A One-hit Wonder?
Wake Forest finds itself in the unfamiliar role of defending ACC champion
Wake Forest finds itself in the unfamiliar role of defending ACC champion
CLEMSON — They're using all the typical terms to describe Wake Forest as it comes off the utter shock of last year's Atlantic Coast Conference title.
Flash in the pan.
One-hit wonder.
Fluke.
That's what it looked like at last month's ACC Kickoff, where media picked the Demon Deacons to finish fourth in the Atlantic Division.
Wake Forest might have done the unthinkable by winning a school-record 11 games and claiming its first ACC title in 36 years, but the verdict for 2007 is in: The Deacons are expected to slip back toward the reality that has marked most of their feeble football existence.
"I think a lot of people do think it's a one-shot wonder," said senior center Steve Justice. "They have a right to feel like that if you look at our history."
Indeed, Wake Forest's history — just 12 winning seasons dating to 1953, and just six winning ACC records before last year's 6-2 mark — doesn't suggest the Deacons will come close to last year's achievement, let alone match it.
Yet there's a quiet confidence coming from seventh-year head coach Jim Grobe and his players.
"People didn't believe we could do it the first time, and we proved them wrong," said senior defensive end Jeremy Thompson. "Coach Grobe has been building this program for five years, and now we're in a position to keep it going for a while."
There are legitimate reasons to think Wake Forest is due for a tumble. The Deacons were picked behind three teams — Florida State, Boston College, Clemson — that far outclass them in terms of talent, money, and just about any other tangible measurement used to define big-time college football.
Yet Wake Forest proved last season that a few intangibles — good coaching, smart play — can overcome those great deficiencies. After starting 5-0, the Deacons were supposedly shattered after squandering a 14-point fourth-quarter lead in a 27-17 home loss to Clemson.
They responded by reeling off four more wins, including a crucial home victory over Boston College and a 30-0 smashing of Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla.
Virginia Tech handed them a 27-6 spanking a week later in Winston-Salem, N.C., to put the Deacons' division title hopes in doubt, but a 38-24 win at Maryland the next week punched their ticket to the ACC title game in Jacksonville, Fla.
A 9-6 win over Georgia Tech in that game gave Wake Forest its first conference crown since 1970. And the Deacons held up fine for most of a Bowl Championship Series clash with Louisville, leading 13-10 in the fourth quarter before wilting and losing 24-13.
Picked last in the Atlantic Division a year ago, the Deacons seemed destined for that fate after absorbing injuries at key positions. Defensive end Matt Robinson was gone before the season. After three games, the offense was playing without its starting quarterback (Ben Mauk), left tackle (Arby Jones) and its top tailback (Micah Andrews).
A redshirt freshman named Riley Skinner filled in brilliantly for Mauk and went on to claim ACC rookie of the year honors over Clemson's C.J. Spiller.
Grobe and his staff deftly improvised to compensate for the personnel losses, and the Deacons went 6-0 on the road. Such resourcefulness has the rest of the ACC worried about what's in store this season, when Wake Forest doesn't have to face Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech or Miami.
"There ain't a better coach in the country than Jim Grobe," said Florida State's Bobby Bowden.
After a six-year stint at Ohio, Grobe led the Deacons to winning seasons in 2001 and 2002 before they slipped to three straight losing years that were marked by numerous close losses.
Grobe has taken advantage of impeccable job security by redshirting the majority of his incoming freshmen over the past several years, building depth by making an investment that coaches in more pressurized situations cannot afford to make.
The Deacons suffered major losses from a defense that finished 12th nationally in scoring defense, but the offense figures to be much improved with Skinner and Andrews returning, plus a veteran offensive line that might be the best in the conference.
Could the Deacons repeat? The pundits don't think so, but they've been wrong before.
"I could be wrong," Grobe said, "but if a couple of pieces fall into place, I think we just may have a shot."
E-mail this story 
Printer-friendly version
Notice about comments:
The Post and Courier is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. The Post and Courier does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "suggest removal" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our Web site.
Full terms and conditions can be read here.
Comments
This article has 0 comment(s)
