Wake Forest Athletics News
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Gold Rush: Grobe Sees Rarity In ACC, Opportunity For 2002 Deacons
Aug. 22, 2002 By Sam Walker In his first season at Wake Forest, Jim Grobe shuffled the deck of players and dealt the Deacons what few new coaches have been able to: a winning season. Wake Forest improved from a 2-9 team in 2000 to a 6-5 team in 2001, marking one of the best turnarounds in school history. Wake won't surprise anybody this season, so the big question is, can Grobe and Co. do it again? The Deacons defeated East Carolina, Appalachian State, North Carolina, Virginia, Duke and Northern Illinois last season, and had a chance to win four other games. Nine of their 11 regular-season games were decided by seven points or less. Grobe set a high standard for effort and fitness, and never promised anything other than that his team would come ready to play for four quarters every Saturday. "I've never been a guy who sits down and writes out a lot of goals for myself or for my team," Grobe said just before welcoming the 2002 freshman recruits in early August. "What we want to be known as around the ACC is as a team that's going to compete and have a chance to win every Saturday. The thing that's been the most rewarding is that other people, other programs we play against, notice we play hard and people outside the Wake Forest circle enjoy watching our kids play." The Deacons return eight starters on offense and eight on defense, giving Grobe a nice base on which to build. Although the Deacons have been predicted to finish eighth, just above Duke, in the media's preseason predictions, Grobe doesn't see why his team can't make some waves in an unpredictable league. "We know more about ourselves so we're a little more comfortable going into the season, but from our meetings I'm not sure anybody has a good handle on the ACC overall," Grobe said. "It seems that the ACC may be as balanced as it has ever been. We went 6-5 and were bowl eligible, but didn't get to go (to a bowl game) because it was the first time they had seven bowl-eligible teams. So it looks like the league may be ever bit as competitive and balanced as it was last year. I feel optimistic about our football team, I think our team can be competitive, but I don't think there's a guaranteed win on the schedule, so we'll have to earn everything we can get." The schedule throws Wake Forest right into the fire. Three of the first four games are on the road, and the first two opponents (Northern Illinois and East Carolina) will have added incentive because they were among the Deacons' victims a year ago. "We have to play well on the road," Grobe said. "We did that last year, and we have to do that this year. Three of our first four games are on the road, and I think we're the only ACC school who is doing that. So we've got to immediately become good players on the road. After your first four games, a lot of times, you've kind of set the tone for your season. I think it'll be nice to get back home for our fans, it's East Carolina, but we've kind of got a big target on our chest from some of the teams we upset last year, and East Carolina is one of those teams. We know we'll have to play really well. But looking at those first four games, Northern Illinois who played us great last year at home, and then at Purdue and at N.C. State, we'll find out a lot about our football team in those first four games." One key for the Deacons will be their ability to stay healthy. Although there is a nice group of battle-tested players, there just isn't a lot of experience listed on that second line of the two-deep chart. And Grobe's staff, which is known for their flexibility and creativity, can only do so much when it comes to playing experience. The Deacons already have a concern at running back. Wake Forest led the league in rushing offense last year. Tarence Williams was the ACC's second-leading rusher with 1,018 yards and was set to return for his senior season. His return will, at best, be delayed because he is still recovering from off-season foot surgery. And Fred Staton, who emerged as a real weapon late last season and over the spring practices, is academically ineligible in 2002. So the league's rushing leader will have a much different look this season. "The nice thing is I feel like we've got a little bit of breathing room with both Tarence Williams and Freddie Staton because neither one of those kids were redshirted," Grobe said. "So if Freddie will grow up and do what he is supposed to in the classroom, and if for some reason Tarence doesn't heal well, we have the ability to put those guys on the shelf for a year and still get four good years of football from them. "The problem with that is that leaves us with Nick Burney as our only proven running back. The question is, is that guy durable enough to be the back in our offense who will potentially carry the ball 20 to 25 times per game. He's been durable but as a third back. Right now he's going to get 50 percent of our practice reps, and especially early in the year, if we don't have Tarence Williams, he's going to have to carry the load." Don't expect the problems at running back to slow the Wake offense. If last season was any indication, the Deacons will find a way to move the football. Grobe teams are known for spreading the football around to capable athletes, and the move of Anthony Young from quarterback to wide receiver is one Wake Forest hopes will add another dimension to the offense. Young showed his ability to run in the open field last season, and he joins a talented group of wideouts that probably won't just catch balls. "I'm not looking for balance," Grobe said. "I haven't seen many teams who are truly balanced. Some really good teams have been balanced, but generally you do one thing better than another. The thing here though is our quarterbacks, James MacPherson and Corey Randolph, are well-suited to throwing the football, and I think we've got some really good receivers - some possession type guys, some guys with foot speed who can be deep threats. So I think we've got a group of receivers that we'd like to get the football to and a couple of quarterbacks who can get the football to them. That may help us with the running back problem - if we can keep people loosened up with the throw game and not have to be in a grind it out mentality." And the players' mentalities have helped to create a building excitement for the 2002 season. There's been a sense of urgency among veterans and a work ethic among all players who hope to work their way into, or simply hold onto, some playing time. "I like the attitude of our football team," Grobe said. "Our team doesn't sense that we've arrived. I was proud of the effort that we got out of our guys last year. We had 10 games that went right down to the last couple of possessions, won six of them, but had a chance to win every one. But I don't think our coaches or our players are satisfied. As coaches we're not allowed to work out our guys in the summer time. They work out entirely on their own with our strength coach, Coach (Ethan) Reeve, and we've got good numbers working out every day this summer. Players are coming through the office, excited about this season. We're just ahead of where we were last season, and the mental side is so much better than it was when we started last year." The Wake Forest football program is a year older and a year wiser under Grobe's direction. The Deacons raised the bar last season, but that just makes it tougher for them to take the program to the next level this season. Growth may not be measured strictly by wins and losses, but a new standard has been set and recognized well beyond the Wake Forest community. "The thing that I've enjoyed the most is watching our coaches working with our players and seeing how well they've meshed," Grobe said. "For some reason, from the moment we got here, there was a sense that our players and coaching staff bonded well. I think our players respect our coaches, and I think our coaches appreciate the effort they got from their players. My guys have been together for a long time, and they know it's their job to have their guys ready to play on Saturday. Not a lot needs to be said unless something is broken and needs to be fixed. They know I'm not going to micro-manage everything they do. We're not opposed to change, but as long as things are going well, my guys know it's on them to have their guys ready to go and win on Saturday." |