July 30, 2004

You will need Real Player in order to access video clip below, which includes sound bytes from interviews conducted at the 2004 ACC Football Kickoff. Download the Free Real Player now!

2004 Wake Forest Football Preview

TheACC.com - Wake Forest fell one game short of becoming bowl-eligible for the third straight season, finishing 5-7 overall and seventh in the ACC with a 3-5 league mark in 2003. Wake set a school record for home attendance, averaging 28,273 fans a game and had three first-team All-ACC selections a year ago, the most since 1992.

"Nobody on our football team, coaches included, feels very good about the way we closed out last season. I think that will help us be a better football team this fall." Jim Grobe

Only two true freshmen saw action in 2003, including Jyles Tucker, who started the final four games of the season at defensive end.

Tailback Chris Barclay finished second in the ACC and 29th nationally in rushing a year ago with 1,192 yards on 235 carries. His season total was the second-best in school history and his 12 rushing touchdowns led the ACC.

Over the past two seasons, Wake Forest is tops in the league with a plus-25 turnover margin. After leading the ACC and finishing fifth nationally in 2002 (+1.38), the Deacs were second to Florida State last season (+0.58).

Punter Ryan Plackemeier led the ACC (by nearly three yards) and was fifth nationally in punting (45.6).

ACC Football Preview Schedule | More WFU Info From ACC Media Guide

QUOTES FROM 2004 ACC FOOTBALL KICKOFF

Jim Grobe, Head Coach, entering 4th season
"After we won the Clemson game, we kind of went into a tailspin ... Our guys really don't want to forget the end last season. It's a motivation point, especially for our seniors, but also for our young guys. Nobody on our football team, coaches included, feels very good about the way we closed out last season. I think that will help us be a better football team this fall."

2004 Wake Forest Football Schedule
Sept. 4	at Clemson
Sept. 11	at East Carolina
Sept. 18	North Carolina A&T
Sept. 25	Boston College
Oct. 2	at NC State
Oct. 9	Virginia Tech
Oct. 23	Florida State
Oct. 30	Duke
Nov. 13	North Carolina
Nov. 20	at Miami
Nov. 27	at Maryland

"(Chris Barclay) hurt his ankle in the Boston College game to start the season last year, and it took him two or three games to really come back, but once he did he ended up leading the ACC in rushing in the regular season. He's a durable guy overall -- I think the injury at Boston College was kind of a fluke. He's not a really big guy, he's just hard to get a solid hit on, and he's a pretty tough guy. He's not afraid to run it up inside."

"All of the intangibles that you like in a quarterback, Corey (Randolph)'s got. He's got the ability, he's got a really good arm, he's got good footspeed. It was kind of trial by fire, he learned a lot of great lessons last year. He had some really great games and had some games where he made some mistakes that really hurt us, but he learned from those. It was very apparent in spring ball that he's grown up quite a bit."

Eric King, Cornerback, Senior
"By us switching to a four-three scheme now and adding more depth up front, it's going to help me in order to make even more plays and put me in a position to cover guys a little bit tighter. I can walk up on the line of scrimmage and I think I'm really able to help my team if I'm able to take my receiver out of the game or hold him to a certain number of catches or just slow a passing attack down. It allows our other players ... to make more plays up front."

"Going to a school like Wake Forest, it teaches you to be a hard worker. On any given Saturday any team can be beat out there. Florida State can be beat, Miami can be beat. You've just got to work hard. Now those teams, because of the depth and the talent they have, can walk out on the field at times and blow teams away. But playing at a school like Wake Forest, we can beat anybody in the nation, but we have to work hard and do all of the little things in order to

QB Corey Randolph

put us in position to win those games."

Jason Anderson, Wide Receiver, Senior
"When (Coach Grobe) first came in, we had just had a horrible season. For him to come in there and weed out all of the bad people who put us through what we went through, he showed us that he wanted to work to win. That attitude has stayed with us, and he expects one-hundred and fifty percent out of every player."

"We run the ball thirty, forty or fifty times a game, and then everbody expects the run. We use that to open up the pass on the outside, and it will go for a long gain because no one's expecting it."

OFFENSE - Returning Starters
QB Cory Randolph, Jr.
TB Chris Barclay, Jr.
WR Jason Anderson, Sr.
WR Willie Idlette, So.
G Steve Vallos, So.
C Blake Lingruen, Sr.

OFFENSE - Starters Lost
FB Nick Burney (79 yards rushing, 4 TDs)
TE Josh Warren (10 starts in 2003)
T Mark Moroz (2nd-team All-ACC, 27 starts)
G Tyson Clabo (1st-team All-ACC, 37 starts)
G Craig Jones

DEFENSE - Returning Starters
DE Jerome Nichols, Sr.
NT Goryal Scales, Jr.
DE Jyles Tucker, So.
LB Brad White, Sr.
BDT Caron Bracy, Sr.
CB Eric King, Sr.
CB Marcus McGruder, Sr.
SS Warren Braxton, Sr.

DEFENSE - Starters Lost
LB Kellen Brantley (65 tackles, 4 QB sacks)
LB Obi Chukwumah (19 career starts)
FS Quintin Williams (4-year starter)