.com for the latest information on the Deacon football team. In addition to all press releases and practice reports, a Q&A series with Deacon football players will be posted on a regular basis. Featured Deacs so far include Brad White, Chris Barclay, Eric King, Blake Lingruen, Kellen Brantley and R.D. Montgomery.
