Playing cornerback is often described as like “being on an island.” Of
course, not all islands are the same.
For Almondo Curry and Jamaine Winborne, their sophomore season was similar to
being stranded without food and water on a deserted shore. So far, their
senior season has been more like a day at the beach, surrounded by tropical
fruits, good friends and drinks with those little umbrellas.
“The position doesn’t really change as far as the responsibilities and
pressure and stuff like that,” Curry said. “But your ability to handle it all
changes a lot as you gain experience. I think me and Jamaine have come a long
way in a couple years. Our comfort level is really high right now.”
The Cavaliers (2-1) certainly have confidence in their two senior cornerbacks,
who have emerged as solid — and, in the case of Virginia’s last game,
spectacular — performers at arguably the most important position on defense.
In a 59-16 rout of Western Michigan on Sept. 13, Curry knocked down three
passes and returned an interception for a touchdown. Winborne was even more
productive. His afternoon included an interception, a sack, a forced fumble, a
fumble recovery, a deflected pass and a tipped punt.
“I guess you’d have to say that’s my best game, just because of all the big
plays,” Winborne said. “I’ve never really had a game like that before.”
Still, it’s not like Curry and Winborne turned into playmakers all of a
sudden. The process has been gradual, with plenty of hard lessons learned from
life on the corner.
Each started six games in 2001, when they shared playing time with Rashad
Roberson, Art Thomas and Jermaine Hardy. All five had little or no collegiate
experience at cornerback, so the entire season “was an audition from start to
finish,” UVa coach Al Groh said.
Winborne, in particular, experienced some tough times as a sophomore. He lost
his starting spot at midseason and struggled with his confidence. But he
regained the job last year, starting all 14 games, and earned the team’s Speed
Elliott Award for most improved player.
“I’ve been very impressed and respectful of the diligence and tenacity he’s
showed in playing this position because he had it kind of rough the first
year,” Groh said.
That comes with the territory, the coach said, because mistakes made by
cornerbacks often are obvious and magnified in the public eye.
“That can break some guys out there,” Groh said, but Winborne “had a great
resolve and a great tenacity to him. As a result, he’s developed into a really
good player out there.”
His teammates feel the same way. “Best corner in college football right
there,” linebacker Rich Bedesem said with a smile as he passed Winborne in the
locker room Monday.
Curry’s stature in the locker room also is high, even though he is the team’s
second-shortest player. Known as “Muffin,” the 5-8 Curry (walk-on cornerback
David Hale is an inch shorter) became a starter midway through his sophomore
season, when he and Thomas replaced Winborne and Roberson, and is now the
team’s defensive captain.
Groh freely admits that he prefers taller cornerbacks, but he has been won
over by Curry’s toughness, athletic ability, instincts and leadership.
“I always feel like I have something to prove,” said Curry, whose six career
sacks are a school record for a cornerback. “Maybe people doubt me because of
my size. But really, playing corner, you always have to prove yourself every
day. You relax for a second and you’ll get beat.”
Just ask Winborne. In a 31-7 loss to South Carolina three Saturdays ago,
Gamecock receiver Troy Williamson caught a 99-yard touchdown pass in the
second quarter. It was not necessarily Winborne’s fault — the Cavaliers were
in a zone and the safety was supposed to provide help — but a play like that
might have damaged his confidence a few years ago.
What Winborne has learned, however, “is the biggest thing for a corner is to
have a short memory.”
Turns out that wasn’t a problem. Winborne suffered a concussion on the final
play of the first half, which made him forget the play — and everything else —
quickly. “I didn’t know what day it was or anything,” he said.
Winborne did not play in the second half, but he returned the next week and
went wild against Western Michigan. He said he feels fine and has no lingering
symptoms from his injury.
That’s good news for the Cavaliers, who, thanks in large part to their
cornerbacks, currently rank second in the ACC in pass efficiency defense.
On Saturday, when Virginia plays host to Wake Forest (3-1), Curry and Winborne
figure to be tested by junior receiver Jason Anderson, who leads the ACC with
17.3 yards per catch. Their ability to stop the run also could be critical
against the Deacons’ misdirection ground game.
In that respect, Groh said, both corners have “developed a real good knack”
for reading the run and making sure tackles. “Those two guys, they see it very
quickly. They’ll need to be on top of their games this week.”
He has no reason to expect otherwise. “They’re knowledgeable and on top of
their game, about as on top of their game as I could want them to be,” Groh
said.
These days, life on the island ain’t bad.
The ACC is coming to Charlottesville at the end of the month to decide
how basketball and football will be played in the league for the future.
Virginia will host the league’s 11 athletic directors and faculty
representatives along with conference office personnel on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.
Most of that group met earlier this month in Greensboro (Virginia Tech and
Miami did not participate in that gathering) to discuss strengths and
weaknesses of the various proposals for how the ACC will conduct its business.
Questions to ponder
Since inviting the Hokies and Hurricanes into the league last June, there has
been debate about several issues.
Should the league continue to play a round robin basketball schedule, which
distinguished the ACC from all the other major conferences in the country, or
adopt another philosophy?
Will the league split into division play and at least make provisional plans
for a championship football game for December 2004, or put those plans on hold
until the NCAA rules on a proposal that would allow conferences with less than
12 members to conduct such a title game?
These questions and more will likely be resolved or at least addressed in the
Charlottesville meetings.
Because these issues were discussed in a four-hour meeting in Greensboro a few
weeks ago, it is expected the ACC will make firm decisions on the topics this
time around.
Scheduling concerns
“We talked about everything from remaining with a 16-game conference schedule
[in basketball], where not every team would play twice, to an 18-game and a
20-game schedule,” said UVa athletic director Craig Littlepage.
While some observers have endorsed a 20-game schedule, where each ACC team
would play all other league members twice in a traditional round robin, most
of the coaches have frowned on the concept. Such a 20-game league schedule
would leave schools only seven nonconference games, four less than now.
“It would be fair to say there’s concern on the part of coaches,” Littlepage
said.
The concern by the coaches is there would be less opportunity to play
intersectional games or special events, such as the preseason NIT. Critics
argue that some of the coaches take advantage of the current 11-game
nonconference arrangement by scheduling too many sure wins. At least a 20-game
round robin would create more interest for fans who would rather see a
meaningful league game than a 40-point romp over another cupcake.
Conference models
Littlepage said the league looked at several models, including the way the
11-member Big Ten conducts its scheduling.
“They have managed a basketball and football schedule having 11 members but in
the case of either sport, I wouldn’t say it’s our model,” Littlepage said.
In the Big Ten, basketball teams play a 16-game conference schedule, with each
member playing a home-and-home series against six other league members, and
only one game against each of the remaining four members.
The ACC is strongly considering a 16-game plan where each school designates
two “primary rivals,” which each league member would face home and away for at
least two seasons. The other 12 games would be against the other league
members ... four of them twice, the other four only once.
In other words, say Virginia’s two designated primary rivals would be Virginia
Tech and Maryland. The Cavaliers would play home and away against the Hokies
and Terps. Then, UVa would play four other ACC teams home and away, and then
four more only once.
In the second season, the teams that UVa had met once would instead play
twice. Each ACC school would play all 10 league members at least once per
season.
Another concern that arose from that plan is that the top-heavy basketball
programs might end up playing a tougher schedule than the lightweights.
In other words, Duke and Carolina, might face more challenges than the other
nine ACC teams because of its designated rivals. Duke would likely have UNC
and Maryland as its primary rivals, while Carolina would likely have Duke and
N.C. State.
Match that against say, a Georgia Tech team, which could have Clemson and
Florida State as its designated rivals and it could make a difference at
crunch time when the NCAA selects its postseason field.
ACC coaches appear to be opposed to playing in divisions for basketball.
Football is another matter, particularly if the league is determined to play a
championship game. How much football will be discussed at the Charlottesville
meetings (to be held somewhere on UVa’s campus) is unknown.
“A championship game wasn’t part of the discussion [in Greensboro],”
Littlepage said. “Except the fact that we are running up on deadlines and that
from the standpoint of planning the game, securing a facility, hotel rooms and
the like, if we waited until December or January to do that, one year’s time
is not enough in this modern business world.”
Football and basketball scheduling (men’s and women’s) requires the ADs to get
on top of the issue quickly. Basketball coaches need to know how many
nonconference games they have to play with so they can determine how many
teams they face as far as top 10, top 50, top 100 and top 150 opponents.
Naturally, TV plays a role in the decisions. The ACC must determine how their
divisions or basketball scheduling impacts its TV partners. For instance, with
the addition of Miami and Virginia Tech, there will be more opportunities to
get the league on television in football.
In basketball, networks will pine for games between the league heavyweights
but may be less excited about the newcomers.
“A 20-game basketball schedule would provide TV with four more Duke games,
something they would perceive as an ideal circumstance,” Littlepage said of
the TV partners.
It would also give rival coaches more reason to bemoan the Blue Devils’
national TV presence.
As UVa coach Pete Gillen once said, “Duke is on TV more than Gilligan’s Island
and Leave it to Beaver.”
New Big East. Meanwhile, reports have emerged from New England that the Big
East is planning to take four teams from Conference USA to create a 16-team
basketball league and an eight or possibly nine-team football conference.
DePaul, Marquette, Cincinnati and Louisville would come from Conference USA.
Cincy and Louisville would fill the football void created by Tech’s and
Miami’s departure to the ACC. Meanwhile, DePaul and Marquette would be
basketball members only. The league is also considering adding either South
Florida or Central Florida to its football conference to give the league a
presence in the football-rich Sunshine State.
Another parking ticket for Noles' Rix
Published September 24, 2003
Florida State quarterback Chris Rix was ticketed again Tuesday for a parking
violation, this time for leaving his vehicle in a spot reserved for patients at
the school's regional rehabilitation center, university police said.
Rix was ticketed last week for parking in a handicapped-only spot and was fined
$100. Tuesday's offense, which will cost Rix $20, was reported by a student who
took several photos of Rix's vehicle, university officials said.
"We have no explanation," vice president for university relations Lee Hinkle
said. "Ask Chris Rix."
Rix refused to comment about the latest incident after Tuesday's practice.
University police said the player's vehicle was ticketed at 11:10 a.m., school
officials confirmed.
Team officials imposed a punishment of extra running drills against Rix this
week, in response to the handicapped-spot ticket he received after students
called authorities when the player failed to heed their advice to remove the
vehicle.
"He's not above the rules and he apparently hasn't learned that yet," coach
Bobby Bowden said.
Pease's Cavaliers will play with passion
With UVa's "scramble band" banned from the field, Bill Pease will direct a newly
formed Cavaliers marching band.
By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES
CHARLOTTESVILLE - At the end of a long, hot afternoon in Kalamazoo, Mich., Bill
Pease searched for ways to console a group of young adults whose best efforts
had been to little avail in Western Michigan's 59-16 loss to Virginia.
"It broke my heart because we had worked so hard," Pease said. "Some of them
were on the field crying after the game. It was very difficult to deal with."
As tough as it was for Western Michigan's football players, it wasn't any easier
for the members of Pease's Bronco Marching Band.
"I had a wide range of emotions [including] embarrassment because I was so sad
for my band and our team," Pease said. "It was heartbreaking. I love that
school. I love those kids. When the team loses, we lose."
Pease hopes to bring a similar mentality to Virginia, where he was introduced
Monday as the Cavaliers' band director.
What started out as a notice that Pease would be in town turned into a
full-scale news conference, with Pease sitting at a table covered by tape
recorders, facing a row of television cameras.
"I don't want it to be about me," Pease said. "This is not the Bill Pease band.
It's the Cavalier band and that's what it should be about. I don't think the
people at Western know my face, but they sure know my band."
Pease, a former Virginia Beach resident, will attend the Cavaliers' home game
Saturday with Wake Forest before returning to Western Michigan for the remainder
of the football season. His UVa tenure begins Nov.25.
For almost 30 years, Virginia has been represented musically by the Virginia Pep
Band, a "scramble" band that gained notoriety for its irreverent halftime
routines.
One of those routines came during last December's Continental Tire Bowl and
resulted in calls of apology from UVa president John Casteen - not the first
time that had happened - to rival West Virginia.
Scarcely had that controversy died down before it was announced April 24 that
UVa benefactor Carl Smith and his wife had pledged $1.5 million for the creation
of a marching band, which will be housed in a new $47-million performing-arts
center toward which the Smiths have given $22 million.
In Virginia Beach, Pease's mother took an April 25 newspaper clipping and mailed
it to her son, a former Kempsville High School band director who had been
associate athletic director of bands at Western Michigan since 1998.
"I've been wanting to get back to the southeast," said Pease, who still has
Virginia plates on his car. "I was thrilled by the opportunity."
The band at Western Michigan grew from 180 members to 320 during Pease's tenure.
In his trip to Virginia, he has met with more than 70 interested band members
and hopes to have 180 or 200 by the fall.
The first order of business will be forming a band of 50 to 75 musicians who can
play at men's and women's basketball games this winter.
"I want it to be exciting, loud, in your face," said Pease, a 1987 graduate of
West Chester (Pa.) State University, with a masters from James Madison. "I don't
want it to be rude, but I want it to be tough. I want the kind of atmosphere
that the athletes look forward to when they hit the court."
Pease has extended an olive branch to the musicians formerly known as the pep
band. He was unaware of any who would be joining the marching band.
"I don't know if they're going to be," he said. "They're welcome. Any student is
welcome to be in the marching band and, if they want to be at the student-run
pep band, that's fine, too. To me, it would be like being a two-sport athlete.
"I'm not going to say, if they're in the marching band, they can't be in the pep
band. I think that's wrong, if I'm here for education."
The pep band, banned from UVa athletic events, was outside Scott Stadium for the
Cavaliers' home game Aug.30 against Duke and continues to perform as an
independent club. Efforts to reach director Scott Harris were unsuccessful.
Pease, who answers to the music department, will turn his attention quickly to
recruiting members wherever he can find them - the student body, high schools
and even other colleges. Pease said members of the Western Michigan band have
approached him about transferring to Virginia.
"Can they do that?" said UVa football coach Al Groh with mock concern. "I
wouldn't want the NCAA to come after us for tampering with the Western Michigan
band."
Pease wants the marching band to interact with the football team, as it did at
Western Michigan, where the football team would join the band before leaving the
field.
"I wouldn't want the Western [Michigan] band here," Pease said. "It wouldn't
work here. I don't want to be a clone of some other band. I think we need to
find something identifiable with the University of Virginia."
His best move was to fullback
Wake's Burney shines in new role
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Sep 24, 2003
Back when he was scoring touchdowns by the dozens as an All-Metro tailback at
Lee-Davis High School, Nick Burney thought he'd probably play half of his
college games at Scott Stadium.
But plans and goals change, and Burney never matriculated to the University of
Virginia. From Lee-Davis, he went first to Fork Union Military Academy and then
to Wake Forest, which plays at Scott Stadium, but only once every two years.
Burney's first appearance in Charlottesville went splendidly for him. His second
- and final game - at Scott Stadium comes Saturday, when Virginia (1-0, 2-1) and
Wake (1-0, 3-1) meet in an ACC battle.
Two years ago, he was the third-team tailback on coach Jim Grobe's first team at
Wake. Pressed into service at U.Va., however, Burney seized the moment. He
rushed 10 times for 67 yards and his first college touchdown to help the Demon
Deacons rally for a 34-30 victory, their first over the Cavaliers in 18 years.
"It was a breakout game for me," Burney said.
He began last season as Wake's starting tailback, but Burney's playing time
decreased as the year progressed. He rushed for a career-high 82 yards against
Virginia at Groves Stadium, but the Deacons had a surplus of talented tailbacks,
and Burney's role changed dramatically in preparations for the Seattle Bowl.
"The coaches said, 'We want you to play fullback,'" Burney recalled. "I was
like, 'Oh, man.'"
This is a guy, after all, who at Lee-Davis once rushed for 358 yards in a game-
a Central Region record that still stands - and scored 54 TDs in a sensational
high school career. Still, Burney didn't balk at his coaches' request.
"The position needed to be filled," he said, "and I guess I was the best man for
the job."
And so the Deacons found their starting fullback for 2003. The 6-3 Burney, a
fifth-year senior, is listed in Wake's media guide at 216 pounds, but, "I'm way
over that," he said. "I'm 235. I had to get bigger. I can't play fullback at
216."
Burney is tied for No.2 on Wake's scoring list this season, with 18 points. He
has carried 19 times for 48 yards and three TDs for a team that, with a victory
Saturday, would be off to its best start in 16 years.
"Nick's handled the move great," Grobe said. "He's been a really pleasant
surprise."
Burney, 24, is on track to graduate in December with a degree in sociology. That
he's made it this far might surprise some who knew him in Mechanicsville. He was
an indifferent student at Lee-Davis, and midway through his 12th-grade year he
transferred to Fork Union.
He spent the rest of the 1997-98 school year and all of '98-99 at FUMA shoring
up his transcript. Outside the classroom, Burney played tailback for a powerful
postgraduate team that included two other former Central Region stars, Billy
McMullen and Merrill Robertson. McMullen and Robertson left for U.Va. in'99;
Burney headed to Wake to play for then-coach Jim Caldwell.
"I wanted to go to a small school," Burney said, "and I thought if I could do
well here, I could help pull Wake out of the gutter."
Burney, who redshirted in 1999, was declared academically ineligible in 2000. He
found himself at a crossroads. He could become a serious student, or he could
leave Wake.
"He started out as a young guy who knew he was a good athlete," said former
Lee-Davis star Latrell Scott, a Virginia Military Institute assistant coach
who's been close to Burney for more than a decade.
"I think the biggest thing is he realized the importance of academics. He knows
that football alone isn't going to get him by."
Burney said he's become more mature, more disciplined and more willing to take
advice from his elders. When his football career ends, he said, he plans to get
a real-estate license.
"Football is just such a small part in my life, but it's fun," he said. "I'm
enjoying it as long as it lasts."
Keep your eye on the football
By FRANK DASCENZO : The Herald-Sun
fdascenzo@heraldsun.com
Sep 23, 2003 : 11:40 pm ET
It is ridiculously too early to conclude anything about college football -- the
national champ, the Heisman Trophy winner, who's the lucky ACC team to get the
trip to Boise -- but here are some warning signs to think about:
n N.C. State hasn't beaten North Carolina in Carter-Finley Stadium since 1991,
which means the Wolfpack will have a splendid day on Saturday and hand the Tar
Heels their fourth consecutive loss.
n Ralph Friedgen reminds me of that poker player you feel sorry for because he
appears to be losing. Don't let this guy fool you. The Terps are cranking it up
and don't be shocked if they show up in Raleigh on Nov. 22 riding an eight-game
winning streak.
-- Yes, it's true. Chuck Amato's teams are 6-6 in the month of November.
-- If Nebraska loses Thursday night at Southern Miss, does an alarm go off at
Ron Wellman's office at Wake Forest?
-- N.C. State running back T.A. McLendon is listed as questionable for the game
with UNC. A former college coach, now an NFL head coach, once told me, "Whenever
a school lists somebody as questionable, it means he'll play."
-- One of the highlights of the Duke-Northwestern game last Saturday at
nearly-empty Wallace Wade Stadium was spotting Chris Duhon in the stands
fraternizing with fellow students. Binoculars are wonderful tools.
-- I'm not sure about Virginia, with or without injured quarterback Matt Schaub.
The Cavs were ripped at South Carolina.
-- You see what happens when you're leading Florida State 13-0 late in the
second half, in Tallahassee, and lose. The next week you get clobbered by
Clemson 39-3. Chan Gailey can tell you all about it.
-- The difference between Sebastian Janikowski and Lou Groza is about a dozen
bar fights.
-- Florida State's last two trips to Wallace Wade Stadium, in 1997 and 2001,
resulted in 106 points for the Seminoles and 40 for Duke. It could mean the
final score Saturday night will be FSU 53, Duke 20.
-- Sign of the times: Penn State is a three-point underdog at home Saturday
against Minnesota which has run off four victories against renown powers Tulsa,
Troy State, Ohio U and Louisiana-Lafayette.
-- Remember, Maryland was1-2 on Sept. 21 last season and wound up 11-3.
-- Just thought you would like to know, since winning at Duke 42-35 on Oct. 13,
2001, Wake Forest's football team has won 14 of its last 23 games.
-- If you're really into that ACC-Big East rivalry, or what's left of it,
consider Maryland has beaten West Virginia the last three years by a combined
score of 114-44.
-- If I voted today, N.C. State quarterback Philip Rivers would be No. 1 for the
Heisman Trophy, Miami running back Frank Gore No. 2 and Missouri quarterback
Brad Smith No. 3.
Cavaliers Prepare For a Shell Game
Against Wake Forest, What You See Can Be Illusory
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, September 24, 2003; Page D01
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Sept. 23 -- Virginia could scarcely have picked a better time
for its first bye week of the season. The open date meant extra recovery time
for injured quarterback Matt Schaub. But just as important, it gave the coaching
staff two weeks to prepare for Saturday's game against Wake Forest, which
employs schemes as unusual as any team in the ACC.
"They take a little bit more sorting out and a lot more planning in the
presentation of the information to the players, because both their offense and
their defense are unique . . . not only in design but in the volume that they
have," Cavaliers Coach Al Groh said.
The Demon Deacons (3-1, 1-0 ACC) aren't the only team with a no-huddle, spread
offense, but the twist is that they use it primarily to run the ball. With
defenders strewn about the field to match up with multiple wideouts, Wake
Forest's tailback and receivers often have more room to run. Receivers Willie
Idlette and Chris Davis have gained 7.7 yards apiece on 19 end-arounds this
season.
Then, just when the defense starts to decipher the Deacons' fakes and feints in
the running game, sophomore quarterback Cory Randolph finally throws the ball.
That formula produced a key 79-yard touchdown pass in last weekend's 34-16 win
against East Carolina. Randolph faked to the tailback, faked to the slot
receiver coming on an end-around, and then threw a spot-on deep ball to
speedster Jason Anderson, who was by then five yards past a helpless cornerback.
"We basically just run the same plays over and over again from different
formations," said Wake Forest offensive lineman Tyson Clabo, a senior co-captain
and one of the few veterans on the offense. "That's all it is, with different
motions. It gives defenses some trouble. . . . A big part of a defense is
learning tendencies and reading keys. I think we do a good job of disguising
that."
On defense, the Deacons use three linemen, three linebackers, three safeties and
two cornerbacks. The extra safety provides more speed and, theoretically, better
pass coverage, though opponents have thrown for an average of 293 passing yards
per game this season. But Coach Jim Grobe said the rationale for the extra
safety is to utilize Wake Forest's abundance of talented athletes in the
secondary.
"That's out of necessity more than anything else," said Grobe, who arrived in
Winston-Salem three years ago with plans to implement a three-linemen,
four-linebacker defense. "We just didn't have the linebackers to play that
scheme. We didn't have the defensive linemen to have a four-man front."
Most of the time the defense looks "normal" before the snap, with the third
safety more or less where a linebacker might be, but that can change once the
play begins.
"You just have to be aware," Virginia tailback Alvin Pearman said. "When you
have that many people in the box, you can't get as good a pre-snap read and know
who's coming and who's not coming, who's dropping into coverage."
The bigger challenge for Virginia (2-1, 1-0) could come on the other side of the
ball against a Wake Forest offense that Clabo said even his defensive teammates
don't like to deal with in practice. Last season the Cavaliers were confused by
Wake Forest's schemes and trailed by 17 in the third quarter before rebounding
for a 38-34 win.
Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden compared defending the Deacons "to a baseball
hitter who's facing a pitcher for the first time," Groh said. "Sometimes it
takes a couple at-bats to get a feel for what this guy's throwing. . . . The way
they're scoring [28.5 points per game] this year . . . maybe we can take a pitch
or two to get a sense of it, but I don't think we can take any at-bats to get
into a rhythm with what they're doing."
Virginia might take a lesson from Purdue, which dealt Wake Forest its only loss
of the season two weeks ago by significantly paring down its defensive game
plan.
"When the offense brings a tremendous amount of variables, if you bring a
tremendous amount on your own -- well, you can figure out the calculation what
that ends up to," Groh said.
Outside linebacker Darryl Blackstock said the Cavaliers' prime defensive
objective is simple: "Don't panic." Wake Forest's offense can be confusing, but
it's not unstoppable. Its national ranking -- 92nd with 313 yards per game --
suggests it's not even dominant. But the defense needs to make accurate
decisions.
"They have a number of plays in there which kind of mess with your keys,"
Virginia inside linebacker Rich Bedesem said. "If you're reading one thing, you
might think it's this play but it's really another play. This week more than any
other week we got to be focused and watch tape and know what they're doing."
The Cavaliers hope that preparation will be enough to avoid the fate that befell
Boston College and then-No. 14 North Carolina State, teams that Wake Forest
knocked off to open the season.
"We're not stoning anybody defensively and we're not running great numbers up on
offense right now," Grobe said, "but I think our kids are in schemes that give
us a chance to win some games."
Deacons gearing up for ACC competition
WFU players are eager to become bigger factor in conference standings
By Dan Collins
JOURNAL REPORTER
The obvious upgrade in the Wake Forest football program is reflected in its
record, with the Deacons winning 16 of 28 games coached by Jim Grobe.
It can also be reflected in the stands, where a relative throng of 93,668 have
attended the Deacons' past three home games at Groves Stadium.
Where the improvement has yet to show, however, is in the conference standings.
Wake Forest, for all the successes under Grobe, is still 7-10 since the
beginning of the 2001 season in ACC play.
It stands to reason that the time will come when the Deacons begin to make their
mark in conference play as well. According to quarterback Cory Randolph that
time has arrived.
The Deacons are scheduled to travel to Virginia on Saturday, aiming for their
first 2-0 ACC start since 1987.
'It's great to beat nonconference teams, but where it's at is in the
conference,' Randolph said. 'You've got eight games a year to go out there and
prove that you're the best.'
Safety Warren Braxton said that making a mark in league play has been a hot
topic of conversation on the practice fields and in the locker room this week.
The Deacons have finished seventh in the ACC at 3-5 both years under Grobe.
'This is huge for us,' Braxton said. 'We're 1-0 in the conference, and we're
looking to be 2-0 after this game. Wake Forest hasn't had this opportunity in a
long time.
'And the fact that we have a chance to be 2-0 has a lot of people hyped about
it.'
Such hype, Grobe said yesterday, needs to come from the players. For of all the
goals Grobe has stressed since he succeeded Jim Caldwell, the won-loss record in
conference play has not been one of them.
'In the past we've not emphasized it,' Grobe said. 'In our history, we've had
some good years, but we've been starved for consistent success. So we had to be
really careful that we didn't come in and overweigh league play as opposed to
nonleague play.
'The approach that we've always taken is that every game is the most important
game because it's the next one. But I think our players realize that ACC games
are very important.'
One reason that Grobe hasn't prioritized ACC victories over any other, he said,
is because he hasn't felt such an approach was necessary.
'If you want any opportunities at postseason play you can guarantee it with ACC
wins,' Grobe said. 'Having a winning record is obviously not good enough because
(in 2001) we didn't get in.
'That's the good thing about Wake Forest. You've got pretty bright guys. They
can figure that stuff out. So we don't say too much to them about it.
'But we are back in ACC play. I mentioned that to our players, and they know
it's important to play well in our league. It's a pride thing. You'd like to
play well in your league.'
Five days before kickoff, Grobe said wasn't sure which Virginia team he will
face, the one with Matt Schaub at quarterback, or the one without. Schaub, the
ACC's Most Valuable Player last season, has been sidelined with a shoulder
injury since the opener against Duke. Although Coach Al Groh, as a rule,
declines to discuss injuries with the media, he suggested on Monday that Schaub
won't be ready to return by Saturday.
Grobe said that there's really not that much difference between the Cavaliers
with Schaub or without. If Schaub isn't available, the Deacons expect to face
quarterback Marques Hagans, a sophomore who completed 12 of 20 passes for 162
yards while rushing for 68 yards in the Cavaliers' 59-16 victory at Western
Michigan on Sept. 13.
Virginia, now 2-1, was idle last week.
'I doubt that their scheme would change, no matter who the quarterback is,'
Grobe said. 'They do the same things.
'I think certainly Hagans is more of a threat to hurt you running the football,
but that's not going to affect their scheme very much. So our defensive kids are
going to work the same scheme all week.
'You just have to be aware when you've got a more mobile quarterback in there
that you've got to keep your feet on the ground and don't spend a lot of time
jumping up trying to bat down balls. You'd better go back there with the idea
you'd better tackle the guy.'
The Deacons' injury report is a mixed bag. Running back D'Angelo Bryant, a
freshman, is showing little ill effects from the bruised shoulder suffered
against East Carolina and sophomores Chris Barclay and Cornelius Birgs are
healthier than they've been since they sprained ankles in the opener at Boston
College.
'For the first time really since Boston College they were really bouncing around
a little bit,' Grobe said of Monday night's practice. 'They looked like they had
a little zip when we ran the football.'
On the other hand, both tackle Greg Adkins and nose guard Cori Stukes may miss
their second straight games. Adkins is hobbled by a sprained ankle and Stukes,
who was knocked unconscious in practice last Wednesday, is still having
headaches.
Adkins is listed as doubtful and Stukes as questionable, though Grobe seemed to
think yesterday that Adkins might have a better chance of returning in time to
play Virginia.
'When Cori's not having any problems, and is obviously fully recovered we'll try
to get him back in there,' Grobe said. 'But you have to be really careful with
concussion kids because that can get to be a recurring thing, and you don't want
that to happen.'