Wake Forest Athletics
O'NEIL: Wolford Delivers for the Deacs
9/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Brad O'Neil, WakeForestSports.com
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - John Wolford's first passes to his Wake Forest football teammates were neither caught on film, nor made known to coaches nor destined to birth Internet memes. But their impact first became apparent on Saturday as the freshman quarterback led his team on a pair of fourth-quarter scoring drives that delivered a 24-21 win over Army on Homecoming at BB&T Field.
Wolford's 12-yard toss to E.J. Scott with 6:45 to play was the first of what Deacons fans hope will be several game-winners over the next four years from the undersized but overly mature player from Jacksonville, Fla., who earned the respect of upperclassmen by showing up on campus for the second summer session and immediately pelting them with early-morning phone calls. Meet me on the stadium field for a few timing patterns, he suggested. They agreed.
And now fifth-year seniors like wide receivers Scott and Matt James and redshirt freshman tight end Cam Serigne are linked in -- with or without a phone app to match.
"John did a great job of being a leader and getting all of the guys together out on the field so it's not all new to us," James said. "Everybody worked out. And now he's going to E.J. And now he's going to Cam. It's paying off."
There was nothing more important than a third-and-12 conversion to Scott with the Deacs down 21-17 early in the fourth quarter. Normally, a one-score deficit with more than 10 minutes left means nothing. But when the opponent is a triple-option team that seeks to slay you by a thousand paper cuts -- five yards and 45 seconds of expended action in one shot -- urgency is magnified.
"We had three offensive goals this week, and one was to score on half of our possessions," guard Corey Helms said. "We knew we had to make maximum use of our possessions."
The go-ahead score exemplified many Wake Forest plays on this day. Their young offensive line overpowered at times at Utah State and Louisiana-Monroe in the season's first three weeks, the coaches installed more screens, play-action tosses, delayed draws and other change-of-tempo stuff. On second and 10 from the Army 12, Wolford anticipated the imminent rush and threw an accurate slant pass to Scott, who was open for the score.
"Nothing fazes that kid," James said. "Nothing."
Coach Dave Clawson knows the arsenal of offensive options will grow as he and his new players become more acquainted over the years, but he is pleased that a rookie can adapt.
"As much as that kid got hit last week, you'd think he'd be jittery in the pocket," Clawson said. "He doesn't flinch. That ball to E.J. Scott that he threw on third down was a laser and a dart and under pressure."
James established his career high with seven receptions, Scott equaled his with five and the Deacs prevailed.
The defense did its job as well. Aided by an Army fumble that cut short a drive with the 21-14 lead, the Deacons still limited the second-half damage. And after they took the lead, they secured the victory when Wendell Dunn hit quarterback Angel Santiago and Tylor Harris recovered the resulting fumble with 2:47 to play.
Santiago had spent much of the first half getting to the perimeter and keeping himself or pitching with success to Larry Dixon for big yards. The opportunities weren't as plentiful as the shadows crept over the BB&T surface.
"You can simulate it all you want in practice, but it takes time," linebacker Brandon Chubb said. "It takes a half to get adjusted to it."
Stop before you assume Wake Forest's joint membership in the ACC with Paul Johnson's Georgia Tech team helps in this preparation thing. In the disparate football republic that the 14-team ACC has become, there are no such guarantees. Indeed, the Deacons and Jackets haven't faced off since 2009 and aren't scheduled to meet again until 2017.
This was an in-house, self-sufficiency affair, and it became Clawson's first victory over another FBS member at Wake Forest.
"The players worked so hard this summer, and sometimes, maybe they'd wonder why," Clawson said. "Well, a game like this is why. So you can win a tight game like this. In the fourth quarter."
