Q&A with Dan Collins
Posted 03:40 p.m., October 8, 2008
In this week's Q&A with an opposing beat writer, we called on friend Dan Collins of the Winston-Salem Journal.
There's no one better to break down the Demon Deacons than Dan. He's been covering them for a long time and is always informed about what he's watching.
(He's also a heckuva songwriter, by the way. He's playing tonight at The Garage in Winston-Salem, if anyone's going to be up there this early).
Anyway, on to the Q&A:
What do you make of Wake's running game (or lack thereof)? It seems like Jim Grobe is going to keep plugging away to generate some production on the ground.
"That's certainly been Wake's biggest problem. Three seniors, including All-American center Steve Justice, were lost to graduation and rising senior Chris DeGeare was declared academically ineligible. The new line has not jelled, which is obvious from the Deacons' ranking of 11th in the ACC in rushing yards. Last year the line was slow to come around as well. Wake didn't really get rolling until the fourth game against Maryland, but ended up winning nine of its last 11.
"The Deacons have had two off weeks in the month and a half of the season, which has given the staff two extra chances to concentrate on the line. Last week's practices were brutal. Guard Russell Nenon said it was like the first days of preseason camp. They were in full pads Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday, with a lot of contact. They know they have to get the line going if they're going to have the kind of year they want."
Was the loss to Navy an aberration wrought largely by the Midshipmen's funky offensive scheme, or did it expose some deficiencies with the Deacons?
"Winning cures a lot of ills, but it can also mask them. Wake beat FSU 12-3, despite blowing one scoring opportunity after another. The Deacons didn't block FSU, which is why they had to keep settling for field-goal tries. And they returned from Tallahassee 3-0 and still riding high.
"Navy is good, with an option offense that's tough to scheme. Several Deacons said the team wasn't ready to play. The Midshipmen obviously were. The score could have been really lopsided if the quarterback, Kaipo, had not been sidelined the second half with a hamstring pull. He left the game against Wake in 2007 early as well, courtesy of a blow by LB Aaron Curry.
"In two seasons, Navy had seven possessions with Kaipo at QB. The result was four touchdowns and two field goals. The Midshipmen actually picked up a first down on the
seventh possession, but a chop block led to a third-and-long they didn't covert. So Wake was actually fortunate it didn't lose by more than a touchdown."
Wake's offense lost two fast receivers in Kenneth Moore and Kevin Marion. How much has offensive coordinator Steed Lobotzke had to adjust to their absence? Sounds like they're going back to a lot of the old misdirection to generate yards.
"Kenny Moore caught 98 passes last season, most in ACC history. So he was obviously a major offensive weapon. But D.J. Boldin leads the league with 28, which puts him on pace to about 90 should the Deacons play a 13th game in a bowl. So QB Riley Skinner still has a favorite receiver.
"The bigger problem has been the inability to establish a runnnig game. Navy dropped eight men into coverage, which resulted in four Skinner interceptions, yet still managed to stuff Wake's running game. That can't happen if the Deacons want to have a big season."
The defense returned a bunch of starters and looked tough and fast against Florida State. Is this the Deacons' best defense under Grobe?
"Coming into the season with nine starters back, and eight redshirt seniors in the top 11, it was apparent Wake had a chance to be really good defensively. There was speculation it could be the best defense not just since Grobe arrived in 2001, but in the history of the program -- such as it's been.
"The defense was really upset when Ole Miss drove the length of the field to score a late touchdown, but their performance at FSU was one for the ages. They've got something to prove again after being gashed by Navy."
Clemson has outscored Wake Forest 68-10 over the last five quarters. Do you see that dominance carrying over into this game, and why or why not?
"Grobe got a lot of attention for beating Clemson in 2003 and 2005. The 2003 win was especially memorable when Bowden opted for a field goal in the fourth quarter trailing 45-0. But overall Bowden is 5-2 against Grobe, and last year the Tigers were the only team to kick Wake around.
"I saw Wake win an ACC championship with mostly one- and two-star recruits, so I'm not as enamored of recruiting rankings as some others. That said, center Trey Bailey of Duncan, S.C. grew up dreaming to play for Clemson. He's at Wake because the Tigers didn't offer a scholarship. That's a pretty common story for Wake players.
"Conversely, I doubt there are many on Clemson's roster who aren't big enough, fast enough or good enough to play for Wake Forest.
"Clemson has better talent overall than Wake, and for that matter, most teams
in college football. Talent doesn't always prevail. But sometimes it does."
Much thanks to Dan for his time and insight.
LW
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