Sports > September 10, 2003

By Alex Myers

Assistant Sports Editor

Red-shirt freshman receiver Nate Morton took the handoff from sophomore Cory Randolph on what appeared to be a typical reverse. Instead, the former quarterback ran a few yards to his right before planting and firing a pass back to Randolph, who was streaking down the left sideline.

The sold-out crowd at Groves Stadium watched in disbelief as Randolph caught the throw and took off, making a few cuts and getting all the way to the two-yard line before being tackled. The pass got the Deacons 42 yards and set up the team’s third touchdown of the day against No. 11 N.C. State. More importantly, the trick play set the tone for the entire game, which ended with the 38-24 upset in favor of the Deacs. Expect the unexpected.

“We ran the play and the ball came in and I was thinking, ‘please don’t drop it,’ because I dropped one in practice and Coach (Grobe) was yelling at me,” Randolph said. “But I caught it and ran for awhile.”

The Deacs seemed to do everything right throughout the game, going up 28-3 at one point and holding on for the two-touchdown victory. However, even coming off consecutive wins over two quality opponents, Head Coach Jim Grobe isn’t about to get carried away with the 2-0 start.

“I think our kids feel a great sense of accomplishment,” Grobe said. “Our biggest problem right now is to remember we have 10 games left