April 16, 2003

By Sam Walker

It is probably safe to say that Wake Forest's 2003 spring game was no indication of things to come this fall. Coach Jim Grobe certainly hopes so. Grobe deemed the outing "sloppy," and the spring game was more of a modified practice than a true scrimmage. Playing against yourself is really no way to measure a team that is five months away from beginning the 2003 season either. And with the Deacons entering a transition year, much of what has to be decided won't be until the Deacons report back for summer camp.

"It was sloppy, which is typical in a spring game," said head coach Jim Grobe. "Offensively it was hard for us to sustain drives because we kept shooting ourselves in the foot. It is very important that we get stronger, plus we need to get much better in August. We've got talent. We just need maturity. We have a lot of young guys who haven't played in front of a bunch of people yet. We are just going to have to get them some experience."

Wake Forest returns 39 letterwinners and 12 starters (three offense, seven defense and two specialists) from a team that went 7-6 in 2002 and won the Seattle Bowl with a victory over Oregon. But it's the how well Wake Forest adjusts to filling the positions for the starters that won't be back - such as fullback Ovie Mughelli, quarterback James MacPherson, tailback Tarence Williams, tight end Ray Thomas, and defensive end Calvin Pace - that will determine how successful the transition in 2003 will be.

Here are the hard facts from the spring game. Sophomore quarterback Cory Randolph completed 8-of-20 passes for 68 yards. Sophomore Chris Davis scored on a 2-yard touchdown run. Randolph scored on a 1-yard sneak. Redshirt-freshman quarterback Zac Taylor ran the second-team offense, finishing the day 5 of 11 for 55 yards, including a 16-yard completion to senior Anthony Young. Young finished with three catches for 40 yards. Redshirt-freshman Nate Morton, who moved from quarterback to receiver this spring, had three receptions for 31 yards.

Dominic Anderson, who played strong safety last year, was the leading with 49 yards on 12 carries. Sophomores Cornelius Birgs and Chris Barclay finished with eight carries each for 42 and 39 yards, respectively. Defensively, senior Dion Williams, junior Brad White and a pair of redshirt freshmen defensive backs, James Adams and Patrick Ghee, finished with a team-high seven tackles. Redshirt freshman cornerback Riley Swanson had six assisted tackles.

White, the team's top tackler in 2002, also had one tackle-for-loss, an assisted sack and one forced fumble in addition to his seven stops. Senior linebacker Kellen Brantley intercepted a Taylor pass, and sophomore Jason Pratt intercepted Randolph, returning it 44 yards for a touchdown.

"This game was typical - the defense is ahead of the offense, Grobe said. "Once you get into the season it's a little more predictable what you are going to see from a defense. We've not been as consistent as we need to be on offense and even at times on defense we got lulled to sleep. But we still have a group of guys who play with a lot of spirit and play hard. We'll just have to make a lot of improvements by the time we play Boston College. Today, I just think you see some individual highlights."

Although the spring game did not provide a lot of insight for fans who are eager to see a youthful, but athletic Deacon team, the coaching staff had the benefit of learning about this team during the course of 15 practices that came rather quickly after the team's Seattle Bowl victory. The 2003 team will reap the benefits of the recruiting classes Grobe and his staff worked so hard to sign in the last three recruiting seasons.

"That whole freshman class has done some good things, Grobe said. "We've been real impressed with our first real solid class. That second-team defense has a lot of those freshmen that we redshirted last year, and that's a pretty salty group. But they've got some guys who can play on that side of the ball, and that whole group impresses me.

Willie Idlette is going to push Chris Davis for playing time at slotback. We felt like (quarterback) Cory Randolph was going to do some good things, and we're probably surprised at Zac Taylor's progress. He's improved quite a bit from last fall at backup quarterback. And the guy that's got plenty of ability if he'll ever settle down is (running back) Cornelius Birgs. He could be real special, and it was fun watching him play today. I think it's important to Cornelius now, and he's had a good spring."

Grobe feels the 2003 team across the board should be competitive and that the talent is there. However, depth and youthfulness will be a concern. The defense looks solid at linebacker with the return of Dion Williams, White and Kellen Brantley. The defensive backfield returns Eric King, Quintin Williams, Caron Bracy, Warren Braxton, and Darryl Shaw, all of whom have had substantial experience. The defensive line is an area where the Deacons just don't have the experience coaches like to have.

"I think we've got a chance to be OK," Grobe said. "With guys like Jerome Nichols, and John Finklea, they just need a ton of time in the weight room. Their strength will probably determine how well they play in the fall, and we're going to play against some awfully big people. Right now, I don't have a feel either way for our defensive front."

On the offensive side of the ball, R.D. Montgomery and Dan Callahan will try to replace Thomas at tight end. Neither have had much live-game action at that position. "This spring has been the first time that I've felt he (Montgomery) might be able to contribute," Grobe said. "We've always known he was a good high school football player, he's just never had a niche. He's about 240 pounds now and is working real hard in the weight room. His intensity has gotten better. Dan (Callahan) has some potential, but he's really a puppy."

Grobe also stated that the 2003 team has a chance to be just as competitive as last year's squad. But the unknown factor of not knowing who will develop into the hard-nosed football players Grobe likes won't be answered until the Deacons play their first game in late August.

The 2003 season opens on the road at Boston College on Aug. 30, with the home opener a week later. Wake Forest will play three consecutive home games in September against N.C. State, Purdue and East Carolina. The Deacons will host Georgia Tech, Clemson, Connecticut and Maryland as well this fall.