Wake Forest Athletics
Preseason Football Practice Report: August 16
8/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 16, 2003
Wake Forest Football Preseason Practice Report Saturday, August 16, 2003
Making Contact: With their opening game against Boston College just two weeks away, the Demon Deacons took the field at Groves Stadium around 9:15 on Saturday morning in preparation for the upcoming season. The skies were overcast, but no rain fell on the Deacs as they warmed up and did position drills for approximately an hour. The focus was on special teams drills as punter Ryan Plackemeier and kicker Matt Wisnosky showed off their kicking skills to a small crowd of onlookers in the stands. The Deacs then took the field for an hour long, full contact scrimmage. Both the No. 1 and No. 2 defenses looked strong, deflecting passes, breaking up plays and collecting a number of sacks. The offense worked hard against the stifling defense all morning, and backup freshman quarterback Zac Taylor looked strong, connecting with redshirt freshman receiver Nate Morton on a few plays, including a touchdown pass.
Quoting Head Coach Jim Grobe: "Our defense is definitely ahead of our offense right now, but that is not abnormal at this point in the preseason. We're trying to show the defense a lot of looks we'll see during the season, so we're trying to help each other out. We're kind of each other's scout team right now. We definitely have enough talent, we just are not playing very consistently at this point."
On The Sideline: Freshman offensive lineman Brodie Overstreet continues to be sidelined after undergoing eye surgery. Senior offensive guard Chad Rebar returned to the field after missing some time, but is not yet at 100%. Junior offensive lineman Joe Salsich is still out after breaking a bone in his hand at practice on Tuesday. Senior offensive lineman Mark Moroz is out after spraining his MCL Wednesday morning. Moroz's status is unknown pending evaluation from a physician. Freshman defensive lineman Jeromy Jones and redshirt nose tackle Goryal Scales were also sidelined with injuries on Saturday.
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 week. Listed below are upcoming practice times:
Monday, Aug. 18 9-11:30 am (Campus Field) 3:30-6 pm (Campus Field) Tuesday, Aug. 19 9-12 noon (Campus Field) Wednesday, Aug. 20 9-11:30 (Groves Stadium) (scrimmage) 3:30-6 pm (Campus Field)
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.
