Sports > October 1, 2003

By Alex Myers

Assistant Sports Editor

Losses are always tough to take. Collapses are even tougher. The Deacs’ 27-24 defeat against Virgina Sept. 27 falls somewhere in between the two categories but slightly toward the latter.

After retaking the lead on a field goal with 7:00 to play, the Deacs had UVa. on its heels. When junior defensive end Jerome Nichols made the biggest defensive play of the season for Wake Forest to get the ball back, it appeared the Cavaliers had been knocked off their feet.

Nichols, reading the play beautifully, followed sophomore running back Wali Lundy out of the backfield, stepped in front of the pass and returned it 36 yards to the Virginia 16-yard line.

Momentum was clearly on the Deacons’ side and a touchdown would all but lock up a huge upset victory.

It wasn’t meant to be, though, as the offense stalled and left Head Coach Jim Grobe with a tough decision to be made on fourth and two.

Instead of taking the almost guaranteed three points and extending the lead to six by kicking the field goal, Grobe decided to go for the dagger.

“For us, we’re thinking four downs anytime we cross the 40-yard line,” Grobe said. “We’re a team that generally does a pretty good job in short yardage