Virginia head coach Al Groh wants his team “to win ACC Championships.” This Saturday features an important an important step in the Cavaliers quest for that goal as they face a fiery and dangerous Wake Forest squad. The Demon Deacons have already taken out N.C. State in one conference battle, and a win over Virginia would make them 2-0 and instant title contenders with two of their tougher matchups out of the way. Needless to say, the Deacons will be fired up when they roll into Scott Stadium this Saturday.
For the very same reasons, it will be crucial that Virginia come up with a win if they hope to keep the team goal of an ACC Championship alive. With Florida State looking like world-beaters once again, combined with the fact that the Cavaliers must go on the road against N.C. State and Maryland, there is not a whole lot of room for error the rest of the way if Virginia slips up against Wake Forest. While the upcoming game is certainly not a do-or-die situation, its importance in the drive for an ACC championship cannot be overstated.
“It is a big game for us because it is a conference game,” sophomore quarterback Marques Hagans said this week. “Games like this are important if we want to compete for [an ACC] title. I know we are all looking forward to going out and playing a good game against a conference opponent. Games like this are very important.”
With senior quarterback Matt Schaub’s status still unknown, it is likely that Hagans will be the one to face a Wake Forest defense that is ranked 8th in the league in total yards given up. They don’t fare much better in scoring defense, as they give up exactly three touchdowns (with an extra point) a game. Hagans will need to take advantage of a passing defense that has struggled this season.
Junior Eric King and redshirt junior Marcus McGruder are the two featured cornerbacks in Wake’s 3-3-5 defensive setup. While the two have combined to come up with three interceptions and seven passes defended, they have also had a propensity to give up quite a few yards this season. They do catch a break, with Schaub likely to be on the sidelines this weekend. The starting corners will need a break, however, as they are in a secondary that has given up 293 yards a game in the air. Hagan’s 177.45 passer rating is nothing to look down upon, on the other hand, even if it was in only the one game against Western Michigan.
While they have struggled at times this season, the Demon Deacon secondary certainly is experienced. Senior Quintin Williams headlines a secondary that also has two more redshirt juniors in the form of Caren Bracy and Warren Braxton. Bracy leads the team in tackles, as well as forced fumbles, and most of the secondary has followed his lead. As a team the Demon Deacons have 10 forced fumbles this season, with the secondary coming up with half of them, meaning Virginia receivers will want to watch out for the entire secondary trying to strip the ball.
“It will be important to continue playing well against those guys,” said freshman wide receiver Deyon Williams , who caught a touchdown pass on his first play in college football. “We have all been working hard to keep playing well. We know Wake Forest has some good players, so we will have to go in prepared.”
Wake’s three linebackers, redshirt senior Jamaal Argrow, redshirt junior Brad White, and senior Kellen Bradley, have caused havoc in opponents backfields all season long. The Demon Deacons only have two sacks the entire season, but the linebackers have 1.5 of those sacks. More importantly, however, is the fact that the linebackers have 10.5 tackles for loss. Virginia’s offensive line and tight ends will especially have to look for Brantley, who leads the team in tackles for loss and sacks.
In the trenches, Wake’s play has been nothing to write home about. Right end Jerome Nichols leads a defensive line whose starters only have 21 tackles on the season, though Goryal Scales and Arthur Orlebar, the Demon Deacons’ other two starters, have missed one game already this season. Wake Forest is middle of the pack in rushing defense, as they have given up 129 yards a game this season.
“We know that Wake Forest is going to be a challenge,” said Virginia running back Wali Lundy, who says he is close to 100 percent health. “We all have to play a good game and be on our games if we want to win on Saturday. It is a conference game, it’s going to be a battle.”
On the other side of the ball, Wake’s offense has the ability to cause plenty of problems for a Virginia defense that is once again in the bottom half of the league in total defense, but third in the category that matters the most: scoring defense. While Wake is 8th in the league in total offense, they have the ability to find the end zone, scoring almost 29 points a game, which ranks 5th in the ACC.
Head Coach Jim Grobe, who has done a terrific job at Wake Forest, is known for showing opponents plenty of different sets and motions that try and confuse the defense. While the Deacons don’t do anything spectacular on offense, they are solid in all phases, and are led by a young quarterback who appears to be on the rise in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Redshirt Sophomore Cory Randolph has passed for 600 yards and three touchdowns this season, and while a passing efficiency of 130 won’t necessarily jump out at you, he has been a solid option at quarterback for Grobe. So far this season he has limited his mistakes, while also providing a running threat, as he has run for 82 yards in four games. Saturday will be a challenge for Randolph, however, as he faces one of the better secondarys in the league this week.
“It’s going to be important to try and shut him down and limit what he can do to us,” Senior caption Almondo “Muffin” Curry said. “All of us on defense need to have a good game, because Wake Forest has a good offense.”
Randolph has a solid set of receivers to help him out, and they are led by redshirt junior Jason Anderson, who leads the ACC in yards per catch (17.3 ypc), giving the Deacons a deep threat down the field. Anderson has caught 16 balls for 277 yards and two touchdowns this season, and will need to have a big day if Wake hopes to upset the Cavaliers. On the other side of Anderson you will find sophomore Chris Davis, who has five catches for 63 yards. Wake’s slot receiver, Anthony Young, has the second most catches on the team with 14 for 183 yards.
Wake’s most exciting receiver, however, might be redshirt freshman Willie Idlette, who has been a tremendous sparkplug so far this season. In addition to catching eight passes for 101 yards, Idlette has run the ball 17 times for 147 yards on reverses and straight handoffs. The young man has wreaked havoc on opposing defenses, and Virginia will need to assign someone to follow him.
While the Deacon’s passing game appears to be on the rise, their staple on offense the past few seasons has been a dominant running game. Unfortunately for the Deacs, that running game hasn’t been quite so spectacular this season. Wake Forest has only averaged 3.4 yards a carry so far this season, and if you take away Idlette’s contributions to the running game, Wake has averaged less than three yards a carry this season.
Though he has been dinged up at times this season, starting tailback Chris Barclay has gained only 183 yards on 63 carries (2.9 ypc) in four games this season. His backup, redshirt sophomore Cornelius Birgs, hasn’t fared much better, averaging only 3.1 yards per carry this season. Wake Forest will face a Virginia defense that has given up 4.5 yards per carry this season, so it will be important for the Deacons to establish a running game against a suspect Virginia front. Barclay will have to step it up, but he will need some help from a relatively young offensive line.
Two seniors are the bookends for the Deacon’s offensive line, as Tyson Clabo and Mark Moroz lead the way at the two tackle positions, but that is where the playing experience ends, as the interior line features three players that have not seen a lot of time on the field. Center Blake Lingruen, left guard Craig Jones, and right guard Steve Vallos will have to play much better this weekend to open some holes for their running backs, and give Randolph plenty of time to get rid of the ball.
“It’s going to be important for everyone to play well,” said senior corner Jermaine Winborne. “I think we all understand that this is a big test, so we need to be fired up come game time.”
The Low Down
Wake Forest is a team that is similar to the 2002 version of Virginia. Their numbers are not very good when you analyze them, but the Deacons have found a way to win three of their first four games. (It should have been four of four if not for a few horrendous play calls against Purdue). At some point this season they figure to run into trouble if their numbers stay the same and they are unable to force turnovers. The Demon Deacons have forced 9 turnovers on defense, which was one of the main reasons they were able to upset N.C. State.
The Cavaliers will need a big game out of Hagans, as the Cavaliers need to take advantage of a pass defense that has not played well so far this season. If he plays the way he did against Western Michigan, a team that is obviously not as good as Wake Forest figures to be, Virginia should be able to move the ball on offense fairly easily. He will get some help from a much healthier Lundy, who was happy to see a bye week at this point on the schedule, and added depth on the offensive line now that Kevin Bailey has returned.
All in all, this is a game that Virginia should win, especially if they hope to reach their goal of an ACC Championship. Coming home after a three-week hiatus from Scott Stadium will certainly help.
Editors Note: Be sure to check out the links below for game notes, weather info, internet radio broadcast link, roster card, depth chart and more!
