SB Nation - Alex Frye

Maryland-Wake Forest Gameday Guide

Ben Broman — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 04:15:18 -0000

What: Maryland goes for bowl eligibility against one of the ACC's bottom-feeders, Wake Forest

When: 3:30pm

Where: Byrd Stadium, College Park, MD

Gameday Weather: A beautiful 59 and mostly sunny

Line: MD -5.5

Where to Watch: ESPNU, ChannelSurfing.net, ATDHE.net

In a Turtleshell:

Maryland Offense vs. Wake Forest Defense: Wake Forest's defense is about as unimposing as you get. Remember that Duke team that put up a measly 16 points against Maryland? They dropped 48 on Wake Forest. That fits in nicely with Wake's defensive record, considering they're 112th in the country in scoring defense and gave up 61 to Stanford. They're below-average at both defending the pass - 98th nationally - and defending the run - 113th nationally. They're also 105th in red zone defense (Maryland's offense, by contrast, is 33rd in red zone TD%).

In fact, the only real thing they can hang their hat on is sacks, I guess, where they're a mediocre-at-best 72nd in the nation. It's not like they're devoid of talent - Kenny Okoro is a promising young corner and there are worse ACC linebackers than Hunter Haynes - but there are some very prominent weak spots and for whatever reason they've never really come together as a whole.

Maryland's offense, meantime, is given a golden opportunity. Rarely will the Terps face a defense struggling so much; this is one of the worst defenses in the country, easily. It's a chance for the injured offensive line to gel, for Danny O'Brien to get some confidence, for Torrey Smith to get back into stride, and for Maryland to get its running game re-established. Maryland could use all of those things for their rough closing stretch, and Wake provides an excellent opportunity to attain them.

Wake Forest Offense vs. Maryland Defense: One name: Josh Harris. He's only had one true statement game, but when that statement is 271 yards against Virginia Tech, most people are going to sit up and take notice. Harris is a redshirt freshman that wasn't particularly highly-regarded out of high school, but he made mincemeat out of all three levels of VT's defense. That's not easy to do, and I'm fairly confident that Tech's defense - which is six spots ahead of Maryland nationally even with that outburst - is better than Maryland's.

So yeah, Harris should scare you. If the highlights tell the truth, his quickness and vision are already at a high level, and I'm not sure I want Alex Wujciak attempting to chase him down on the outside. Harris is the main reason Wake Forest's run game, which is 23rd in the country, is as highly-ranked as it is (that's not to hate on #2 man Josh Adams, but Harris was phenomenal in that game).

The good news is that the rest of Wake's offense is pretty weak. That mostly stems from a lack of consistent QB play: Skylar Jones was the favorite to replace Riley Skinner, but he lost the job to Ted Stachitas, who promptly lost the job to true freshman Tanner Price. (Price, for the record, was generally seen in a lower light than Maryland true freshman Tyler Smith, if you're looking for a comparison).

Price has upside and some surprising agility, but outside of his one standout game against Duke's porous defense, he's been quiet. For one, Wake has shown a general distaste for throwing the ball - he chucked it 53 times against Navy, but in the Stanford, Florida State, and Virginia Tech games he notched only 46 attempts combined. Instead of giving Price the ball to distribute to the wealth of talented receivers, they've let Harris and Adams do the majority of the work. Sometimes I wonder if that's the route to take - Price was hyper-efficient against Duke and solid against Navy - but usually it seems like a pretty good idea - he was 3-16 against Virginia Tech.

Of course, what Maryland should take out of this is that the biggest threat Wake poses is in the run game. Ideally, they'd let Kenny Tate and Antwine Perez play up in run support to force Price to beat them through the air. If he does, then so be it. Something tells me he won't.

Keys in Cliches:

Can Maryland limit Harris? It's easier said than done. Harris gutted a better defense than Maryland's just two weeks ago. If he's kept under control, it should be an easy game. If not, look out.
Establishing the running game. This is more of a long-term goal than short-term, but if Da'Rel Scott and Davin Meggett can't get it going here, they probably never will.
Limit mistakes. This is a game that, even though I'm not sold on Maryland being a great team, they should win. What would keep that from happening would be a mass of turnovers and missed defensive assignments.

Players to Watch:

Chris Givens, WR, Wake Forest - I'm only listing Williams here to avoid talking too much about Harris, but Givens is dangerous in his own right. The sophomore is having a solid year as Wake's leading receiver, and should Price break out of his shell today, he'll do it by throwing the ball to Givens and struggling former star Marshall Williams.
Alex Frye, S, Wake Forest - Frye's a seasoned senior safety with a penchant for play-making. He leads the Deacs in interceptions (with three) and is one of the leaders of the defense.
Torrey Smith, WR, Maryland - Smith said on Twitter earlier this week that his burst was back. Hopefully it is and Maryland gets to see it.
Alex Wujciak, LB, Maryland - Wujciak's in an awkward position as Maryland's best run defender but also one of their slowest players on defense. Harris has the speed and quickness to exploit that. Wuj's play will be a deciding factor in whether or not Harris can be slowed.

Random, Semi-Important Fact: Not a regular feature, but representatives of the Chik-fil-A Bowl - ie, the bowl the #2 ACC team goes to - will be at this game. LOL.

Prediction: I'm not going to lie: this looks trap game-y. This is a game Maryland should win pretty easily. I'm very skeptical of these Terps and thought BC would win last week, so my confidence level heading into this game, plus the big game that follows it (Miami, potentially on national TV with conference implications), has me worried. I still think Maryland wins this, mostly thanks to a few timely forced turnovers, but it's closer than the score indicates and than any of us would hope. MD, 31-21.

Maryland-Wake Forest First Look: Deacs Have Breakout Star, Absolutely Nothing Else

Ben Broman — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:01:02 -0000

Let's be honest: Wake Forest didn't exactly have high expectations coming into the season, but they might not've lived up to even their lowered hopes. They have a grand total of one ACC win...against Duke...at home...by eight...and they gave up 48 points of their own. If not for that game, there'd be a very real argument being made for Wake Forest being the worst team in the ACC, and I don't know how much argument you'd have.

Things started out okay. We knew there were some serious problems for Wake before the season, particularly at QB and on defense, but an easy win over FCS team Presbyterian plus a shootout win over Duke answered a few of the questions, at least offensively. And then it fell apart.

Scheduling Stanford seemed like a good idea awhile ago, but the Deacs never stood a chance now that the Cardinal are a powerhouse, giving up nearly 60 in Palo Alto. Then they got shut out by FSU. Then they lost in the final minute to Georgia Tech. And then they lost by a point in the final 30 seconds to Navy. And then they got destroyed at Virginia Tech.

Last week they had a bye, sparing them the probable embarrassment of another loss. And that's where they stand now: with two whole weeks to prepare, readying to play what figures to be one of their last good chances at another ACC win. Just a hunch, but I don't think they get it.

Looking at Wake Forest as a team, there's not a lot to like. There was some uncertainty at QB, with true freshman Tanner Price having claimed the job thanks mostly to Ted Stachitas' injury against Duke. Price took his place and threw 3 TDs in 19 passes, which basically gave him the job by defaul. He's had his good games since - 37-53 for 326 and 2 TDs against Navy - and a lot of bad ones - 3-16 at Virginia Tech, 6-12 with an interception against FSU - but for better or for worse, he's their guy. (If you're wondering, Price was graded at a 78 by ESPN, two lower than classmate and Maryland commitment Tyler Smith. So this is like Maryland making someone worse than Tyler Smith QB.)

Of course, that leads to not a lot of passing, which is a shame considering the talent that Wake has at WR, namely breakout candidates Devon Brown and Marshall Williams, the latter of which many thought was better than Torrey Smith. Wake's 108th in passing offense, mostly a result of a failure to throw the ball consistently. Instead, the Deacs rely heavily on their running game, powered by resurgent senior Josh Adams (remember him from last year?) and out-of-nowhere star redshirt freshman Josh Harris. They run a lot, which helps the stats, but it's still impressive that they're 23rd in the country.

But more importantly, let's talk Josh Harris. He has started a grand total of one game, and that single game accounts for over half of his yardage, which is enough to lead the team. The reasons that game was so impressive: for one, it was against Virginia Tech, not some FCS cupcake. Oh, and he ran for 241 yards on 20 carries. Read it again, because there's no way to shout through the internet.

Most of those runs were, obviously, big gainers, which have the tendency to be fluke-ish. But if you're a non-believer, watch the video from Blogger So Dear: he's crazy quick, found holes quickly, won footraces, and even ran through a few arm tackles. I would say he has jets, but that's a bit of an understatement. He ran through VT's defenders like they were standing still, and they're one of the most athletic defenses in the country. It was an unbelievable performance.

More to the point, I fear for Alex Wujciak. He's a great run defender, but not out on the edge, where his poor speed and tackling angles will come back to hurt him against someone this fast. I wouldn't be upset with a little more David Mackall on Saturday; his redshirt's already been burnt, so let's see what he can do. Other than that, well, don't fear Tanner Price's arm. Sell out against the run, stop him at all costs, and see if Price can avoid throwing picks.

It bears repeating: this was one game, and outside of it he's done little. He's obviously got crazy potential and is Danny O'Brien's biggest threat to the ACC Rookie of the Year claim, but it's only logical to remain skeptical - not disbelieve outright, but remain skeptical - until he proves himself against at least one more team.

On the other side of the ball, Wake's flat-out, downright, certifiably awful. I don't need to go any farther than the stats for you to know what I'm talking about: 113th in rush defense, 98th in pass defense, 117th in pass defense, 112th in scoring defense, 114th in 3rd-down defense, 106th in red zone defense, and 116th in first downs allowed.

In case you couldn't figure it out, that means that Wake Forest is in the bottom 22 in nearly every defensive category that matters. Take out their game against super-patsy Presbyterian and everything gets worse, if that's even possible.

Wake's defense is not-awful (and I'm being generous) in exactly three categories: sacks, where they're 72nd in the nation, turnovers forced, where they're 84th, and awesome names. The first is mostly thanks to Kyle Wilber, a DE with 5 sacks. The second is mostly thanks to Alex Frye, a safety with 3 interceptions and crazy body control/field awareness. The last is solely thanks to Gelo Orange, a spectacularly named LB.

In case you couldn't tell, I'm not very high on Wake. They've got nothing in the way of offense with the sole exception of a spectacular, unproven freshman running back. They've got plain nothing on defense. Maryland needs to use this game to reestablish the running game and instill more confidence in Danny O'Brien, because, unless Harris is even better than he was against Virginia Tech, I don't think this one should be too difficult.

Virginia Tech Offense vs. Wake Forest Defense Film Assessment

RAJohnston — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 19:37:47 -0000

Wake Forest obviously had a ton of problems with Virginia Tech's offense on Saturday. In an attempt to make myself feel better about how things went and find some bright spots in it, I have re-watched the first half of the game on ESPN3, and added notes to each of VT's plays on offense.

With my limited football knowledge, I have attempted to breakdown the coverage and point out some things that may have gone unnoticed while watching the game live.

I hope you enjoy this breakdown and it brings at least a modicum of either hope for the future, or something you may not have known.

The non-bold font is the play-by-play, the font that is bold are my comments about each play as I watched the replay several times.

Click through for an idiot's breakdown of a less than stellar defense.

1ST POSSESSION

W 4-1 W29 Popham, S punt 38 yards to the VT33, Hosley, J return 58 yards to the WF9, out-of-bounds (Quarles, C).

Pretty good coverage on the kick. Missed tackle by Bechtel, two huge blocks for VT.

T 1-G W09 VIRGINIA TECH drive start at 14:29.

T 1-G W09 Evans, D rush up middle for loss of 1 yard to the WF10 (Wilber, K).

Fantastic penetration by Wilber, great individual effort to get into the backfield and make the play.

T 2-G W10 Evans, D rush over right end for 8 yards to the WF2, out-of-bounds (Frye, A;Marshall, AJ).

Missed tackle by Marshall on a dive to take out Evans knees. Needs to try to tackle higher.

T 3-G W02 Taylor, T flag pass complete to Thomas, L for 2 yards to the WF0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 13:29.

Fantastic throw and catch by Thomas. Pretty good coverage by Marshall, jammed at the line but got overpowered and didn’t look for the ball.

3 Plays, 9 yards VT 7- WF 0

2ND POSSESSION

T 1-10 T23 VIRGINIA TECH drive start at 11:49.

T 1-10 T23 Taylor, T rush over left tackle for 3 yards to the VT26 (Wilber, K;Booi, R).

Zone read, Taylor keeps it. Good job staying at home by a host of Deacs.

T 2-7 T26 Taylor, T pass incomplete to Boykin, J (Dorty, T).

Corners are 7-9 yards off. Taylor tries to exploit that with a quick curl route. Dorty jumps up and makes a great deflection. If he doesn’t make this play, there is nobody within 5 yards of Hosley.

T 3-7 T26 Taylor, T sideline pass complete to Roberts, D for 9 yards to the VT35, 1ST DOWN VT, out-of-bounds(Marshall, AJ).

4 on the line, 2 linebackers, looks like man coverage with a Cover 1. Corners are 8 yards off a piece. Good pressure by Wilber, nice pocket. Simple out route complete to Roberts, Marshall is 4 yards away, never had a chance to make a play.

T 1-10 T35 Wilson, D rush right for 2 yards to the VT37 (Frye, A).

Option to the right. Good coverage and a really good tackle by Frye.

T 2-8 T37 Taylor, T pass incomplete to Wilson, D, dropped pass.

Wide open on a screen pass to Wilson, just dropped it. Would have been a decent gain. 4 linemen, 2 lbs, a lot of secondary.

T 3-8 T37 Taylor, T post pass complete to Roberts, D for 23 yards to the WF40, 1ST DOWN VT (Marshall, AJ).

Another 3^rd down, corners are 8 yards off. Exact same defense as the previous 3^rd down. 2 LB’s on the right ide (one to spy, one to drop back/blitz). 3 man rush, no pressure, Taylor steps up makes a good throw to Roberts who is in front of Bush and Marshall.

T 1-10 W40 Evans, D rush over right end for 17 yards to the WF23, 1ST DOWN VT, out-of-bounds (Bush, J).

Great blocking by Christopher, Betros too slow to get there in time. Forced out about 15 yards later.

T 1-10 W23 Oglesby, J rush over left tackle for 12 yards to the WF11, 1ST DOWN VT (Quarles, C;Betros, S).

4 DL, Oglesby runs straight through the line, Souza read the play correctly but was too slow to get there in time.

T 1-10 W11 Taylor, T screen pass complete to Boykin, J for 6 yards to the WF5 (Whitlock, N).

Corners still playing really far off. Bubble screen to the out receiver Boykin, good blocking by the receivers, corners have trouble getting off the blocks.

T 2-4 W05 Evans, D rush over right tackle for the WF0, 1ST DOWN VT, TOUCHDOWN, clock 07:36.

Evans runs through the line again and plows over 2 defenders at the line. No penetration, nobody even close to making a tackle until the 2^nd level.

10 Plays, 77 yards VT 14- WFU 0

3RD POSSESSION

T 1-10 T19 Taylor, T pass incomplete (Wilber, K).

4 linemen, looked like a false start by the right guard. Had a guy wide open but Wilber jumps up and makes the deflection. Great play.

T 2-10 T19 Taylor, T sacked for loss of 8 yards to the VT11 (Haynes, H).

Great coverage by the rush defense on this one. Taylor runs a zone read/pass play and he elects to keep it (maybe a screen play), but Wake sniffs it out and Betros explodes to make the play.

T 3-18 T11 Taylor, T post pass complete to Coale, D for 37 yards to the VT48, 1ST DOWN VT (Quarles, C).

Huge play here. A stop here could have completely changed the course of the game in my opinion. 2 big plays by the defense in a row and then on 3^rd down they allow the big play to happen. 4 linemen, 2 LBs dropped 5 yards back, corners are 8 yards off. Safeties are about 15 yards off. Early pressure from the middle is sniffed out. Taylor has all day to throw and he finds Coale wide open in front of the defense.

T 1-10 T48 Taylor, T pass incomplete to Boykin, J.

Same defensive look, corners 10 yards off. Screen play to the left, Boykin wide open and drops the ball on a pretty bad throw by Taylor.

T 2-10 T48 Roberts, D rush OL for 9 yards to the WF43 (Johnson, K).

Linebackers shift to coverage. Option to the left, great pitch by Taylor and the defense is just too slow to get out there to stop it after Roberts gets it.

T 3-1 W43 Evans, D rush up middle for 4 yards to the WF39, 1ST DOWN VT (Dorty, T).

Another 3^rd down, I-form. We stack the box and Evans finds a spot behind the right tackle to get another first down. Not bad defense by Wake, but the Hokies are doing what they want up front.

T 1-10 W39 Taylor, T pass incomplete to Davis, M, PENALTY WF roughing passer (Souza, F) 15 yards to the WF24, 1ST DOWN

Same defensive look, a lot of pressure up front this time. Good play on the pass. Taylor gets speared up top by Souza on a pretty dirty play honestly. Roughing the passer penalty. Taylor is hurt but he walks off alright

T 1-10 W24 1st and 10.

T 1-10 W24 Thomas, L at QB for Virginia Tech.

Tyrod Taylor injured on the play.

T 1-10 W24 Evans, D rush over right guard for loss of 1 yard to the WF25 (Betros, S).

Toss to the right, good penetration by Betros to sniff out the run.

T 2-11 W25 Taylor, T flag pass complete to Coale, D for 25 yards to the WF0, 1ST DOWN VT, TOUCHDOWN, clock 03:02.

This is another play that changed the game. 4 linemen, 2 LBs and a lot of secondary. No pressure initially, Dorty comes on a delayed blitz but misses Taylor, he steps back up into the pocket and finds a WIDE OPEN Coale two steps short of the end zone. The O-line just manhandles us up front for at least 5-7 seconds and Coale gets lost back there. Great play by Taylor, but Dorty should have made the play. Hard to blame this one on the secondary.

8 Plays, 81 yards VT 21- WFU 7

4TH POSSESSION

T 1-10 W46 Taylor, T pass incomplete to Boykin, J.

VT takes a shot down field to the left on 1^st and goes right after Johnson a fly route (PA). Pretty good coverage, a little contact but the ball was overthrown and not really catchable.

T 2-10 W46 Wilson, D rush up middle for 6 yards to the WF40 (Frye, A;Betros, S).

Alex Frye injured on the play for Wake Forest.

A bit of a delayed run to the right, Alex Frye bursts up to make the play and does so in a pretty hard helmet-to-helmet hit. Shaken up for a couple of minutes. Pretty good play by Frye.

T 3-4 W40 Clock 01:45.

T 3-4 W40 Taylor, T slant pass complete to Boykin, J for 3 yards to the WF37 (Okoro, K).

On 3^rd and 4, the corners are still 7 yards off. VT runs a curl route to Boykin, Bush is sitting behind him and is late to the play. Makes the tackle right at the line.

T 4-1 W37 Wilson, D rush over right guard for no gain to the WF37 (Ehrmann, J;Okoro, K).

Run to the left side, Okoro and Ehrmann are right there to make the stop. Good penetration by Ehrmann to close the hole and allow Okoro to make a diving play just short. Really good energy by the defense, led by Woodlief when they make the stop. Mack talks some trash and they are reenergized.

5TH POSSESSION

T 1-10 T28 Start of 2nd quarter, clock 15:00.

T 1-10 T28 Taylor, T screen pass complete to Boykin, J for 6 yards to the VT34 (Dorty, T;Mack, D).

Corners playing 9 yards off on the outside receivers, allows Boykin to catch a bubble screen on the play. Dorty and Mack combine on the tackle, nice play by Dorty to get downfield.

T 2-4 T34 Taylor, T rush OL for 5 yards to the VT39, 1ST DOWN VT, out-of-bounds.

Zone read to the left, Taylor keeps it and fumbles it, picks it up and runs for a first down. Good job by the defense forcing Taylor to the outside, but nobody was there to make a tackle.

T 1-10 T39 Taylor, T deep pass complete to Roberts, D for 42 yards to the WF19, 1ST DOWN VT (Marshall, AJ).

PA bootleg to the right, actually really good defense by Marshall, a step short, but Roberts just jumps over him. I was really excited to see Marshall look for the ball.

T 1-10 W19 Roberts, D rush reverse for loss of 4 yards to the WF23 (Dorty, T).

Great defense by the linemen to stay at home and not bite on the fake. Really good tackle behind the line.

T 2-14 W23 Taylor, T pass incomplete to Coale, D.

3 wr’s outside corners are playing well off, slot receiver is covered right at the line. Danny Coale is wide open in the middle of the screen. No idea where the safety was there. Marshall was trailing behind him by about 5 steps. Looks like the TE and Coale ran a crossing route and Marshall picked up the TE but nobody picked up Coale. That is the problem with having slower LB’s, they can’t cover downfield, absolutely no idea where the zone safety was, looks like he may have been in man coverage on somebody else.

T 3-14 W23 Taylor, T pass incomplete to Boykin, J, PENALTY WF pass interference (Marshall, AJ) 15 yards to the WF8, 1ST

DOWN VT, NO PLAY.

Same defensive set as always. It seems like we could throw some more looks at the offense because we have had the same coverage every single play. Marshall was with Boykin most of the way, he just never turned around and got flagged for face guarding/pass interference.

T 1-G W08 Evans, D rush over left guard for 8 yards to the WF0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 12:34.

Run straight up the middle for Evans, the defense is there but nobody lays a hand on him. Okoro cuts too late and completely missed the tackle. Wilber was sealed off on the end and the dt’s were nowhere to be found. Hard to make stops when the first chance at a tackle comes 5 yards past the line of scrimmage.

6 Plays, 72 yards VT 28- WFU 7

6TH POSSESSION

T 1-10 T16 VIRGINIA TECH drive start at 12:06.

T 1-10 T16 Wilson, D rush over right guard for 10 yards to the VT26, 1ST DOWN VT (Betros, S), PENALTY WF face mask

Same defensive look, Wilson runs right by Kevin Johnson who then picks up a facemask penalty. Johnson was the first tackler to even have a chance at the Wilson, 5 yards past the line. He came from about 8 yards off the LOS despite there being no receiver in front of him.

T 1-10 T41 Taylor, T slant pass complete to Boykin, J for 5 yards to the VT46 (Okoro, K).

Corner is up on the left WR, blitzes but it is a screen to the right side, nearly jumped by Okoro, but he was on the out receiver and the Boykin (the recipient of the catch) was in the slot, so Okoro was too late.

T 2-5 T46 Wilson, D rush over right tackle for 33 yards to the WF21, 1ST DOWN VT, out-of-bounds (Frye, A).

Wilson runs to the right side, nobody within 10 yards of him. Okoro squares him up and Wilson just runs by him to the sideline. Great cutback to the right on a designed run to the left.

T 1-10 W21 Wilson, D rush over left tackle for 3 yards to the WF18 (Johnson, K).

Run to the left, good tackle by Johnson. Wake is just getting nothing from the line/linebackers. It’s ridiculous how much they are being pushed around.

T 2-7 W18 Taylor, T screen pass complete to Boykin, J for 6 yards to the WF12 (Jarrett, K).

Screen to Boykin, receivers are 8-9 yards off and he has 5 yards to run before he even confronts a defender. Good tackle by Jarrett.

T 3-1 W12 Wilson, D rush up middle for 11 yards to the WF1, 1ST DOWN VT (Frye, A;Quarles, C).

Straight up the middle to the 1 yard line. Wasn’t touched until the 3 by Quarles and Frye. Great block by the FB springs the run. Taylor plunges it in on the next run.

7 Plays, 84 yards, VT 35- WFU 14

7TH POSSESSION

T 1-10 T17 Taylor, T post pass complete to Coale, D for 27 yards to the VT44, 1ST DOWN VT (Johnson, K).

Same defensive scheme, 4 linemen, 2 lbs, safeties move up. Coale wide open down the middle of the field. Single coverage on the left side, Johnson is the guy covering him but he is giving him a 5 yard cushion and Taylor exploits it.

T 1-10 T44 Oglesby, J rush over left tackle for 16 yards to the WF40, 1ST DOWN VT (Frye, A;Dorty, T).

Run up the middle, should have been stopped after 5 yards but he breaks 3-4 tackles and extends it to 16 yards.

T 1-10 W40 Taylor, T deep pass complete to Roberts, D for 36 yards to the WF4, 1ST DOWN VT (Marshall, AJ).

Same defense, no pressure, Roberts is wide open in the middle of the field. Marshall is in coverage on the double post route, but is content to stay 5 yards behind him and just make the tackle. It seems like most of the passes our guys are there, they just seem scared to make plays.

T 1-G W04 Taylor, T pass incomplete to Boykin, J (Johnson, K).

Great coverage by Johnson, Taylor tried to exploit him right away with a bullet throw but there is no room to complete the pass.

T 2-G W04 Evans, D rush over left end for 3 yards to the WF1 (Quarles, C;Souza, F).

Run to the left, pretty good defense actually, field is stretched very wide and Souza makes a great TD saving tackle. Good fundamental tackle.

T 3-G W01 Evans, D rush right for 1 yard to the WF0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 03:36.

Evans bounces the run to the right outside, Joey Ehrmann makes the penetration, has his arms around his legs, but is just unable to make the play. That is one that he will make next year I am guessing.

6 Plays, 83 yards, VT 42-WFU 14

8TH POSSESSION

T 1-10 T35 VT ball on VT36.

T 1-10 T36 Taylor, T rush SCR for 4 yards to the VT40, out-of-bounds (Whitlock, N).

All day to throw, just reverses field and gets 4 yards, nobody was really ever close to making a tackle. He ran around for at least 9 seconds. Not good enough up front, not even close.

T 2-6 T40 Taylor, T sideline pass complete to Boykin, J for 7 yards to the VT47, 1ST DOWN VT, out-of-bounds (Marshall, AJ).

Another out route to Boykin. Marshall is 8 yards deep and behind the play as usual.

T 1-10 T47 Taylor, T sideline pass complete to Roberts, D for 13 yards to the WF40, 1ST DOWN VT, out-of-bounds (Okoro, K).

Yet another out route for Taylor to throw, fits it perfectly in there. Kevin Johnson 8 yards off and behind the play.

T 1-10 W40 Taylor, T pass incomplete to Roberts, D, clock 01:30.

Bootleg to the right, same play as the 1^st down play. Taylor makes a great throw but Roberts lapses in concentration and drops it. Marshall behind the play.

T 2-10 W40 Taylor, T slant pass complete to Boykin, J for 19 yards to the WF21, 1ST DOWN VT (Johnson, K).

No initial pressure, good coverage to start, Taylor evades the blitz and throws it to a wide open Boykin who is then hammered by Johnson who was behind the play.

T 1-10 W21 Taylor, T sideline pass complete to Roberts, D for 11 yards to the WF10, 1ST DOWN VT (Marshall, AJ).

Another out route to the sideline with Marshall behind him. Great catch by Roberts.

T 1-9 W10 Taylor, T post pass complete to Boykin, J for 10 yards to the WF0, 1ST DOWN VT, TOUCHDOWN, clock 00:52.

Pretty good pressure, forced Taylor to throw off his back foot to Boykin in the middle. Marshall is behind the play and there is no safety over the top. Marshall was about 3 steps behind the play.

7 Plays, 64 yards, VT 49- Wake 14

Ok, for those of you who read this far I commend you. Especially given the absolutely atrocious formatting, and play of the defense. It seems to me that most of the problems can be summed up into one of three categories.

Scheme for the corners. Marshall and Johnson played 8-10 yards off of the LOS on almost every single play. Even when there wasn't a receiver in front of them, they hardly ever went up to the line. This caused a lot of problems because not only did they play off the ball from the snap, but they never adjusted. They seemed to be content on playing good defense behind the receiver and then just making the tackle. I will give credit to them though, for the amount of throws that Taylor went right at them, they were in pretty good position most of the time, especially on the long balls. They were right there all the time, they just didn't make the play they needed to make to keep the ball out of the hands of the receiver.
There was absolutely no pressure on Taylor at all. If I had to guess what his average time to throw, it would probably be around 4-5 seconds. When you have a lot of young players in the secondary this is a recipe for disaster. It is nearly impossible for anybody to cover college receivers for more than about 3 seconds. Problems were compounded by the fact that the corners were often on islands with no secondary help in the middle of the field, it was just man on man all day. For many of the plays it felt like there were no safeties on the field at all. People want to put all of the blame on the secondary, and I will agree that they were very poor on Saturday, as well as throughout the year, but I feel really bad for them because they are getting no help at all. The Hokies manhandled us up front and that is not something that is going to change. We are too small there and we don't make plays when we do flush the QB out of the pocket (see Nesbitt/Dobbs/Taylor/Luck).
The defensive scheme in general is just bizarre at times. There was hardly ever any creativity on blitzes, the set before the snap was the same almost all game, and there was absolutely no aggression at all in the secondary, or at the line of scrimmage for the most part. Taylor did make some good plays on the times we flushed him out of the pocket, but the defense has to be able to make plays when they get him on the run and they didn't do that. Lambert needs to take the bye week to look hard at his scheme and reassess whether he is giving the players the best shot at succeeding. Honestly if we continue to play with the same scheme that we used on Saturday, and continue to fail to adjust to the same plays over and over again (see the out routes on the last drive for VT in the first half), then Coach Grobe will have to reassess the DC position for next year.

So that wraps up my review of the defense for the game. I really did see some bright spots to be honest with you. Marshall and Johnson got completely obliterated, but they were often times in the right spot, and they just have to make plays. Next year around this time, I bet they both make at least 5 more plays a piece, which could result in 2-4 turnovers that can completely change the game. There is certainly a lot of talent on the defense, but they are very young and making dumb mistakes. I think the potential is there, there are just a few tweaks that need to be made both from a coaching and execution standpoint to get us where we need to be heading into next year.

I think the main thing is to not get too down on the guys. They put forth a lot of effort, they were just completely undermanned and overpowered by a much better Virginia Tech team. I appreciate the way they kept their heads up and played on despite getting beat pretty handily.

Comments are always welcome. I'll do my best to shape up the formatting to make it readable for those who want to sort through it. Thanks and Go Deacs!!!

A fresh look at the Demon Deacon depth chart

RAJohnston — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 19:16:16 -0000

Heading into the Virginia Tech game on Saturday, Coach Grobe is looking to do something that will fire up the team and get them headed in the right direction following a four game losing streak. His plan is to get off to a fresh start if you will.

No less than 10 true or RS freshmen are on the 2-deep roster right now for the Deacs, including (Price, Harris, Johnson, Whitlock, Souza and Marshall) that are projected to start on Saturday. This is obviously a huge change from the experience factor that Coach Grobe goes with, even deviating heavily from the Georgia Tech game where Coach said he wanted to see what the older guys could do.

We'll take a look at the depth chart, particularly the freshmen, and highlight some changes that could make or break the game, not only on Saturday, but for the rest of the season as well.

Click through the jump for some depth chart analysis

QB Position

Starter- Tanner Price (Fr)

Backup- Skylar Jones (RS-Jr

It comes to nobody's surprise that Tanner Price remains the starting QB for the Deacs after a great performance on Saturday against Navy. 37-53 for 330 yards and 3 total touchdowns is absolutely nothing to scoff about, even though Navy was giving us the screens all day. I think that Price got shunned this week in the ACC Rookie of the Week voting. He should have received the award over Deandre Hopkins of Clemson. Price will have to play with the poise of a senior this weekend if Wake Forest is to have any chance at winning. Should anything happen to Price, Skylar is still holding down the second string position. I'm not sure how his ankle/foot is doing because I have seen him on campus walking with a slight limp and a protective boot on.

RB Position

Starter- Josh Harris (Fr)

Backup- Josh Adams (Sr)

Josh Harris will make his first collegiate start in Blacksburg this weekend. In my opinion Josh Harris has earned this job through his performances the first 6 games of the year. He has a shown a tremendous ability to hit the holes, and combines a great touch of power and speed to garner his yards. Josh Adams should also see a good amount of time with the way that the coaches have been subbing in and out. Adams had a costly drop at the end of the Navy game and is looking to rebound with a solid game this weekend. Harris and Adams need to run well and hard early to open up the downfield passes on the Hokies tough defense.

FB Position

Starter- Tommy Bohanon (So)

Backup- Willie Dixon (Sr)

Tommy Bohanon continues to start at the FB spot for the Deacs. Against Navy, Bohanon suffered a PCL injury to his knee, but because of his almost superhuman leg strength, he does not need surgery and should be ready to go against VT. Backing him up is the former walk-on Willie Dixon. If I am not mistaken, this is Dixon's first time cracking the 2-deep chart at any position. I am pretty interested to see if he will see any time on blocks because he certainly does not have the typical FB body. Very proud of what he has done to work his way up to this spot now. Classy Deac who embodies the spirit of a hard worker.

WR Position

Starter- Marshall Williams (RS-Sr)

Backup- Danny Dembry (RS-Jr)

Williams will get another start at WR while Dembry backs him up. Marshall only caught 3 balls for 12 yards against Navy, but I want to take time to talk about another facet of his game; blocking. This goes unnoticed by almost everybody in the stadium, but I am sure that the coaches are talking about it and have applauded his effort. Williams is one of the better WR blockers that I have ever seen. On the many screen passes last weekend, Marshall Williams almost every single time engaged the defender on him and executed a perfect block without holding. This allowed Givens and Brown the ability to run behind him due to the great seal on the edge. Make sure you take the time to watch this tomorrow on the screen passes we call, it is a really great thing to watch and something that many people do not notice.

FL (Flanker) Position

Starter- Devon Brown (RS-Jr)

Backup- Chris Givens (RS-So

Notable 3rd string- Michael Campanaro (Rs-Fr)

This is the skill position that gets the most look in our offense, especially if we continue to run the screens like we did on Saturday. Givens caught 7 balls for 60 yards and a TD on Saturday, while Brown caught 10 for 59 and a TD. I will commend the coaches for these statistics because it means we are getting the ball in the hands of our playmakers and seeing what they can do. I would like to see Camp utilized more at this position (4 catches for 44 yards against Navy), but the coaches are obviously doing what they can with limited positions for all of this great players.

TE Position

Starter- Cameron Ford (Rs-Jr)

Backup- Andrew Parker (Jr)

Ford holds down the starting TE role for the upcoming game with Andrew Parker backing him up. These guys do an excellent job at blocking and doing the little things. I have seen some statistics from the previous years that shows a decline is throws and receptions by the TE for Wake Forest, and that has to change. Both of these guys can catch the ball and even do a little running after the catch. Ford has caught a pass in every game but the Duke game this year (6 catches for 64 yards), and is a great option in opponents territory to sneak out and grab one.

The Offensive Line

Remains the same with Godfrey, Looney, Nenon, Hoag and Weaver starting. This unit had their best outing of the year in my opinion against Navy this past weekend. They gave Price a lot of time to throw, and if I am not mistaken did not allow a sack. They will need to step up big time this weekend if Wake Forest wants to have any chance to win. If we run the screen offense that we ran last weekend, they need to engage and then move on down field to help block. I would love to see some trap runs and get our smaller O-linemen out there and blocking for the skill guys.

DE Position

Starters- Tristan Dorty (Rs-Jr), Kyle Wilber (Rs-Jr)

Backups- Gelo Orange (Rs-Jr), Zach Thompson (Rs-Fr)

This is our most talented starting position in my opinion on the entire team. Wilber and Dorty have been nothing short of magnificent. Wilber showed his versatility the past two weeks by dropping back to an OLB role to transform our 4-3 into a 3-4 to help stop the option. Wilber ranks near the top of the nation in several statistics including TFL, sacks and forced fumbles. Honestly I am surprised that there has not been more hype, especially within the conference about Wilber.

NG/DT Position

NG Starter- Nikita Whitlock (Rs-Fr)

Backup- Ramon Booi (Rs-So)

DT Starter- Frank Souza (Rs-Fr)

Backup- Kris Redding (Rs-Fr)

Nikita Whitlock showed why he was the Texas 5A State DPOY in 2008 and what Grobe saw in him the past two weeks. Whitlock thrived against the option and I will eat my words when I said that I thought he would get manhandled up front against Tech and Navy. If he can continue to produce on a level of play that high, he can do special things here. I am a little worried about his ability to get past the bigger O-linemen of VT, but believe he can get low enough to force Evans and Taylor to the outside. Booi and Souza should both see a good amount of play too with a rotating lineup to keep Whitlock fresh. They will need to step up this weekend to stop the good running game of VT.

Linebackers

OLB Starters- Joey Ehrmann (Rs-So), Matt Woodlief (Rs-Sr)

Backups- Lee Malchow (Rs-Sr), Kyle Jarrett (Rs-Jr)

MLB Starter- Hunter Haynes (Rs-Sr)

Backup- Mike Olson (Rs-Fr)

Woodlief gets another start at WLB with Riley Haynes still recovering from a knee injury. He has made the most of his opportunity with great games against GT and Navy. The whole linebacker corps has had a good two weeks. Haynes led the team in tackles against Georgia Tech. Mike Olson gets the backup role for Haynes, and I don't remember him being there before although I could just be mistaken. The linebackers will be pretty important against Taylor in terms of spying and dropping back in coverage. If they have a mental lapse Taylor will tear them apart.

Cornerbacks

Starters- Kevin Johnson (Fr), A.J Marshall (Fr)

Backups- Kenny Okoro (Rs-So), Josh Bush (Rs-Jr)

This doesn't really come as a surprise to anybody who has watched Wake Forest play this year. The secondary has been the reason we gave up last minute touchdowns to lose the past two weeks. Grobe is clearly showing that this is not acceptable and this will either be used as a wake up call to Bush and Okoro or they will be replaced. With coveted recruit Merrill Noel coming in next year too after redshirting, all of these guys are looking to distinguish themselves in one way or another. I think the two freshmen could have a rough go against Boykin this weekend, but it will used as a learning experience. You never know, they could come in and shut the passing game down for the Hokies. That would be an extremely welcome surprise. I am pretty excited about seeing what they can do for us.

Safeties

Starters- Cyhl Quarles (Rs-Jr), Alex Frye (Rs-Sr)

Backups- John Stamper (Rs-Jr), Duran Lowe (Rs-Fr)

Quarles gets his starting role back and Mack falls completely off of the 2-deep roster, being replaced by Stamper. Mack has had some tough times in coverage, particularly in zone where he tends to rove a little too far away from his designated location. I think Quarles is ready to be back and Frye should have this secondary amped up. They should be extremely embarrassed for their performances the past few weeks and know that the time to change is now. If not, there is a ton of talent waiting to replace them.

That is an overview of the offense and defense 2-deep roster. The only special teams change is the lack of Campanaro in the KR unit (Brown and Givens are getting the call). This is very surprising to me because Campanaro is one of the top 30 KR's nationally in yards per return. Not sure if this means Camp will get a lot more touches on offense (I really hope so), or if he did something in practice this week that the coaches didn't like (or maybe even an injury).

As always, comments and corrections are welcome and conversation is a must! Go Deacs!

Poll

What do you think of the "fresh look" for this weekend's game against VT?

Strongly Agree

13 votes

Agree

12 votes

Neurtal (wait and see)

9 votes

Disagree

3 votes

Strongly Disagree

2 votes

39 votes | Poll has closed

Q/A with Wake Forest Blogger So Dear

BirdGT — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 12:00:34 -0000

We sent over some questions about the upcoming Wake Forest football game to SBNation Wake Forest rep, Blogger So Dear. Martin of BSD responded with the excitement and vigor of a man who's a fan of a team that gives up 49 points/game on defense. Here are his responses...

FTRS: Wake hoops held 13 teams to 67 or fewer points last season. If you put Dino's 2009-2010 squad out there in pads, could they have slowed down the Cardinal? Is Stanford as legit as they looked on TV?

BSD: I think I'd take Aminu at the Safety position and Woods and Weaver down in the trenches. Ish could keep up with any receiver and LD would be a bruising LB. But in all honesty, Stanford made us look like fools. The defense is a mess. They played better last week in stretches, but overall, there are just too many problems to address right now. And as to Stanford in general, yes they're legit. Luck could be the first pick in the draft next year, they have a beast FB/LB dual-player and an NFL-caliber WR. Not to mention, their defense does enough to keep them in games if somehow Luck is off. If Gerhart was still there, they'd probably win it all this year.

FTRS: Who is starting at QB for the Deacs on Saturday, Tanner Price or Ted Stachitas? What do the different Wake QB's bring to the table?

BSD: Ted Stachitas. Price has a concussion and is listed as "doubtful" right now. Unless something changes, Teddy Stacks will be starting. Price has a bigger arm and is mobile, but Stachitas is a better runner in general and has more strength. He can take a real beating. Unfortunately, he hasn't shown much in the passing game. I wouldn't be surprised to see more option out of Wake this week, more creative playcalling, and even some wildcat.

FTRS: Georgia Tech, under Paul Johnson, follows a very rigid pattern in its first three ACC games of the season: Close Win, Blowout Loss, Blowout Win. Will Wake break down defensively against Georgia Tech or should we expect another hard fought struggle like we saw in Atlanta last year? Who are the defensive bright spots for Wake this season?

BSD: Who knows? The way Wake has played the option in the past, I don't see good things in my gold and black crystal ball. The bright spots are few and far between, but I've been very impressed (and let me stress VERY impressed) with Kyle Wilber. My numbers might be wrong, but I have him at 31 tackles, 5 sacks and 11 TFL on the season so far. I also like the heart that Tristan Dorty and Joey Ehrmann have shown. AJ Marshall should come along, and Alex Frye has played well in the secondary. But as a unit, the defense is a mess.

FTRS: What's up with the Deacons offensively? Why are they struggling so much to find an offensive identity? Lack of seniors? Lack of talent? Poor coaching?

BSD: All three? The line is bad, there is a lot of youth out there, they aren't executing. But a lot of it falls on the coaching staff. As has been seen in years past, there is no continuity. Playcalls are not right for situations. They go from taking a big shot downfield or a trick play at an inopportune time to running plays on third down and long that have little to no chance at picking up the first down. I'm very disappointed in the coaching offensively. I know you need players to execute, but coaching can mask problems, and we are not seeing that at all right now.

FTRS: Excitement gauge. What percentage of Wake fans are gearing up for Hoops already? What percentage of Wake fans are giving up on the 2010 football season? How many of the tie-dye faithful are hanging strong?

BSD: Well, a lot of fans are excited about basketball, but a lot are also apprehensive because of the new head coach and a bunch of young players. With youth you get the unknown factor, but most of us have little to no expectations. But given the circumstances, and knowing in the back of our minds that even 5 wins is a stretch this year in football, I would say a good amount are just waiting around till November. You have your Sunshiners and your Gloom and Dooms. Unfortunately a lot of the sunny day fans are simply making excuses at this point. We all want the team to win, but if you looked at this thing realistically way back in August, five to six wins was the ceiling all along. We just hoped that the team wouldn't look this bad.

FTRS: Jim Grobe has seen some version of Paul Johnson's offense at least 6 times. How are the Deacs prepping for the 2010 version of the Ramblin' Wreckbone? Would you have preferred playing Navy before or after GT?

BSD: Probably the same way they always do. Look at the film, look at past games, run it in practice with our scout QB (Skylar Jones). We still have nightmares of the Navy game a couple years back, and we always have trouble against the option. With our lack of size on the line this year, I'm very worried that you guys are going to rush for like 400 yards and control the ball for three quarters of the game. I would have liked to play Navy before, but in all honesty, playing GT first prepares us FOR Navy, and Navy is the winnable game. GT may be sliding, but I still think they're the better team.

FTRS: Who wins this game and why?

BSD: Georgia Tech because they're a better team. Wake has no defense, no offense and the coaches don't seem to know how to use the personnel. Wake looks overmatched out there right now, and I'm worried we whiffed on some of our recruits and inaccurately scouted them. I just don't know. Do I want improvement? Of course. I hope the team can build on something the rest of the season or it could get ugly fast. I'm taking GT, 35-10.

Thanks goes out to Martin and Blogger So Dear. Hopefully, their hoops coach with not-enough-vowels-in-his-last-name struggles against CPH like Dino did. Go Jackets!

The Conversation: Talking Wake Forest With BloggerSoDear

Bud Elliott — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 20:00:48 -0000

This week we are joined by Martin Rickman of BloggerSoDear.com to discuss the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. I recommended the the guys at BloggerSoDear for their current spot and couldn't be more pleased. They do an excellent job. My answers to their questions are here. Let's get to it:

1. Where is this Wake team mentally after the 68-24 drubbing at the hands of Stanford? Any feel for the likelihood of a hangover effect?

Well I wouldn't put them in the "confident" camp. Looking at the quotes from after Stanford, this is a team that got whipped and knows it. The biggest question is, how do they respond? I said early on in the preseason that if they get down on themselves this could get ugly fast, but if they are able to learn something every game, at least there's that. We all knew Stanford was an auto-loss. There was no chance of a win there. Hangover effect? Possibly. But I'm expecting a loss, by at least two scores, and I'm not chalking that up to a hangover--FSU is just a better team.

2. Who are Wake's 5 best players so far this season?

Tanner Price, Josh Harris, Chris Givens, Devon Brown and Alex Frye. Frye is probably the best player on this defense (which I realize doesn't seem like it's saying much, but he is the best playmaker we've got). Price has shown the most upside potential and he'll take his licks, but this kid has a bright future. Harris needs the ball more and has shown great burst from the RB position. And as to Givens and Brown, they are part of our very talented receiving corps. They catch everything and show a lot when they get into the perimeter on handoffs.

3. If you could magically fix one element of Wake's team (run offense, pass offense, run defense, pass defense), which one do you fix and why?

I'm not going "run defense" or "pass defense" in general because it's not that simple. The DBs give too much of a cushion, but part of the reason they give that cushion is because of the DL. So I'm going DL in general. They are undersized, they get no pressure and they don't scare anyone. I don't think Luck was knocked down more than once or twice last game, and it's extremely difficult for your DBs to play bump and run or stay on their man if they know that the QB is going to have all day to throw the ball. Something needs to be done on the line or this problem is only going to get worse.

4. Do you put most of the blame on the new quarterbacks for the offense's lack of progress?

No. The offense has scored. That's not our problem. There are growing pains, but I'm actually pleasantly surprised with our ability to score. If you had told me we'd have 133 points through three weeks I would have actually laughed in your face.

5. What would you consider an acceptable game in Tally? What result would be unacceptable?

Keeping it close. Showing some heart. Actually knocking down Ponder once or twice. Seeing the team get hyped up after making a big play on defense. Not giving FSU the ball at the 35 or better on average field position. Losing by less than 17. Unacceptable? What happened in Palo Alto.

As always, thanks to TomahawkNation. I have nothing but good things to say about your site, and I'm proud to be part of a network of ACC blogs as good as yours.

Probable Starters For Tallahassee

BJohnston — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:40:45 -0000

As the Deacs are set to depart Winston-Salem on today for their Saturday afternoon game against Florida State (3:30 ET, ABC), let's take a look at what personnel we can expect to see on the field.

PROBABLE OFFENSIVE STARTERS

QB 11 Tanner Price Fr.: Second career collegiate start

TB 27 Josh Adams R-Sr.: 38 yards shy of 2,000 rushing yards for his career

FB 42 Tommy Bohanon So.

WR 3 Devon Brown R-Jr.

WR 8 Marshall Williams R-Sr.

TE 80 Andrew Parker Jr.

LT 69 Dennis Godfrey R-Jr.

LG 78 Joe Looney Jr.

C 72 Russell Nenon R-Sr.: This would be Nenon's team-leading 29th consecutive start

RG 75 Michael Hoag R-Jr.

RT 62 Doug Weaver R-Jr. OL

PROBABLE DEFENSIVE STARTERS

DE 55 Tristan Dorty R-Jr.

DT 50 Nikita Whitlock R-Fr.

NG 93 Frank Souza R-Fr.

DE 97 Kyle Wilber R-Jr. Leads the ACC with eight tackles for loss

SLB 40 Joey Ehrmann R-So.

MLB 56 Hunter Haynes R-Sr.

WLB 45 Riley Haynes R-So.

CB 4 Josh Bush R-Jr.: Takes over the second corner spot after being injured last Saturday

FS 21 Alex Frye R-Sr. Leads the ACC with three interceptions on the season

SS 5 Cyhl Quarles R-Jr.: Leads the team in tackles with 21

CB 6 Kenny Okoro R-So.: Solidly holding down the top corner position and making his 4th start of the year

SPECIALISTS

P 37 Shane Popham R-Jr.: Averaging 40.9 yards per punt so far this year

PK 82 Jimmy Newman So.: 2-3 on the year with a long of 48 yards

LS 53 Greg Bechtel R-Sr.

KR 28 Michael Campanaro R-Fr.

KR 3 Devon Brown R-Jr.

Inside the Numbers with Bart

BJohnston — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 23:44:10 -0000

Because Jim Harbaugh whined about the start time of the first two parts

Wake won last week and we're all thrilled around these parts. Now we're set to travel across the country to play a real team and hopefully can avoid a total embarrassment in Palo Alto.

Let's be honest, if we can't beat Stanford in an athletic event what can we beat them in?

I'm Bart, and these are my thoughts.

0: The number of mascots more idiotic in the nation than this guy...

2730: The number of miles from the Wake Forest University campus to the Stanford University campus

2729: The number of miles I'd be willing to drive to see Wake play football, sorry guys just missed the cut off.

2: The number of teams in the nation averaging more points a game than Wake Forest's, 53.5.

102: The number of points Wake and Duke combined for last week, the second most points scored in ACC history.

8: The number of touchdowns Wake Forest scored last week, the most-ever by Wake at BB&T Field.

7: The number of times either defense actually made a worth-while play.

6: The number of times Alex Frye, Tristan Dorty, or Joey Ehrmann was the one making that play.

5 The number of years Wake has started 2-0 under head coach Jim Grobe.

0: The number of losses Wake has all-time against the Pac-10

461.8: Marshall Williams' career passing efficiency rating. Williams is 4-for-4 with 131 yards and one touchdown in his career.

100%: The touch-to-touchdown percentage of Marshall Williams against Duke. Williams caught two passes for two touchdowns, and threw for another.

142.8: The average IQ of the scholarship players on Wake Forest and Stanford's football teams.

7: The number of passes Georgia Tech has completed in their first two games of the year, last in the NCAA.

1: The difference in the number of passes the three service academies have attempted this year versus the number of completions Duke has (60 vs. 59).

14: The number of field goals in a row that opposing teams have made against Wake Forest, dating back to last year.

235: The weight of Stanford starting QB Andrew Luck

185.16: Luck's QB rating through two games, in which he has thrown for six touchdowns and no interceptions.

186: The number of times Jim Harbaugh has complained about last year's 24-17 Wake Forest victory over Stanford.

8:15 PST: The latest kickoff in Stanford history.

9: The number of teams besides Wake Forest who are yet to allow a sack on the season.

322: The number of rushing yards Wake has averaged through two games

4.5: The number of points Colorado State's offense is averaging through two games this year. This news is not great considering they've played only played powerhouses Nevada and Colorado. On second thought Colorado if you give us your starting defense, we'll give you your basketball coach back.

45-17 Stanford: My prediction for this weekend's game. You can call me negative or pessimistic all you want, but we're playing a top 20 team on the road. Andrew Luck is the real deal and as far as I can tell, our secondary can't stop the intramural champions from getting to the end zone. It doesn't help either that we're traveling across three time zones and kicking off at 11:15 ET. The only good news about the late kickoff is Old Man Sloan can to go bed on time and still be up for kickoff.