Sports > September 24, 2003

By Jason Mazda

Assistant Sports Editor

The Deacs started their quest to return to the national rankings Sept. 20 by winning one of those games that they needed to win, overcoming East Carolina 34-16.

After rushing for just 56 yards Sept. 13 against Purdue, the Deacs gained 193 yards on the ground against the visiting Pirates.

The Deacon running game got contributions from all around. Sophomore tailback Chris Barclay rushed 17 times for 55 yards. True freshman D’Angelo Bryant made his debut for the Deacs, gaining 33 yards on nine carries, including a two-yard touchdown run. Redshirt sophomore Cornelius Birgs also ran the ball 14 times for 32 yards.

“D’Angelo Bryant played strong inside to bring up the team,” Head Coach Jim Grobe said. The rushing attack had struggled of late with red-shirt sophomore Dominic Anderson out for the season due to injury and Barclay and Birgs playing on injured ankles.

“It was a great feeling being able to play,” Bryant said. “It was a dream come true. Cornelius Birgs and Chris Barclay did a great job teaching me. I just need to keep playing hard.”

Senior offensive lineman Tyson Clabo, one of the team’s leaders, said he had not been aware that Bryant was going to play.

“But he really kept us rolling,” Clabo said. “I don’t care who’s back there, as long as they are running hard.”

The Deacs also utilized their wide receivers in the rushing attack. Red-shirt freshman Willie Idlette ran the ball nine times on end-arounds for 49 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Chris Davis ran once for eight yards.

With 95 all-purpose yards against East Carolina, Idlette is averaging 105.5 all-purpose yards per game and 4.5 points per game, both tops in the ACC among freshmen. For his efforts, Idlette was named ACC Rookie of the Week.

The closest that East Carolina came in the game was in the third quarter. It started when, in the red zone, the Pirates fumbled the ball. Multiple Deacon defenders tried to pick the ball up and run, rather than falling on it, and none could get a handle on it. The ball eventually went out of bounds and East Carolina’s drive remained alive.

The Pirates eventually lined up for a field goal. However, holder Ryan Dougherty took the snap and ran instead of holding for a field goal.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 211-pound freshman pushed his way through a sea of Wake Forest defenders for a nine-yard touchdown, cutting the Deacon lead to 17-10.

However, with the crowd of 28,074 at Groves Stadium growing restless, the Deacs wasted no time in recapturing the momentum.

On the first play of their next possession, red-shirt sophomore Cory Randolph threw a 79-yard touchdown pass to red-shirt junior receiver Jason Anderson. It was the third-longest play in Wake Forest history.

“I got a little lucky as the defender fell down so I kept on running,” Anderson said. “It was a perfect throw, I just let it fall right into my hands.”

When East Carolina got the ball back, quarterback Desmond Robinson threw deep on the Pirates’ second play. Redshirt junior Marcus McGruder intercepted it and ran it back 35 yards, to the ECU 10 yard line. Two plays later, Barclay scored to put the Deacs up 31-10.

The Deacs never looked back, winning by a score of 34-16.

“It was a long game,” Grobe said. “The third quarter felt like it lasted forever. I was proud though. It’s easy to hang your head after a tough loss, so I was concerned about the mentality going into this game against ECU.

“Overall I thought they played both positively and negatively on both sides and they were much improved from the Purdue game. We have played four tough teams, but we have played with enthusiasm.”

Next up for the Deacs is a visit to Charlottesville, Va. Sept. 27 to play the Virginia Cavaliers.

Virginia, coming off a bye week, is 2-1 on the season. The Deacs are 1-1 against UVa. during Grobe’s tenure as Head Coach. Grobe is a graduate of Virginia, but he said he has not thought much about that.

“Virginia is such a good team that I have not really had any time to be sentimental or nostalgic about the game,” Grobe said. “It will be much different, though, then when I was there. Virginia is one of the more talented teams in the ACC. I am sure we will face a fired-up football team come Saturday.”

Junior strong safety Warren Braxton added, “Virginia is a tough, physical and hard-nosed football team. They do not use many tricks or gimmicks, just power football.”

Grobe said he expects his Deacs to be “healthier” for this game than they have been of late.

“We will have most of our people out at practice this week,” Grobe said. “We are a young team to begin with, then you combine that with getting so banged up, it has been tough. The healthier we get, the better we expect to play.”

Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m., and the game will be televised regionally on ABC.