Wake Forest Athletics
Chris Barclay Chat Wrap
9/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 10, 2003
On Thursday, September 11, Wake Forest running back Chris Barclay dropped by to take your questions in chat. The Demon Deacons (2-0, 1-0 ACC) host Purdue (0-1, 0-0 Big Ten) on Saturday (noon ET, ESPN).
Wake is off to an impressive 2-0 start with wins at Boston College and over a nationally-ranked NC State squad. The Wake Forest football team will take the field at Groves Stadium next Saturday as a nationally-ranked squad (20th by AP, 21st by coaches) for the first time in over 10 years.
Barclay played in all 13 games as a freshman last season, finishing the season with 703 yards on 144 carries, setting a new WFU freshman record with 4.9 yards per carry. He tallied nine rushing touchdowns, one shy of tying the freshman mark of 10. In last week's win over NC State, Barclay racked up 90 yards and one touchdown.
If you missed Chris's chat, a full transcript follows:
Moderator: Ok everybody, Chris should be here any minute. Send in those questions, here we go!
JP (Winston-Salem NC): How is the ankle for Saturday?
Chris Barclay: It's doing pretty good. It's a process, a slower recovery time than I was expecting, but it's doing really well as opposed to last week. By the time Saturday rolls around, I'll be if not 100%, pretty close to it.
WFU - NC: Chris, what's the biggest challenge that you all face this weekend against Purdue?
Chris Barclay: They are a veteran team and a lot of people have made comments about our youth, but I think that we have shown in our first two games that we may be young but that doesn't translate to less talent. The coaches have done a great job with us. I think that the toughest part will be that they are a physical team, they are in the Big-10, a conference known for their physical power football, I think that if we can match their physical game and set the tone early we can do some really great things on Saturday.
Bryan Rice Va: Chris what is the vibe like on campus and in the city now are the people buzzing are the students giving youll you respect now or is it pretty much The Basketball Teams Campus.......?
Chris Barclay: Well there's definitely a lot more football excitement in the air. I was walking down the sidewalk the other day and overheard a conversation between some students actually, I think I guess they were some potential students and their parents and they were talking about the success of the football team and all the excitement it seems to have carried into town. My fellow classmates have come up to me and expressed their enthusiasm about our games. It's still a basketball school, sure, that program is so well established. But surely football is on the rise here, there is a lot of excitement since Coach Grobe has started, he is attracting attention to his program. We are earning respect not only in the Conference but nationally. I'm ecstatic.
WFU - NC: Being a current student of WFU, I am very proud of the team and in no way think of it as a "Basketball Team's Campus". Keep up the good work Chris. Good luck this weekend.
Jake (Greensboro, NC): Chris, I know most college players are really in to games like playstation2 college football and others like it. Have you played Wake vs. Purdue yet and if so, how'd it turn out?
Chris Barclay: Jake, I have, actually. I have the video game, and I have actually played our entire season on there ... we had a really good season! I can't remember the outcome of that particular game (Purdue), but we had a lot of success in my PS2 season. It's a good game, although I don't think it will have any effect on the outcome of the game this Saturday.
JP (WS): What did it feel like (as a player) to be there at Grove Stadium, seeing all that RED real quiet and the home crowd going nuts last Saturday?
Chris Barclay: Well, I'm kinda used to it now, Grove Stadium isn't the biggest stadium in the world by any means. As a small university, we really don't have a lot of fans, we're just now starting to turn the program around within the triad as of recently. Now fans are coming as we start winning. That's what fans want to see, they want to see a team that wins. Fans are coming out for us now. NC State is only an hour and a half down the road so they came down, sure, but as a player you really just hear noise ... i didn't mind it, besides, all that red was kind pretty to look at.
Craig J Lindberg Columbus,Ohio: Chris, Congrats on a great win Saturday.How is the team reacting to all the increased publicity this week? Also how does Coach Grobe continue to keep you focused week after week?
Chris Barclay: Coach Grobe is doing an excellent job making sure that we are all staying on teh same page and making sure that the rankings and all the pub is not getting to our head and affecting our play. As he said, just as fast as you can get in the Top 25, you can drop out even faster. If you are thinking about yoursef, just when you think you are at your most ripe, you are also only a day or two from being rotten. All this means now is that we're targets. Teams are going to come after us even harder. We have to continue come out with the same heart and attitude, take care of ourselves and execute our game, we feel pretty confident that we can find success. ... It's more important to finish in the top 25 than to start out in there ...
Sean (Ann Arbor): Hey Chris, First off congratulations on your team's huge victory over N.C. State last Saturday. With this win and Wake Forest being ranked for the first time in a while, are you guys feeling pretty good about your chances of winning the ACC this year? Good luck the rest of the season.
Chris Barclay: Thanks Sean. The ACC is a tough conference. On any given week, any team can go down. You really can't overlook anybody in this conference, we all have a lot of talent and you have to come in to play each week. These two victories are nice -- but that's about all they are. They aren't going to affect the next game. We've got to do it consistantly, every game, every week.
Kevin - Winston-Salem: Chris: Thanks for making my day at work on Monday a good one. My office is between two State fans!
Go Deacs! Keep it up!
JB (WVa): Wake is certainly not a traditional football winner. What are some of the factors that influenced your decision to attend?
Chris Barclay: Well, I like the fact that I could attend a prestigious academic institution and also get to play in a really great conference, I feel as though this is the best of both worlds. You don't just go to college to play football. First priority is to get an education and then to play football, that's why they use the term Student- Athlete. I feel this university can help me get a job after graduation in the business world. Also, of course, I really fell in love with the coaching staff and their support and philosphy and they willingness to play a small back like me. They have shown a lot of trust in me and that's so conducive to my production and I think it's that combination that will yield much success in the future. This is really where I am supposed to be.,
Stuart, Florida: Sorry ABC showed BC whip Penn State last week in our viewing area instead of the Wake-NC State game. Glad we'll be able to see the game against Purdue on ESPN!
How do you think Wake wil fare playing FSU in Tallahassee this year? If the Deacons keep playing the way they have in the first two games, they have the potential to go into Tally undefeated. Can you beat the 'noles?
Chris Barclay: I really don't like to look too far ahead on the schedule. I purposely don't have our schedule in my room. I don't want to look ahead, I reallly just worry about the next one. RIght now I'm focused on Purdue and this is a team that in no way, shape, form or fashion will just lay down for us. To lose last week, those guys really have a full head of steam coming into time. AS for FSU, they are looking really good this year. I had a chance to watch them play Maryland. I'm not believing all the hype that they are not the Florida State of old. They came out really strong and they are rolling right now. Taht will be a good game as well, but Purdue is really all that's on my mind right now.
WFU : How has your faith played a role in your life as a college athelete considering all of the ups and downs that you may face?
Chris Barclay: It's done wonders for me. I'm a strong Baptist and I believe in God as the maker, creator and provider. My parents instilled in me strong ethics and morals and I grew up in the church and I pray every night and I thank God every morning for just waking me up everyday and blessing me with the ability to play this great game of football. It has also enabled me to stay humble because a lot of this publicity and press can cause me to inflate my attitude but I realize with Him, this would not be possible. I am so thankful for everything He has given me. I draw a cross on my wrist to remind me of the reason for living. It's not for football. So my faith is very important to me and plays a huge role in my daily life.
Carolyn, Mooresville, NC: Chris, I was at the game last Saturday and have watched it on tape four times already. You and the team have made the Deacon faithful very happy. We'll be cheering for you this Saturday.
Chris Barclay: Hey everybody, I have to get to class. Thank you so much for all of your questions and support. I really appreciate it so very much. I'm looking forward to this weekend's game and hope we can make everybody proud with another big win. Thanks again. Take care.
