Wake Forest Athletics
Preseason Football Q&A: Chris Barclay
8/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 7, 2003
Sophomore tailback Chris Barclay turned a lot of heads last fall as a true freshman running back. With Tarence Williams gone via graduation, Barclay is expected to start and be the workhorse of the Demon Deacon backfield. Today, Barclay and teammates went through the second full day of practice.
This is a continuing series on wakeforestsports.com. Find out below how to submit your own question for a future Q&A.
On Friday the Deacons will practice at 7 p.m. because many players will be taking summer school final exams during the day.
Q: What class did you take this summer and how did you do?
CB: I took Biology and I did pretty well. My grade was mediocre, but I worked really hard. It??s not a simple class. It??s for pre-med students. I like biology and I look forward to taking it again soon.
Q: New NCAA rules limit the amount of two-a-day practice sessions this year. So, instead of two relatively short practices, like in previous years, you are coming off consecutive days of one single but lengthy three-hour practice. How do you like the change?
CB: It??s definitely an adjustment. We get a lot more work done and it??s good for the young guys. But it??s rough. Three hours in the heat of the day can be, well, tough. At the same time, it allows you to work on mental toughness, which will pay dividends down the stretch. That??s what makes champions.
Q: Last year you had a big fullback ?V Ovie Mughelli ?V who opened up a lot of holes for you and Tarence Williams. How badly will you miss him this season?
CB: Immensely. He??s doing good things in the NFL. I think we have a good fullback in Nick Burney. He showed a lot of promise in the Seattle Bowl. Nick has big shoes to fill, but he??ll do a good job. He??s a big guy as well so I can hide behind him too.
Q: Coach Grobe will not hand a starting job to anyone. Do you have anyone that will push you for that starting tailback role?
CB: Definitely. I didn??t come into camp thinking that I could relax. I push each and every guy all the way down the line to the true freshmen. I want them to give me competition. That??s how you get better. I??ll need to earn the starting job.
Q: Coach Grobe has said publicly that he expects you to be the workhorse in the backfield this season. You??re from horse country (Louisville, Ky.). Exactly what is a workhorse?
CB: Someone who carries the load. Often times it??s not a light load.
Q: What??s the best horse you??ve ever seen?
CB: Don??t know. Probably Seattle Slew.
Q: Have you ever been on a horse?
CB: I used to ride when I was a kid. We would go horseback riding almost every weekend. It was something that my parents, my friends and I would do to get away -- until a horse bucked my friend.
Q: Have you ever been to the Kentucky Derby?
CB: Probably more than 10 times. It??s a fun event. Kind of hard to get in on Derby Day. This year I got to watch some of it from (former Louisville and NBA standout) Junior Bridgeman??s box. That was fun.
Q: Growing up in Louisville, you attended Male High School. Is there a Female High School in Louisville too?
CB: (Laugh) Actually ??Male?? originated because it was an all-boys school way back when, but it??s not any more.
Q: Did you know that the oldest high school football rivalry is in the United States is Louisville Male vs. Louisville Manual?
CB: No. But I remember losing to those guys my senior year. That was probably the most devastating loss for me. Losing to our rivals really hurt. That hurt probably more than any loss we had last season.
Q: Is it true that at Male High School you can actually major in one area? What did you major in?
CB: Yes, you can major at Male. I majored in Science. Science is interesting to me. It??s all around us. I??ve always been interested in science more than any other subject. The subject comes naturally to me. I plan to major in health and exercise science (at WFU). I just like to learn more about my surroundings.
Deacon fans: Do you have a question you want to ask a Wake Forest football player? Submit your question to the email address below and maybe it will appear in an upcoming Q&A.
FootballQandA@wakeforestsports.com
