If it seems like a long time since Virginia’s last home game, there’s a
reason for that: It has been.
Following two road games and a bye week, the Cavaliers finally return to Scott
Stadium for the first time since their season-opening 27-0 rout of Duke on
Aug. 30 when they face surprising Wake Forest at 3:30 p.m.
“We’re real anxious to get back,” said UVa coach Al Groh. “That crowd was a
fantastic crowd the first game. Certainly it’s our hope that our fans remember
their personality and energy in that first game. … Maybe we can build that
juice and maintain that energy and enthusiasm again.”
In addition to the home fans, the Cavaliers also may welcome back someone else
who hasn’t been heard from since the opener. All-ACC quarterback Matt Schaub,
who separated his throwing shoulder on the first series against Duke, returned
to practice this week and may start today’s game, though Groh was not tipping
his hand.
Marques Hagans, who threw for three touchdowns in UVa’s 59-16 whacking of
Western Michigan two weeks ago, also may start the game.
“Matt and Marques have both worked this week,” Groh said Thursday in his most
recent public comments. “Matt’s progress has been very positive. I think we
need to see another practice to decide just how much he can go and what he can
do.
“He’s moving into the circumstance [where] there’s a very good chance he will
be ready to play in the game.”
Schaub threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns against the Demon Deacons last
year, rallying Virginia from a 34-17 deficit to a 38-34 victory.
On paper, Wake Forest looks less formidable this year. With 11 returning
starters, three on offense, Jim Grobe’s team is inexperienced on offense and
undersized on defense. Injuries also have taken a toll.
Yet at 3-1, including upsets of Boston College and N.C. State, the Deacons are
off to their best start in four years. They may be headed to their third
straight winning season under Grobe, something that hasn’t happened at Wake
Forest in more than 50 years.
“I think their coach is doing a great job of coaching them,” said UVa
cornerback Almondo Curry. “Over the past couple years, you can see they’ve
really progressed as a team.”
Asked what he respected about Grobe, a fellow UVa alumnus, Groh said, “The
product. He puts out one of the hardest teams to beat in the league.”
The Cavaliers (2-1, 1-0 ACC) also may be hard to beat, especially if Schaub
returns and shows the form that made him the 2002 ACC player of the year. In
his absence, Virginia has demonstrated an improved defense, special teams and
running game.
What UVa has lacked is a potent passing game. At 136.3 yards per game,
Virginia is dead last in the ACC in passing offense, but second in rushing at
179.7. Hagans was effective last week, though his removal from the receiving
corps further diluted what may be the team’s biggest weakness.
Schaub may be able to revive that group and give the Cavaliers a lift going
into a stretch of four straight conference games. The next two, against North
Carolina and Clemson, are on the road. So the next home game, against Florida
State, will be another long wait.
“This is a big ACC game and you want to win all those, especially at home,”
said linebacker Darryl Blackstock. “I know we’ll be ready for it.”
Marques Hagans has most certainly disturbed Wake Forest coach Jim
Grobe’s sleep patterns this week in preparing for this afternoon’s game
against Virginia’s slippery quarterback.
The Cavalier sophomore’s odyssey has been somewhat unique from fourth-string
quarterback on Hampton High’s depth chart his sophomore year behind Ronald
Curry to starting his junior and senior years for the Crabbers. He signed with
Indiana with the thinking he would succeed Antwan Randel-El in the Hoosiers’
offense.
Instead, he wound up at Fork Union Military Academy, where he was discovered
by former UVa recruiting coordinator Danny Wilmer. Hampton coach Mike Smith
told Wilmer that the best athlete in the state was at FUMA and Wilmer quickly
convinced Hagans to become a Cavalier.
Raw talent
Virginia fans remember how Hagans came off the bench in last season’s opener
and nearly won the Colorado State game and how things went sour the following
week at Florida State, just before Matt Schaub made his incredible run that
earned him ACC player of the year honors.
No wonder Coach Al Groh & Co. decided to move Hagans to wide receiver in the
offseason with Schaub returning. Hey, they had to get this kid on the field.
He is much too talented to stand on the sidelines.
What nobody banked on was Schaub being injured on the opening drive of the
season.
Enter Hagans
UVa quickly moved him back to quarterback on the first day of practice for the
South Carolina game. In the first 25 minutes of that practice, Hagans suffered
a hamstring injury that prevented him from working at quarterback all week. He
managed to play some in the game at receiver and returning punts but wasn’t
100 percent.
What the 5-foot-10, 200-pounder did the following week in practice and in the
Western Michigan game was mind-bending. Groh marveled at how Hagans picked up
the offense from the first day of game week preparation and never missed a
beat.
Against Western, all he did was throw for 162 yards (12 of 20) and three
touchdowns. But, wait. That’s not all. He was even more dangerous when things
broke down and he was forced to improvise, avoiding at least a half dozen
sacks as he zigged and zagged for 68 yards on his own.
Grobe’s concerns
“In every area he scares you,” said Grobe, who could hardly believe his eyes
when dissecting the Western Michigan game film. “He did not in any way look
like an inexperienced quarterback. I saw no weaknesses. He looked like a
veteran guy running their offense.”
Grobe was taken aback by Hagans’ throwing ability, especially without any more
than four days to make the transition from wide receiver to quarterback. He
didn’t fumble, didn’t throw interceptions, didn’t make any dumb mistakes.
“And then, obviously, he has great athletic ability,” the Wake coach said.
“When he’s got receivers covered and he needs to pull down and go, he has
great foot speed and running ability.”
Not bad for a guy who figured he might not ever play quarterback again. But
having been buried at the position in high school, then becoming a star in the
storied Hampton program, gave Hagans the confidence he could do anything.
“He has to drive a defensive coordinator crazy,” said UVa senior cornerback
Muffin Curry, who also played with Hagans at Hampton. “You can’t tell your
corners to come up and help if you see him outside the pocket because he can
throw the ball 50 yards on the run.
“He can throw it on the run, he can throw it sitting in the pocket and he can
take off and all that makes him pretty unique,” Curry said.
Hagans, who is affectionately referred to as ‘Biscuit’ by teammates, said it
all comes naturally.
He grew up watching Aaron Brooks and Allen Iverson play in high school in the
Hampton area, then as a sophomore played with Ronald Curry and against Michael
Vick, then as a junior played against Marcus Vick.
“I know all of those guys...we all grew up in the same area,” Hagans said.
“Just watching Ronald in practice and in games was amazing and I used to pick
up tips and ask questions of him on and off the field.”
But what Hagans has is God-given. The worst thing a defense can do is pin him
into a corner. He may just take it to the house.
“Let me tell you about Biscuit,” said UVa linebacker Darryl Blackstock, who
played against Hagans in high school. “One time I was rushing him from his
blindside and I was coming at him real hard. Man, he just slipped out of the
way and I went flying. From that point on, I was like, ‘This boy is bad.’ He’s
so quick, he’s amazing back there.”
Groh compared Hagans to a degree to Doug Flutie.
“I think the obvious look-alike is Flutie because they’re about the same
height, have the same energy and seem to have the same ability to energize
those around them,” Groh said.
Hagans, an aw shucks, modest type, said he just tries to lead by example and
is happy to be in the game at any position. He happily spent all his free time
the Western week by absorbing as much film work as his overloaded brain could
withstand.
“If we could score 59 points, I’d be happy to do that every week,” he said. “I
just try to focus on what I do good and try to improve and make plays.”
He never felt nervous. He never felt uncomfortable. He never stopped smiling.
He never stopped driving Western’s defense crazy either.
“There were a couple of times that I knew they were going to run the bootleg.
I was there to make the tackle both times and [Hagans] was still able to get
away,” said Western’s Playboy All-American defensive end Jason Babin.
Hagans just chuckled when he heard the comment.
“It’s kind of fun [when things break down],” Hagans said. “It’s sort of little
kid football. You just go out there and try to make something happen. I can’t
explain it ... it’s just a feeling. It just comes natural.”
And that’s what has cost Grobe and his defensive coaches some sleep. They just
hope he doesn’t pop up in their nightmares later tonight.
Hokies fill the void for star guard Cooke
Herbstreit pushing Tech's Jones
By DOUG DOUGHTY
Exclusive to roanoke.com by 5 p.m. Fridays
For the same reason that he once favored Virginia, All-Group guard Marquie Cooke
from Nansemond River High School in Suffolk is now leaning to Virginia Tech.
The Hokies are in Virginia and, by the time Cooke begins college next summer,
they will be in the ACC.
“It looks really good for them right now," said Nansemond River coach Franklin
Chatman, who is scheduled to meet as early as this weekend with a Cooke support
"team" that includes Nansemond River principal Thomas McLemore Jr.
Chatman said Cooke has narrowed his choices to Virginia Tech, where he visited
Sept. 18-20, and Clemson, where he is scheduled to visit Oct. 10-12. At issue is
whether he will take the Clemson visit.
If he makes a decision before the Clemson visit, it would be to sign with Tech.
“I think it’s [Tech] a good opportunity for him," Chatman said. “They have a lot
of good things lined up as far as going to the ACC. They have a good coach in
[Seth] Greenberg. There are a lot of positives with Tech."
Chatman said that Tech getting in the ACC is a "major part" of the equation.
"He always wanted to play in the ACC," Chatman said. “He had a lot of offers
early on and really wasn’t ready to commit at that time. Of course, those things
passed him.
“Last year, at this time, neither Virginia Tech nor Clemson were in the picture.
So, you just never know where things are going to lead you. Last year, at this
time, it was Virginia and North Carolina State who were offering.
"Of course, as you know, both of them got point guards. He wanted the best
situation for him. He didn’t want to rush into it."
VIRGINIA TOOK A commitment this past spring from Sean Singletary, a point guard
from Penn Charter in Philadelphia, and N.C. State jumped at the chance to get
transfer Tony Bethel from Georgetown.
The Singletary commitment raised a lot of eyebrows because Virginia had been
recruiting Cooke virtually since his freshman year.
"I think things could have been handled a whole lot better at Virginia," Chatman
said. "When they got the commitment from the kid, that was the first we had
heard about it.
"An assistant coach called and said, 'Hey, we signed this kid from Philly.' It
never was said, 'Hey, we're considering signing this kid. If your guy wants to
sign, we'll take him.'
"That's all part of the game, I guess. He really liked Virginia early on. We
made unofficial visits to UNC, to Duke, to North Carolina State, to Virginia. It
was always the ACC. Kentucky would call, but he never had interest in those
schools.
"Virginia was definitely in the driver’s seat, but I don’t think they were
patient enough. That’s all behind us now."
VIRGINIA HAD DISCIPLINARY problems last year, legal and otherwise, and could
have been concerned that Cooke would be a high-maintenance recruit. He was sent
home from the Nike All-Star Camp this summer.
In that sense, Cooke may have been a victim of past UVa difficulties “and I
really don’t have a problem with that as long as you tell me what you're doing,"
Chatman said. "Don't tell me one thing and then do something different.
"We always were straightforward with them. They always knew they were the leader
with Marquie. He just wasn't ready to commit as a sophomore. They were always
the frontrunner. A lot of good schools were on him, [like] UConn. He just always
wanted to play in the ACC.
"He thought it would be great for him to play at Virginia because it was a state
school. Fortunately for Virginia Tech, they fit some of the same mold."
Nobody would question Cooke's qualifications as a player. He averaged 23.1
points and 8.3 assists this past season, when he scored 41 points against
Western Branch and 36 against a Blair Academy (N.J.) team that featured Duke
recruit Luol Deng, the No. 1 prospect in the country.
CHATMAN DOES NOT hide the fact Cooke was sent home from Nike.
"It seems as though there was a problem with his uniform," Chatman said. “He had
misplaced his uniform and a guy said he disrespected him. Marquie said he
didn't. The sad part about it is, nobody was ever informed on our end.
"If you have a kid who has a problem or gets in trouble, of course the parents
and the coach would like to know what happened. We were never contacted, neither
one of us. They did send him home but I think it was an agreement thing. He
didn’t want to play any more because he wasn't going to wear a dirty uniform.
"The sad part about it is, a kid missed out on an opportunity and nobody had a
thing to say about it. He received a letter that said they would do anything
they could to help him, but, at this point, they've put a mark on him for life."
Chatman has known Cooke since he had him in class as a seventh-grader. He hasn't
found him to be a bad kid.
"He's started every game since he’s been here, except one game when he was
sick," Chatman said. “I run a tight ship. We run a very disciplined program. My
kids have to wear dress blazers and ties to away games. Their hair has to be a
certain length.
"He's one of our leaders. He's one of those guys who says, 'Hey, coach, is his
hair too long.' He wants to make sure everything is intact. That's what burns us
up the most. I think a lot of that has to do with other programs, because he
didn't commit early to them.
"The good thing about it is, the kid wants to play in the ACC to prove some of
those other schools wrong."
FAR BE IT from me to ride around town and write a column based on what people
are saying on the radio, but I was struck by an interview ESPN studio analyst
Kirk Herbstreit did Friday.
"Right now, Kevin Jones is a frontrunner -- if there is a frontrunner right now
-- for the Heisman," said Herbstreit in an interview with ESPN Radio.
Herbstreit based his opinion on the fact that Jones had a good game "the other
night" (eight days earlier against Texas A&M, when Herbstreit was in attendance)
and that Virginia Tech will win a lot of games. Already forgotten are Jones'
relatively ho-hum performances against Central Florida and James Madison.
"The guy who I think is back in it is [N.C. State quarterback] Philip Rivers,"
Herbstreit said. "I think they can win out and he'll be a hot name if they go
10-2."
SPEAKING OF MEDIA personalities, has anybody noticed the recent absence from
this column of media gadfly Jeff White of the Richmond Times-Dispatch?
It turns out that White has been involved in a messy copyright-infringement
battle with alter ego Mo Rocca, a contributor on the program "I love the '70s,"
who is being identified by VH-1 as its "media gadfly."
THEY CALL HIM ...
SACKSTOCK: Cavs linebacker has craving for knowledge, chasing QBs
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published September 27, 2003
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The flip side to being special at one particular thing is
that you become known as a specialist. Darryl Blackstock specialized in sacks
last season, so much so that Virginia fans began calling him "Sackstock." He had
10 of them, more than any other freshman in the nation, more than any other
rookie in Atlantic Coast Conference history.
Hey, what would you expect of an outside linebacker who wears No. 56, the same
number Lawrence Taylor wore in the NFL?
But Blackstock, a package of speed and energy delivered from Heritage High,
wanted more. Yes, he wanted more sacks. This is a kid who on his first media day
told reporters he was gunning for Chris Slade's school record of 40. But more
than that, he wanted to be a more complete, more refined linebacker.
He didn't want to be known only as a sack machine. Like Hall of Fame pitcher
Steve Carlton, with 329 wins, must hate being known only as a strikeout artist.
"Darryl's goal coming into the season - and I'm not figuring it out, this is
what he said - was that he wanted to really learn how to be a linebacker,"
Cavaliers coach Al Groh said. "That was a great statement when he made that
because that was an indication of the level that he wants his overall game to
be.
"It's like in basketball, if a guy who's scoring a lot of points said, 'I want
to be more than a shooter, I want to be a good basketball player.' That's what
he said. 'I want to be more than a guy who makes some sacks, I want to be a real
good player.' With all the ins and outs of this position, which is probably the
most involved position on the defense, he certainly has demonstrated that his
outside linebacker game is really moving on."
But you know what? Through three games, during which he's been on the field for
a team-high 200 plays, Darryl Blackstock has no sacks. None. He didn't go three
games without a sack as a freshman, and at this point of the season he already
had two. Now, he's stuck at zero.
"I'm getting there a second or two late," Blackstock said. "I just need to get
there a little faster. But I ain't really trippin' 'bout that."
He has been right there, right as the quarterback released. He has six
pressures, or hurries, more than anyone on the team except end Chris Canty.
Blackstock has three tackles-for-loss, which lead the Cavs. His 21 tackles are
behind only safety Jermaine Hardy. None of those are eye-popping numbers, but
Blackstock realizes the game is more than numbers.
"Last year, I didn't know much," he said. "I had to learn the scheme real fast
and, basically, I did a whole lot of running around. I might blow the whole
assignment, but I might chase the ball down. But now, I'm playing the
assignment. I know what to do and where to be. I've made a huge step. Now, I'm
trying to perfect everything.
"I think I'm developing. I mean, not to the point where I want to be. But I'm a
way better linebacker than I was last year, though, in terms of knowing the
other team and playing the run and the pass."
Blackstock is enjoying life more this year for another reason, a bigger one than
any sack he's ever had. Six weeks ago, his son, Savion, was born. Savion and his
mother live with Blackstock, who already has the overprotective-dad routine down
pat. Savion's picture hangs inside his locker.
"That's my man right there," he said, beaming. "He's changed my whole
perspective. I have something to work for. I want to make him proud. I don't
want to have any regrets, and I want him to have everything that I didn't have.
He's my everything. I'll do anything for him."
WINSTON-SALEM -- In order to follow the Wake Forest offense this season, you don't need a program; you need a phone book. In order to appreciate the unit's work, you need only appreciate the element of surprise, the value of not messing up and the bottom line.
While ranking 92nd out of 117 NCAA Division I-A football teams in total offense, the Demon Deacons have scored 32 or more points in three of four games entering today's contest at Virginia (3:30, WXLV-45). Some of those points have come from the defense and special teams, but the Deacs have hit the 30-point mark in 14 of Grobe's 28 games as head coach. Wake scored 30 or more just 14 times in the 102 games before the coach and his deceptively effective style came to town.
Most importantly, they're 1-0 in the ACC and 3-1 overall. Only once in the previous 43 seasons did they beat three teams currently classified as I-A this early.
"People will tell me at halftime, 'Here are the stats.' Keep the stats," Grobe said. "The only stats I care about are the score and the time."
There is one number that makes the suspect stats understandable and the good ones improbable. The Deacons took the field at Boston College in the opener with two returning starters on offense. When tailback Chris Barclay got hurt, there was one.
Steed Lobotzke, who doubles as offensive coordinator and line coach, has run 13 guys into the five line spots. Grobe says that's three too many, but injuries have made it necessary.
Five of the 13 had never played a college snap before this season. Two others had gotten only a few plays of mop-up time. Yet they're surviving, even thriving.
Nagging ailments to Barclay, Nick Burney and Cornelius Birgs compelled the use of another "B" guy, true freshman D'Angelo Bryant. The goal of redshirting all rookies had quickly become impossible. It's hard keeping up with all the names, but it hasn't been unpleasant yet.
"I think it's a great scheme with great athletes," quarterback Cory Randolph said. "The combination of that has generated a lot of points, and we're just trying to keep that up."
The first element of the scheme is confusion. The Deacs' opponents -- and the television cameras -- don't always know who's got the ball. That and the no-huddle, run-oriented attack are things teams hadn't seen in the ACC until Grobe took the Wake job.
"It's tough to prepare for us, because we do a lot of faking," Barclay said. "You have to keep your guys in containment. You don't want to overflow, because that can be to your detriment."
But that's no longer a novelty, and the Deacs are averaging fewer than 4 yards per rush. So they've persevered.
Another element of Wake's scheme is not at all fascinating. It's the Deacons' ability to avoid mistakes. Only Virginia has been penalized less often per game than the Deacs, whose offense has been flagged 14 times for 95 yards in four games. And 15 of those yards came when a player was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for praying after a touchdown.
The Deacons have committed an acceptable five turnovers, and they lead the league in turnover margin.
"We try to limit the number of penalties on the offensive line -- the holding penalties are the big ones -- by putting them in positions where they don't have to hold to be successful," Lobotzke said.
The final piece is one that does make "SportsCenter." Even though they've thrown fewer passes than anybody else in the ACC, the Deacons have struck for touchdown passes of 79 and 43 yards and have connected on a Statue of Liberty toss-back to Randolph. In the past seven games, Wake has five scoring throws of 50 yards or longer. The ACC's other eight teams have five such plays between them in that span.
"We tell our quarterbacks, 'If you see one-on-one, take it. Throw the ball up there and let them go get it.' Even if the defender is covering well, we'll go after those chances," Lobotzke said. "We have to have big plays to win games."
The 43-yarder beat Boston College in the final two minutes, and the 79-yard play, made by wide receiver Jason Anderson, broke open a tense contest with East Carolina. Just when teams think Wake will keep it simple, it can get funky, and the change of pace is key.
"Theoretically, yes," Randolph said. "That's one more thing to prepare for -- not only play-action in which we try to move the chains, but play-action in which we try to hit the big play."
Anderson, who had two long grabs for scores in last year's Seattle Bowl, is quietly becoming a deep threat. With three more catches, he'll qualify for the list of ACC career leaders in yards per catch. At 19.16 yards a pop, he should be fifth.
"He's always there," Barclay said. "He doesn't get upset when we run 40 and 50 times a game. Good things come to those who wait. I really believe in that."
Now the Deacs don't want to wait for their next big moment.
Rested Virginia takes on Wake Forest
Associated Press
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Virginia's bye week came at just the right time.
The Cavaliers (2-1, 1-0 ACC) have had two weeks to prepare for Saturday's game
against Wake Forest, which employs a number of unusual offensive sets and
schemes that require some extra practice.
Also, the extra week has allowed star quarterback Matt Schaub more time to
recuperate from the separated shoulder he suffered in the season opener against
Duke. Schaub, last year's ACC Offensive Player of the Year, practiced this week
for the first time since the injury and could return to the lineup Saturday.
Wake Forest Coach Jim Grobe said he hasn't tailored his preparation for either
quarterback.
"It's probably a lift to their kids to have Schaub just from an experience
standpoint, but I think the team has confidence in (backup Marques) Hagans, so
whoever the quarterback is, we know he's going to be talented," Grobe said.
Hagans, a former quarterback who was moved to wide receiver and punt returner
this season, switched back to quarterback two weeks ago and led the Cavaliers to
a 59-16 rout at Western Michigan. Hagans threw three touchdowns without an
interception and ran nine times for 68 yards.
Wake Forest (3-1, 1-0) briefly cracked the Top 20 after an upset victory over
North Carolina State, only to fall out the next week after losing at home to
Purdue.
Grobe, a former Air Force assistant, is known for running an option offense and
had sought to implement the option at Wake Forest. And while elements of Grobe's
wishbone-style "flexbone" offense remain, it has been modified significantly, to
the point where the Demon Deacons have more yards through the air (641) than on
the ground (611).
"Our offensive coaches have taken the kids in the program and kind of molded the
offense to fit the guys we're playing with rather than bring in a scheme and
saying guys have to fit the scheme whether they're capable of it or not," Grobe
said.
Virginia Coach Al Groh said that even though the Cavaliers are familiar with
Wake Forest, their offensive scheme is so varied that it can still appear
unfamiliar.
One possible solution is to keep the defensive schemes simple, something Groh
said Purdue did successfully.
"When the offense brings a tremendous amount of variables and if you bring a
tremendous amount on your own - you can figure the calculation of what that ends
up to," Groh said. "We can't control how many variables the opponent is going to
run, but we can keep the number from getting out of control by controlling our
own."
Cavaliers linebacker Darryl Blackstock said the Deacons' offense presents a
challenge to defenders, who must remain disciplined in their assignments.
"You can't just think about where the ball is, or look in the backfield, because
they'll hit you right in the face," he said.
The 3:30 p.m. game will be broadcast regionally by ABC.
Wake Forest Is Ahead Of Schedule
At 3-1, Rebuilding Under Grobe Has Taken Shape
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, September 27, 2003; Page D01
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- After 28 years as a coach, Jim Grobe knows a good
football team when he sees one. He admits his Wake Forest Demon Deacons aren't
there yet. So far they have been "competitive," he says, with a chance to
improve this season.
But the Deacons win more often than they lose. Against most opponents, they have
a chance. That's more than could often be said about Wake Forest, which slogged
through 99 generally lackluster years before Grobe arrived in 2001.
A month into Grobe's third season, Wake is 3-1 (1-0 ACC), with wins over Boston
College and then-No. 14 North Carolina State. Saturday's game at Virginia (2-1,
1-0) carries with it the opportunity to move into second place in the conference
standings -- or even first, if Duke somehow could beat Florida State.
"We're building the tradition," redshirt sophomore quarterback Cory Randolph
said. "I'm just glad to be a part of it."
The Demon Deacons rose to 20th in the national rankings before losing to Purdue
two weeks ago, 16-10. Last week, they handled East Carolina at home, 34-16. And
they're doing it after losing many of the starters that led last season's team
to a 7-6 record and a 21-point win over Oregon in the Seattle Bowl.
Grobe's 16-12 record in two-plus seasons gives him the best winning percentage
of any Wake coach in the past half-century.
"We're ahead of schedule. I don't think there's any question about that," Grobe
said. "Coaches are [hesitant] to say 'rebuilding,' but . . . I really thought we
were going to struggle [this season] and now here we are 3-1. We're not
satisfied, but I think we're doing good things. We're moving in the right
direction."
The unusual offensive and defensive schemes Grobe brought with him from Ohio
University make Wake Forest stand out among Division I-A teams, but the
foundation of its recent success is recruiting.
Wake, a private school with 3,950 undergraduate students and high academic
standards, might have trouble pulling in nationally ranked prep stars even with
more of a tradition of football success. But because he is building a program
from near ground level -- just as he did for six seasons at Ohio, and just as he
helped Fisher DeBerry do at the Air Force Academy -- Grobe has even less chance
at the cream of the crop.
So Grobe and his assistant coaches, in general, mostly bring in high school
track stars who are not yet polished as football players -- such as redshirt
freshman wide receiver Willie Idlette, the ACC's sixth-best all-purpose runner.
They bring in players such as freshman linebacker Jonathan Abbate, who led the
state of Georgia in tackles as a high school senior but wasn't quite big enough
or fast enough to get a scholarship offer from the University of Georgia.
They also bring in the occasional star. Redshirt freshman defensive end Bryan
Andrews is Wake Forest's first former Parade all-American in years. Freshman
quarterback Ben Mauk set national high school records with 6,540 passing yards
and 76 touchdowns last season.
"There's no doubt that Wake Forest recruits a better caliber athlete under Jim
Grobe than it did under [his predecessor] Jim Caldwell," said Dave Glenn, who
covers ACC recruiting for the ACC Area Sports Journal. "Wake is smart enough to
know that it is not going to win many head-to-head battles with SEC schools or
Big Ten schools, and they have a very creative recruiting plan that so far has
been very successful."
The Wake Forest fan base has begun to notice. A week after the Deacons' victory
at Boston College, they drew a crowd of 35,741 -- the third-biggest in the
36-year history of Groves Stadium -- for the Sept. 6 win against N.C. State.
"Oh, man. It actually feels like an athletics school now," said free safety
Quintin Williams, a senior co-captain. "When I came in, we had that 2-9 season
my true freshman year, and it really felt like the general population didn't
really care about football at Wake Forest."
The Deacons have become "competitive." The next step is becoming "good," and
perhaps posting a winning conference record for the first time since 1988. But
the progress already has been hard to ignore.
Two seasons ago, after receiver Jason Anderson of Wake Forest had turned a short pass into a 64-yard touchdown that beat Virginia 34-30, he said he just caught the ball and ran as if he had stolen something.
Today Anderson will return to the scene of his crime. And he won't slip unannounced into Scott Stadium for the Deacons' game against the Cavaliers at 3:30.
For a receiver averaging only four catches a game - not even good enough to rank in the Top 10 in the ACC - Anderson commands extraordinary attention from defenders and coaches. Their concern is based on Anderson's speed and height, and his ability, at 6-3, to outjump shorter cornerbacks for high passes.
Tall receivers outjumping short cornerbacks can be a problem for any defense, as Wake Forest found out a year ago when 6-4 Billy McMullen led the Cavaliers to a 38-34 comeback victory over the Deacons in Groves Stadium.
McMullen did his damage against Eric King and Daryl Shaw, both of whom are 5-9. Today, Anderson would like to return the favor against Virginia's senior cornerbacks, Almondo Curry and Jamaine Winborne.
Curry is 5-8. Winborne is 5-10.
'Every game I look at that Anderson's played in, he's made a lot of big plays,' Coach Al Groh of Virginia said. 'He made big plays against Boston College. He made them against N.C. State. He made one last week (against East Carolina). He made quite a few of them in the (Seattle) bowl game. He's a very, very good player.
'Our corner situation relative to him is the way matchups are showing up all around the country right now. There's a big run on big college receivers right now. Those guys really do cause severe matchup problems for you.'
The Deacons are 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the ACC after last week's 34-16 victory over East Carolina. The Cavaliers, who are 2-1 and 1-0, didn't play last week.
Wake Forest, with a victory, could pick up considerable momentum toward its first winning record in ACC play since 1988. The victory two years ago broke a 17-game losing streak to the Cavaliers. For the Deacons to make it two out of three over Virginia, they will apparently have to contend with quarterback Matt Schaub.
Schaub, a 6-5, 240-pound senior who was the ACC player of the year in 2002, has been sidelined since early in this season's opener against Duke with a separated shoulder. Schaub returned to practice this week, and Groh hinted strongly on Thursday morning that Schaub will play today.
'I think there's a very good chance that he'll be ready to play in the game, and we'll just have to see what (Thursday) brings,' Groh said.
If he isn't ready, the Cavaliers are expected to start Marques Hagans, a 5-10, 207-pound sophomore who led Virginia to a 59-16 victory at Western Michigan two weeks ago.
As for the effect of Virginia's open date last week, Coach Jim Grobe of Wake Forest said he's not sure if it will help or hurt the Cavaliers.
'You try to fall back on your experience as how to handle that off week, but there's no set way to do it,' Grobe said. 'It's a little scary.
'I'm sure Coach Groh and their coaches have healed some guys up. They're probably going to have more guys playing this Saturday than they've have so far. But they had a great win against Western Michigan. They were rolling. And when you start that thing going, you hate to stop it.
'Sometimes there are good times for an open date. Sometimes it's bad. You just never know how that will work out.'
While the Cavaliers were taking last week off, Grobe was finding out more about his team against East Carolina. One lesson learned was that two young players working their way into the rotation in the offensive line, Daniel Orlebar and Craig Jones, have the ability to really help the Deacons this season.
Orlebar is a 6-4, 257-pound redshirt freshman who didn't convert from the defensive line until late in preseason practices. Jones is a 6-0, 300-pound redshirt sophomore who was suspended for the first three games for disciplinary reasons.
With the possibility that redshirt sophomore Greg Adkins will miss his second game with a sprained ankle, the depth chart lists the offensive-line starters as seniors Tyson Clabo and Mark Moroz at tackles, Jones and redshirt freshman Steve Vallos at guards and junior Blake Lingruen at center. Orlebar and redshirt sophomore tackle Wesley Bryant are also expected to play quite a bit.
'Orlebar played well,' Grobe said of the game against ECU. 'And Craig Jones played really well. To have those two guys play well, that's exciting. Now I think we can give Steve Vallos a little rest. I don't think he came off the field against Boston College, and to have a redshirt freshman lineman go do that is hard.
'If Danny will continue to improve, then that gives us kind of a one-two punch at the right guard position. And at left guard now with Craig Jones playing as well as he's playing we can let Clabo stay more at tackle and play a little guard. Before, Clabo was bouncing all over the place.
'We're starting to get back to where we've got some competition in the offensive line and that's going to help us more than anything.'
Freshman running back D'Angelo Bryant is another player Grobe is eager to see more of. Bryant, in the first game of his career, carried nine times for 34 yards against ECU. Grobe said that Bryant will remain in a three-back rotation with sophomores Chris Barclay and Cornelius Birgs.
'We always go into the game thinking that the hot back's going to get the lion's share of the reps,' Grobe said. 'So we try to keep it competitive. But I think going into the football game, about every third series D'Angelo is going to get a chance to go. If he can do it, he's going to stay in there.
'And if Chris is playing a little better or Cornelius is playing a little better, they might get a few more reps. But right now it's a three-back deal. We're not going to waste a redshirt on D'Angelo.'