100% COTTEN
11/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 4, 2004
by Stan Cotten
The life of a politician means always running for something. Perhaps the same can be said for college football tailbacks. It's definitely the case for junior Chris Barclay, whose assault on the Wake Forest all-time rushing record will continue for the balance of the current season and into his senior campaign in 2005.
James McDougald had better be prepared. His all-time mark of 3,811 rushing yards, held since the fall of 1979, just might tumble by season's end 2005.
Entering the final three games of the season, Barclay's career total had reached 2,607 yards - leaving the Louisville, Kentucky, native 719 yards away from second place on the list currently held by Michael Ramseur and 1,205 yards from the top. Barclay would have to average just over 86 yards a regular season game for the balance of his career to take over the all-time rushing lead.
Barclay has come - most of it running - a long way.
"My whole career so far here at Wake Forest has been a blessing," says the former Male Traditional High School star. "I just try to take it day by day."
And yard by yard.
And they have quickly added up starting with an impressive 703 yards as a true freshman in 2002 and 1,192 more as a sophomore when Barclay led the ACC in rushing during the regular season after starting all twelve of the Deacs' games and scoring a league leading twelve touchdowns.
"I didn't even know if I was going to play my freshman year," admits Barclay, "let alone have a pretty good freshman year and then get second team all-ACC as a sophomore."
And it was his sophomore season of 1,192 yards, including an impressive 243 yards in the season finale with Maryland, that put the 5-10, 173-pounder in position to make a run at the Wake Forest record.
"As far as the records go, it would be an honor to break some records," says Barclay. "I know I'm within distance, but it's still just a dream right now. In order to fulfill that dream, we've got to be productive. We've got to be better offensively."
The Demon Deacons are again one of the better offensive teams in the ACC under fourth-year head coach Jim Grobe, and Barclay is taking advantage. Following the Wake Forest win over Duke, Barclay had amassed 712 rushing yards to lead the league after having carried the ball a league-high 170 times - 45 clear of Georgia Tech's P.J. Daniels.
Against the Blue Devils, Barclay had his second 100-yard rushing game of the season with 134 yards on 26 totes. He had 179 yards against Clemson in Death Valley in the season opener, picking up where he had left off against Maryland the season before. With his performance against Duke, Barclay ran past Topper Clemons, Morgan Kane and Tarence Williams up the rushing ladder to sit third with Carolina, Miami and Maryland to come in 2004. Then add 2005.
So Barclay is off and running. Into history and the hearts of Deacon faithful everywhere.
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(Note: Chris Barclay has 26 career touchdowns as of the Duke game. The all-time lead is 30 held by James McDougald and Michael Ramseur. Stan Cotten can be reached at scotten@ispsports.com)