Wake Forest Athletics
Gold Rush Feature: Setting an Example
10/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 1, 2010
This article was originally published in the Sept. 25 edition of Gold Rush.
By Sam Walker
In a game when the stat sheet was full of players with big numbers beside their names, there was one with some smaller numbers that ultimately helped Wake Forest nail down a 54-48 victory over Duke. Good teams have players who know when the game is on the line, rise to the occasion and steady the players around him. And while Duke proved an improved and scrappy team, Devon Brown emerged as the playmaker down the stretch that was versatile enough to push the Deacons to victory.
The 2010 Deacons are dealing with change in a big way this season. They are starting the post Riley-Skinner era, testing talented but young quarterbacks, finding ways to play to their strengths and ways to spread the ball to their stable of talented skill players. They are looking for identity. In the midst of all that is Brown, a junior wide receiver. The 5-9, 185 pound Brown is coming off an impressive sophomore season where he grew into becoming a playmaker, game-changer and most importantly just plain reliable. So as the young quarterbacks gain experience and find their stride, they know they have a steady and talented Brown to go to when the game is on the line.
"He's a great player who comes out to practice with a positive attitude, and he's just a really good athlete," said freshman quarterback Tanner Price following the Deacons victory over Duke. "It's just great to have somebody with that much experience. He's a go-to guy, and it's fun to toss the rock to someone like that."
Brown finished second in the ACC with 5.1 catches per game. His 61 receptions tied Desmond Clark for the eighth-most catches in a season in Deacon history, and he had two 100-yard receiving games. He also emerged as a running back, rushing for 150 yards and a touchdown. All of those numbers pointed to an increased role on this year's team. His versatility is evident from the multiple things he is asked to do (rush the ball, catch the ball, and serve as kick returner).
"Devon grew up a lot from last year," Coach Jim Grobe said. "Last year we felt like he was real talented, but he wasn't consistent, and now he's developed into a really consistent player for us."
"Every guy who thinks he's a playmaker is going to want the ball, and I just happened to be the guy they gave the ball to," Brown said. "When the game is on the line, every guy wants to be the one to get the first down or touchdown. But all game long, guys like Chris Givens, Michael Campanaro, Marshall Williams - all of us feel like no matter who we put out there there's not going to be any drop off. We can all make big plays out there. That's how we feel.
"My redshirt freshman year, I didn't play too much, was a backup and last year came in as a starter. Now I'm a junior, one of the older guys on the team, and I want to be one to set the example the younger guys can look up to. I want to do everything right like blocking and running routes, the little things some guys don't do. Those are the things I take pride in. I like running the ball, like contact, and getting out there and hitting corners. To go out there and do those little things is all part of being a leader. Off the field, I don't really talk too much, but on the field it's a different thing. I'm the oldest at my position, so I just try to go out there and play to the best of my ability."
Brown let his presence be felt at key moments in the victory over Duke. In the second quarter, Brown returned a punt 43 yards to the Duke 38 to put the Deacons in scoring position. The next play from scrimmage Price hit senior captain Marshall Williams with a touchdown pass to put the Deacons up 41-35.
"The guys just did a great job blocking, and the coach made a great call on the punt return," Brown said. "The kick was perfect for a return as a long line drive, and so we could beat the coverage down. The guys gave me a little bit of room, and I just ran at that point. All that was left was for me to just run."
"The punt return was huge for us," Grobe said. "That was big-time. And he is a guy you just want to get the ball in his hands. Some of those other guys -- Chris Givens, Mike Campanaro -- we want to get the ball to them too, so it's really good for No. 3 that every time out there they (the defense) are not thinking it's going to him. That should help him as the season goes on to have other good players around him."
On the Deacons' final scoring drive, Brown came up big three times to help the Deacons execute in the clutch. With 7:20 left, Brown hauled in a 13-yard pass on third down to keep the drive alive and the clock running, and nine plays later he rushed for 19 yards on another third-down play to give the Deacons a first and goal at the 6. Brown scored on a sweep the next play, dodging Duke defenders by cutting back across the grain of the defense and scampering forward.
"There's no question (we were going to him), and we thought they had it stopped when we ran the sweep with him," Grobe said of the Brown made on Wake's last scoring drive.
"The Duke kids played it, pursued it perfectly, and we said that's a dead play. That's what we said on the sideline. And then he planted and got back underneath all the pursuit, so that was just a great individual effort on his part. We thought we had a really good call, but he made the call look good. I just have to have him not spin the ball after he scores a touchdown -- just as an aside."
Brown's only indiscretion was an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty assessed for flipping the ball in the end zone following the score. "I just flipped it up a little bit," Brown said with a repenting smile when asked about the penalty.
Trust is having confidence in the expectation of something, usually something good, and trust is earned on the football field through preparation, hard work and reliable performance. The 2010 Deacons trust Devon "Y'loo" Brown with the ball, and good things usually happen when the ball is in his hands. Proof? Marshall Williams, a senior team captain and fellow receiver, has a motto for Brown - `In Y'loo We Trust.'
"Y'loo is a great asset to our team, and does so many things," Williams said. "He's a receiver who runs and catches and returns and plays with such incredible heart. I love Y'loo Brown and the way he plays, how hard he works and how passionate he is. As a receiver, he's like my brother. In big games like that, I don't ever think Y'loo is not going to make the play. I'm confident he is going to make the play every single time. He had some great grabs today, the ball behind him, he makes a great one-handed catch, but he is one tough kid. I admire everything he does for our team. In Y'loo we trust!"
