Wake Forest vs. Baylor Game Preview
9/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 3, 2009
Video: Game Preview With Jim Grobe
Game Notes: Wake Forest | Baylor
Gameday Central: BB&T Field Info | Online Coverage
Blog: Live Gameday Blog
By Alex Botoman, WakeForestSports.com
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - As Saturday's opening football game against Baylor approaches, the prevailing sentiment among the Demon Deacons is a desire to trade in the practice field for game day at BB&T Field.
"I could not be more ready for this season to start. This week's going by slowly already," said starting quarterback Riley Skinner. "We're sick of hitting players wearing black and white jerseys."
The first opponent for the Deacons will be the Baylor Bears, a team that they downed 41-13 in last year's season opener in Waco, Texas. However, despite the ease with which the Deacons won in 2008, Baylor is not a team to be taken lightly.
The Bears are led by quarterback Robert Griffin, the reigning Big XII Offensive Freshman of the Year, and a dynamic speedster that can run just as well as he can pass. The Deacons ability to shut down the phenom, who some have called a dark horse candidate for the Heisman Trophy, will go a long way towards determining their success in the game.
"He covers 10 yards as fast as I've ever seen anybody, and it's effortless. That's what's so scary about him," said defensive tackle John Russell. "There's going to be times that he's going to get his plays in. You just have to hope to contain him because you're not going to stop him."
Head coach Jim Grobe was quick to add that Griffin is not the only weapon on the Baylor team.
"They're not a one dimensional football team," said Grobe. "You certainly have to stop the quarterback both running and throwing, but they've also got a pretty good supporting cast."
Further complicating the task of shutting down the Baylor offense is the fact that Saturday will also mark the debut of a defense that returns only four starters from last year's much heralded unit that sent four players to the NFL Draft. Much has been made of the Deacons' inexperience on the defensive side of the ball, but perhaps there is more to them than initially meets the eye.
Redshirt junior linebackers Hunter Haynes and Matt Woodlief saw significant action their freshman and sophomore years and no doubt are accustomed to playing at the collegiate level. Safety Alex Frye started the game against Baylor last year, making his first career interception.
"I have a lot of faith and confidence in the guys," said Russell. "These are great players, knowledgeable players, and guys who have played a lot of football. Just because they haven't been the starter, people don't realize it."
In what could be an advantageous matchup for Wake, the defensive line that returns starters John Russell, Boo Robinson, and Kyle Wilber will go against a Baylor offensive line that must replace three starters, including Jason Smith, the No. 2 overall pick in this spring's NFL Draft.
The offense will as usual be led by fourth year starting quarterback Riley Skinner. Skinner, the current all-time ACC leader in completion percentage, will be looking for a repeat of last year's performance against Baylor when he threw for 220 yards and three touchdowns.
The biggest question mark lies with the offensive line that, by their own admission, struggled at times in the 2008 campaign. The return of fifth-year senior Chris DeGeare, who sat out last season for academic reasons, as well as a self-proclaimed commitment by the linemen to put in the effort needed to improve, gives hope that this season will be a turnaround from last year.
"The perception most people got of us last year was being soft," said center Russell Nenon. "We've all worked really hard to be the strength of the team this year and hopefully it will pay off with our running backs and quarterbacks."
The running back position is certainly one where the Deacons have a lot of depth. After strong performances in last year's final regular season game against Vanderbilt and the EagleBank Bowl against Navy, fifth-year senior Kevin Harris is likely to start the game against Baylor. However, 2007 ACC Rookie of the Year Josh Adams, as well as sophomore Brandon Pendergrass, will also get opportunities to carry the ball and make their own bid for the starting role.
Another deep position for Wake Forest is the receiving corps. The Deacs return last year's second-leading receiver Marshall Williams and junior Jordan Williams who will be looking to regain the form that got him on the field as a true freshman in 2007.
Younger players such as Devon Brown, who saw limited action at the receiver position last year, along with redshirt freshman Chris Givens will be counted upon to bring speed that was perhaps missing from last year's group. The Deacons also have plenty of options at tight end with Ben Wooster, Andrew Parker and Cameron Ford all battling for playing time
"The competition has really brought out the best among all of our receivers," said Skinner. "I think we may have more talent this year than any year since I've been here. We've got some speed that we haven't seen before."
Wake Forest will take on Baylor on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 3:30 p.m. at BB&T Field. The game will be broadcast regionally on ABC and in other parts of the country on ESPN2. The game can also be heard on the Wake Forest ISP Radio Network.
