One of real sportswriters' favorite cliches is "good teams find a way to win."
My brother, who was at Kenan Stadium on Saturday, said that Wake didn't deserve to beat Carolina.
But didn't Clint Eastwood, in Unforgiven, say something like 'deserves got nothing to do with it'? Wake might have played ugly, but they found a way to win, and now Wake fans have to ask themselves a mostly unfamiliar question:
Just how good is this team?
They're 7-1, still in the AP top 25, and thanks to Virginia Tech's whuppin' of Clemson last Thursday, they have a share of the lead in the ACC's Atlantic Division and a realistic shot at the ACC Championship Game.
If I weren't already sitting down, I'd need to.
That 7-1 record is the Deacons' best since the 1979 Tangerine Bowl season under John Mackovic. For the first time since 1987, they've beaten all three of the other Big 4 schools: Duke, State, and now Carolina. All this without their starting quarterback or tailback.
Carolina, riding a rush of "win-one-for-Bunting" emotion*, drove to inside the Deacon 10 with less than a minute left. On third down Joe Dailey tried to sidearm a pass into the end zone. The ball made it to the end zone, but I don't think Dailey meant for it to hit Jon Abbate square in the numbers (though he might have, since Abbate was closer to it than anyone in baby blue).
So now all Wake has to do to ensure a chance at the ACC title game is run the rest of the table: Boston College at home, Florida State in Tallahassee, Virginia Tech at home, Maryland in College Park.
Gee, is that all? Why don't we throw Ohio State into that schedule for good measure? Is there any way we can move Ol' Miss from September to November? Can we play Duke again?
Mathematically, Wake could lose one of its remaining games and still win the Atlantic division, but that would require both Boston College and Clemson to lose again to an ACC opponent. Honestly, Wake could lose the rest of their games and still go to a decent bowl game and call the season a success. Historically, Wake finishing 7-5 should satisfy any Deacon fan with a lick of sense.
But now the Deacons have done gone and raised expectations on us. Would 7-5 satisfy the faithful? Would 10-2, 9-3, 8-4? What if the next loss is a gut punch like the Clemson game? What if the next loss is in the Wake tradition of well-played, hard-fought, ultimately futile close-score defeats at the hands of a deeper and more talented team? What if Wake loses another key player? Which of those scenarios would make 7-5 easier to take? Should any of those scenarios make 7-5 easier to take? Are we justified in un-humbling our expectations for "little old Wake Forest"?
I'd love to know how other Deacon fans answer those questions.
* Mark Packer on Prime Time with the Packman correctly (I think) pointed out that the Tarheels' rallying around Bunting now is about the biggest slap in the face they could give him. They wouldn't or couldn't rally around him earlier, when they had to know his job was on the line, and they could have done something to help keep him there. Suddenly showing up to play at this point, when Bunting's fate has been decided, is almost like saying they're glad he's gone.
Maybe they are, but by all accounts Bunting is a decent guy and a class act all the way. And he obviously bleeds Carolina blue. Like Matt Doherty before him, though, Bunting seemed a little overmatched, a little underprepared for his dream job. He kept Willie Parker, the running back who would become the starter for the Super Bowl champions, on the bench. He recruited as much talent as any coach in the ACC, but couldn't seem to get them to play consistent, disciplined football.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Grobe in the N&O
From the Raleigh News & Observer:
Grobe winning his way
Wake coach's style effective, not flashy
A.J. Carr, Staff Writer
WINSTON-SALEM - During Wake Forest's nerve-racking Oct. 14 game with N.C. State, Demon Deacons freshman quarterback Riley Skinner sidled up to Jim Grobe and made a remark that would have sent some coaches flipping over their clipboard.
"Coach, I see you've changed your sweatshirt," Skinner said.
"Yeah, my wife didn't like it, so I had to change," Grobe quipped.
After that bit of sideline levity, the Deacons went on to defeat the Wolfpack 25-23 and push their record to 6-1.
The coach-quarterback exchange said much about why Grobe has been able to lead his team so effectively.
"He's there to win, has a serious, competitive side ... and has fun," Skinner said.
But there's more to Grobe, Skinner said. "He's a very spiritual man, a family-based man, which is important to me. It's encouraging to know your coach cares about you as a person, not just as a product of the system."
In a tough year for several ACC coaches, Grobe is quietly overachieving at a small school that lacks the football tradition and rich resources of its conference rivals.
Yet, the 54-year-old Grobe still prefers the low profile of an offensive lineman, which he was at Virginia in the 1970s. He isn't flashy. He doesn't seek the spotlight. And his ego would fit in a wide receiver's glove.
But his team, which plays at North Carolina on Saturday, is making headlines.
It's a good time for the Wake players and the coach who inspires them with phrases like "grit your teeth and bow your neck!" and "play like your hair's on fire!"
Having steadily recruited better players with more speed, Grobe is confident Wake can sustain success -- he believes he has a sound program, not just a good team.
"We are not going to have one of those years when you drop off the edge of the earth,'' said Grobe, whose redshirt system assures him of having 15 to 18 fifth-year seniors every season. "Each class we've brought in is more talented than the one in front of it. "
The challenge for Wake could be to keep its coach, who is in the fourth year of a 10-year deal. Other schools have courted him in the past, and more are likely to come knocking after this season.
Asked how he would deal with enticing offers, Grobe talked only of his affection for Wake and said he isn't planning on leaving.
Much of his success and appeal is linked to a leadership style that has evoked unwavering loyalty from players and staff, whom he readily credits for Wake's success.
"We try to treat kids like our own sons," said Grobe, who has two grown sons. "We pat 'em on the back; hug 'em around the neck a lot; and kick 'em in the seat of the pants if they're not doing what they're supposed to do."
He has suspended players, including career rushing leader Chris Barclay, who sat out a few games last year for an off-the-field misadventure.
"He knows how to deal with people and knows how to deal with a problem," said Bill Faircloth, assistant athletics director for football.
After games, even if it's late at night, Grobe reminds his players to call their parents to "tell 'em you love 'em," and to get up Sunday morning and go to church.
Grobe sets a schedule that allows his assistants to be home with their families on most nights of the week. Eight of his original 10 Wake coaches are still with him.
Grobe is typically even-keeled during games and rarely gets riled up in practice. But when his voice soars several decibels, the Deacons know it's serious.
For example, in 2001, Wake fell behind UNC 24-0 late in the first half. Grobe doesn't unleash expletives, but he delivered an intense sideline message. Wake woke up after that and rallied for a 32-31 win, the biggest comeback victory in school history.
Mini-miracles like that can happen with a coach you can believe in.
Grobe winning his way
Wake coach's style effective, not flashy
A.J. Carr, Staff Writer
WINSTON-SALEM - During Wake Forest's nerve-racking Oct. 14 game with N.C. State, Demon Deacons freshman quarterback Riley Skinner sidled up to Jim Grobe and made a remark that would have sent some coaches flipping over their clipboard.
"Coach, I see you've changed your sweatshirt," Skinner said.
"Yeah, my wife didn't like it, so I had to change," Grobe quipped.
After that bit of sideline levity, the Deacons went on to defeat the Wolfpack 25-23 and push their record to 6-1.
The coach-quarterback exchange said much about why Grobe has been able to lead his team so effectively.
"He's there to win, has a serious, competitive side ... and has fun," Skinner said.
But there's more to Grobe, Skinner said. "He's a very spiritual man, a family-based man, which is important to me. It's encouraging to know your coach cares about you as a person, not just as a product of the system."
In a tough year for several ACC coaches, Grobe is quietly overachieving at a small school that lacks the football tradition and rich resources of its conference rivals.
Yet, the 54-year-old Grobe still prefers the low profile of an offensive lineman, which he was at Virginia in the 1970s. He isn't flashy. He doesn't seek the spotlight. And his ego would fit in a wide receiver's glove.
But his team, which plays at North Carolina on Saturday, is making headlines.
It's a good time for the Wake players and the coach who inspires them with phrases like "grit your teeth and bow your neck!" and "play like your hair's on fire!"
Having steadily recruited better players with more speed, Grobe is confident Wake can sustain success -- he believes he has a sound program, not just a good team.
"We are not going to have one of those years when you drop off the edge of the earth,'' said Grobe, whose redshirt system assures him of having 15 to 18 fifth-year seniors every season. "Each class we've brought in is more talented than the one in front of it. "
The challenge for Wake could be to keep its coach, who is in the fourth year of a 10-year deal. Other schools have courted him in the past, and more are likely to come knocking after this season.
Asked how he would deal with enticing offers, Grobe talked only of his affection for Wake and said he isn't planning on leaving.
Much of his success and appeal is linked to a leadership style that has evoked unwavering loyalty from players and staff, whom he readily credits for Wake's success.
"We try to treat kids like our own sons," said Grobe, who has two grown sons. "We pat 'em on the back; hug 'em around the neck a lot; and kick 'em in the seat of the pants if they're not doing what they're supposed to do."
He has suspended players, including career rushing leader Chris Barclay, who sat out a few games last year for an off-the-field misadventure.
"He knows how to deal with people and knows how to deal with a problem," said Bill Faircloth, assistant athletics director for football.
After games, even if it's late at night, Grobe reminds his players to call their parents to "tell 'em you love 'em," and to get up Sunday morning and go to church.
Grobe sets a schedule that allows his assistants to be home with their families on most nights of the week. Eight of his original 10 Wake coaches are still with him.
Grobe is typically even-keeled during games and rarely gets riled up in practice. But when his voice soars several decibels, the Deacons know it's serious.
For example, in 2001, Wake fell behind UNC 24-0 late in the first half. Grobe doesn't unleash expletives, but he delivered an intense sideline message. Wake woke up after that and rallied for a 32-31 win, the biggest comeback victory in school history.
Mini-miracles like that can happen with a coach you can believe in.
Bye-bye Bobby Bowden?
Former Florida State fan Frazer (say that three times fast) sent me this yesterday:
"It is with great regret that I announce that my decades-long man-love for Bobby Bowden has finally and irrevocably come to an end.
The disappointment and heartbreak of the 80s and 90s were bad enough, even before the scandals started; now all that remains are disgust and embarrassment as my once-proud Seminoles have been reduced to a laughingstock, currently #42 in the polls, and are apparently unable to pull themselves out of their tailspin. Jeff Bowden's incompetence as an offensive coordinator has been obvious for years, but then so was Chris Rix's complete and utter idiocy as a quarterback and no one did anything about that. And is Bobby actually coaching anymore? I mean, the guy's pushing 80. If he isn't actually coaching much now, then he needs to be eased into the sunset. And if he is, then he needs to be fired.
Back in the early days, mid-80s when I first came to FSU, one of the cool things about the program (even if it probably wasn't true) was that we could say, 'Hey, look at Florida--we're not that bad.' That feeling of course was crushed into dust years ago, but at least the team would occasionally win a game. Now most non-alumni have nothing but contempt for the Seminoles, and why wouldn't they? The petty greed, brazen indifference for the rules, the sheer stupidity--hell, we might as well be Miami.
And, like most FSU alum, I bought into the myth of Bobby Bowden, dadgummit. I loved the guy. Cornball, straight shooting, self-deprecating charisma. I even looked the other way when he started doing pre-recorded telemarketing calls for the Republicans in 2000. But now, he, his program, and his coaching career have become a ghastly parody. He's a cute little corn-pone wind-up doll, for sure, but there's something calculated and reptilian about his aw-shucks now. I can no longer defend it.
Therefore, I officially renounce my FSU fandom, until such time as Bobby Bowden retires, and the FSU coaching staff is taken over by someone other than Bobby's Faulknerian idiot man-child son Jeff. New blood is needed. Change. Great heaping ladles full of change. I am shopping around for a new college team to root for, and am open to any suggestions; of the gentlemen I've addressed this rant to, Fred and Ed are alums of schools that might fit the bill. Before Sunday, I would have just said I'm turning to pro football, but then our Panthers displayed great incompetence as well. We'll see how it shakes out.
Oh, yeah, Rick....you were right. Joe Pa deserves the most wins laurels, even if not technically.
Frazer
Former Florida State fan"
"It is with great regret that I announce that my decades-long man-love for Bobby Bowden has finally and irrevocably come to an end.
The disappointment and heartbreak of the 80s and 90s were bad enough, even before the scandals started; now all that remains are disgust and embarrassment as my once-proud Seminoles have been reduced to a laughingstock, currently #42 in the polls, and are apparently unable to pull themselves out of their tailspin. Jeff Bowden's incompetence as an offensive coordinator has been obvious for years, but then so was Chris Rix's complete and utter idiocy as a quarterback and no one did anything about that. And is Bobby actually coaching anymore? I mean, the guy's pushing 80. If he isn't actually coaching much now, then he needs to be eased into the sunset. And if he is, then he needs to be fired.
Back in the early days, mid-80s when I first came to FSU, one of the cool things about the program (even if it probably wasn't true) was that we could say, 'Hey, look at Florida--we're not that bad.' That feeling of course was crushed into dust years ago, but at least the team would occasionally win a game. Now most non-alumni have nothing but contempt for the Seminoles, and why wouldn't they? The petty greed, brazen indifference for the rules, the sheer stupidity--hell, we might as well be Miami.
And, like most FSU alum, I bought into the myth of Bobby Bowden, dadgummit. I loved the guy. Cornball, straight shooting, self-deprecating charisma. I even looked the other way when he started doing pre-recorded telemarketing calls for the Republicans in 2000. But now, he, his program, and his coaching career have become a ghastly parody. He's a cute little corn-pone wind-up doll, for sure, but there's something calculated and reptilian about his aw-shucks now. I can no longer defend it.
Therefore, I officially renounce my FSU fandom, until such time as Bobby Bowden retires, and the FSU coaching staff is taken over by someone other than Bobby's Faulknerian idiot man-child son Jeff. New blood is needed. Change. Great heaping ladles full of change. I am shopping around for a new college team to root for, and am open to any suggestions; of the gentlemen I've addressed this rant to, Fred and Ed are alums of schools that might fit the bill. Before Sunday, I would have just said I'm turning to pro football, but then our Panthers displayed great incompetence as well. We'll see how it shakes out.
Oh, yeah, Rick....you were right. Joe Pa deserves the most wins laurels, even if not technically.
Frazer
Former Florida State fan"
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Bye-bye Bunting
John Bunting is gone. Or will be. Dick Baddour's letting him play out the string, giving him time to clean out his desk, steal some towels from the locker room, and swipe all the "U," "N," and "C" keys off the Athletic Department computer keyboards.
In the Charlotte Observer Scott Fowler wrote that Bunting was good guy who was more or less in over his head. I've said before that the best thing Bunting had going was Chuck Amato in the same media market; with Chuck the Chest over in Raleigh, Bunting could never be the biggest buffoon in the neighborhood.
Personally, I'll kind of miss the guy. I'll miss the lackadaisacal effort from UNC players. I'll miss seeing a running back like Willie Parker kept deep on the bench. I'll miss the deer-in-the-headlights look of Bunting's postgame interviews.
But Deacon fans need to be worried about the effect this announcement will have on the Tarheels going into Saturday's game against the Deacs at Kenan Stadium. I've seen other teams in similar situations get ridiculously fired up, rallying around the coach they've more or less ignored the rest of the season, which is how the coach got let go in the first place. Even if it's only for one game. The next game.
Feel free to use this space to post your fondest memories of the Bunting Era of UNC football.
In the Charlotte Observer Scott Fowler wrote that Bunting was good guy who was more or less in over his head. I've said before that the best thing Bunting had going was Chuck Amato in the same media market; with Chuck the Chest over in Raleigh, Bunting could never be the biggest buffoon in the neighborhood.
Personally, I'll kind of miss the guy. I'll miss the lackadaisacal effort from UNC players. I'll miss seeing a running back like Willie Parker kept deep on the bench. I'll miss the deer-in-the-headlights look of Bunting's postgame interviews.
But Deacon fans need to be worried about the effect this announcement will have on the Tarheels going into Saturday's game against the Deacs at Kenan Stadium. I've seen other teams in similar situations get ridiculously fired up, rallying around the coach they've more or less ignored the rest of the season, which is how the coach got let go in the first place. Even if it's only for one game. The next game.
Feel free to use this space to post your fondest memories of the Bunting Era of UNC football.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Wake 25, State 23
I need to send some kind of thank-you gift to the good folks at SportSouth. Some of my wife's brownies, perhaps.
Once again, I was nowhere near a TV, much less Carter-Finley Stadium, when Wake played NC State in Raleigh last Saturday. I was at the Southern Festival of Books (an excellent event - ), held in Memphis this year. I had about an hour between the time we closed up our booth and the time we had to leave for dinner; I spent that hour in front of the TV in my hotel room, flipping between ESPN, ABC, and Fox Sports, waiting for the Wake score to scroll across the ticker on the bottom of the screen.
Finally, after 45 minutes, after seeing all the Top 25 scores twice, after seeing the ALCS score four times, after seeing the Big 12 scores, the Ivy League scores, the I-AA scores, I saw "WAKE" and "NCSU" roll onto the screen - and "WAKE" was highlighted.
If the occupants of the room below mine were sleeping, I'd like to apologize.
Resigning myself to not knowing the details of the game until I got back to North Carolina, I woke up the next morning with every good intention of working out or writing or otherwise spending my Sunday morning in a productive way. I flipped through the TV channels to find some good background noise. That's when I stumbled on Comcast SportsSouth, and the vaguely familiar sight of Carter-Finley, with the NC State Fair in the background.
Son of a gun. All my plans got tossed into the Mississippi.
Dang, Wake looked good last Saturday. State was better than I expected, but for three quarters Wake dominated them. For three quarters, of course, Wake dominated Clemson, too, but this time Wake held on. Specifically, Josh Gattis held on to a last-minute pass from State's Daniel Evans; the change-of-possession allowed Riley Skinner to take a knee and let the clock run out.
The cliche of the moment to describe Skinner is "poise," and it's as good a word as any other. But what Skinner shows is sort of beyond poise; it's a kind of composure that's freakish for a redshirt freshman who was not highly touted, and barely recruited at all, coming out of high school. Against State he glided through collapsing pockets like he was Dan by-God Marino, sliding just enough to give him the time and space to throw.
On defense Aaron Curry had a big game, as did Jon Abbate. Gattis, after his game-saving interception, could have sat down on every other play and still gotten a game ball.
The hero of the game, though, has to be Sam Swank. On the broadcast they said that Swank's teammates call him "Swankemeier," in reference to Wake's All-American, Ray Guy Award-winning, clutch punter Ryan Plackemeier. But Swank needs his own name now. He hit three field goals from beyond 51 yards, and he makes punts settle between the 10 and the end zone like he uses the Force.
So Wake moves to 6-1 and cracks the AP Top 25 (at #25). I almost hate that this is their bye week.
In the Winston-Salem Journal yesterday, Lenox Rawlings pointed out:
"Normal has taken a crazy ride since then, perhaps the wildest twist involving Wake Forest. In the current AP poll, Wake Forest ranks No. 25, the Deacons' first recognition since Sept. 2003, a span of 53 polls. Wake Forest ranks ahead of FSU, Miami and Virginia Tech.
The upshot: Wake Forest can reach the ACC title game and play someone - Georgia Tech, perhaps - for the trophy and the league's automatic spot in the Orange Bowl. A trip to Jacksonville for the ACC showdown would represent a historic rarity - only the 1970 team won the league race - and an oddsmaker's long shot.
The shot could get a lot shorter this weekend. Wake Forest (6-1, 2-1 ACC) will engage in extracurricular activities (presumably other than boxing) while rivals will risk defeat. By Saturday night, the Deacons could claim the catbird's seat.
Wake Forest's version of bliss doesn't even require a monumental upset: Clemson (3-1 ACC) loses at home to Georgia Tech, N.C. State (2-1) loses at Maryland, BC (2-1) loses at FSU (2-2). If all that occurs, Wake Forest will head to Carolina tied with Maryland (2-1) for first place in the Atlantic. Then, Clemson must travel to Virginia Tech five days later.
The Deacons' road turns rougher in November: BC at home, FSU away, Virginia Tech at home, Maryland away.
Wake Forest has beaten BC twice in the past three seasons and lost to the Eagles 35-30 last year. FSU, which hasn't lost to the Deacons in the 14 games since 1973, looks extremely vulnerable against any organized opponent. Virginia Tech beat the Deacons 17-10 in Groves Stadium last year but lacks crispness, especially in the passing game. The Deacons often run out of gas against Maryland - hence, seven straight losses - but they should have more fumes this time.
Quarterback Benjamin Mauk broke his throwing arm on opening night. Instead of disaster, the Deacons have aided the careful emergence of freshman Riley Skinner. The calm Floridian has completed 68 percent of his passes, 15th nationally. He has thrown for 912 yards and four touchdowns while suffering only one interception. He ranks second to Clemson's Will Proctor in overall passing efficiency, and first in ACC games only.
With rushing leader Micah Andrews knocked out by a knee injury, the Wake Forest offense might have sputtered. Instead, the Deacons lead the ACC with 21 scores on 23 trips inside the 20-yard line, the red zone. A major factor: kicker Sam Swank ranks sixth nationally with 1.6 field goals per game and kicked three from beyond 50 yards last week, which means that Wake Forest can score from nearly anywhere inside an opponent's 40.
Swank's punting average (42.9 yards a kick) ranks No. 22 nationally, but that is a quirky stat harmed by his knack for letting punts die in teammates' arms just outside the end zone. The no-return policy has made the Deacons No. 2 nationally in net punting (38.9 yards after returns are figured).
In real ACC games, Wake Forest won 25-23 at State and blew a two-touchdown lead against Clemson before losing 27-17. Clemson thus holds a tiebreaker edge head-to-head, which damages the Deacons' chances. Three-way ties are resolved differently, though, often relying on other results within the division.
Wake Forest could lose again and still nudge past Clemson in a three-way deal, or Wake Forest could win the division outright."
I hear Jacksonville's lovely in December. OK, not really, but if Wake's in the ACC Championship game, it'll sure look lovely to me.
Once again, I was nowhere near a TV, much less Carter-Finley Stadium, when Wake played NC State in Raleigh last Saturday. I was at the Southern Festival of Books (an excellent event - ), held in Memphis this year. I had about an hour between the time we closed up our booth and the time we had to leave for dinner; I spent that hour in front of the TV in my hotel room, flipping between ESPN, ABC, and Fox Sports, waiting for the Wake score to scroll across the ticker on the bottom of the screen.
Finally, after 45 minutes, after seeing all the Top 25 scores twice, after seeing the ALCS score four times, after seeing the Big 12 scores, the Ivy League scores, the I-AA scores, I saw "WAKE" and "NCSU" roll onto the screen - and "WAKE" was highlighted.
If the occupants of the room below mine were sleeping, I'd like to apologize.
Resigning myself to not knowing the details of the game until I got back to North Carolina, I woke up the next morning with every good intention of working out or writing or otherwise spending my Sunday morning in a productive way. I flipped through the TV channels to find some good background noise. That's when I stumbled on Comcast SportsSouth, and the vaguely familiar sight of Carter-Finley, with the NC State Fair in the background.
Son of a gun. All my plans got tossed into the Mississippi.
Dang, Wake looked good last Saturday. State was better than I expected, but for three quarters Wake dominated them. For three quarters, of course, Wake dominated Clemson, too, but this time Wake held on. Specifically, Josh Gattis held on to a last-minute pass from State's Daniel Evans; the change-of-possession allowed Riley Skinner to take a knee and let the clock run out.
The cliche of the moment to describe Skinner is "poise," and it's as good a word as any other. But what Skinner shows is sort of beyond poise; it's a kind of composure that's freakish for a redshirt freshman who was not highly touted, and barely recruited at all, coming out of high school. Against State he glided through collapsing pockets like he was Dan by-God Marino, sliding just enough to give him the time and space to throw.
On defense Aaron Curry had a big game, as did Jon Abbate. Gattis, after his game-saving interception, could have sat down on every other play and still gotten a game ball.
The hero of the game, though, has to be Sam Swank. On the broadcast they said that Swank's teammates call him "Swankemeier," in reference to Wake's All-American, Ray Guy Award-winning, clutch punter Ryan Plackemeier. But Swank needs his own name now. He hit three field goals from beyond 51 yards, and he makes punts settle between the 10 and the end zone like he uses the Force.
So Wake moves to 6-1 and cracks the AP Top 25 (at #25). I almost hate that this is their bye week.
In the Winston-Salem Journal yesterday, Lenox Rawlings pointed out:
"Normal has taken a crazy ride since then, perhaps the wildest twist involving Wake Forest. In the current AP poll, Wake Forest ranks No. 25, the Deacons' first recognition since Sept. 2003, a span of 53 polls. Wake Forest ranks ahead of FSU, Miami and Virginia Tech.
The upshot: Wake Forest can reach the ACC title game and play someone - Georgia Tech, perhaps - for the trophy and the league's automatic spot in the Orange Bowl. A trip to Jacksonville for the ACC showdown would represent a historic rarity - only the 1970 team won the league race - and an oddsmaker's long shot.
The shot could get a lot shorter this weekend. Wake Forest (6-1, 2-1 ACC) will engage in extracurricular activities (presumably other than boxing) while rivals will risk defeat. By Saturday night, the Deacons could claim the catbird's seat.
Wake Forest's version of bliss doesn't even require a monumental upset: Clemson (3-1 ACC) loses at home to Georgia Tech, N.C. State (2-1) loses at Maryland, BC (2-1) loses at FSU (2-2). If all that occurs, Wake Forest will head to Carolina tied with Maryland (2-1) for first place in the Atlantic. Then, Clemson must travel to Virginia Tech five days later.
The Deacons' road turns rougher in November: BC at home, FSU away, Virginia Tech at home, Maryland away.
Wake Forest has beaten BC twice in the past three seasons and lost to the Eagles 35-30 last year. FSU, which hasn't lost to the Deacons in the 14 games since 1973, looks extremely vulnerable against any organized opponent. Virginia Tech beat the Deacons 17-10 in Groves Stadium last year but lacks crispness, especially in the passing game. The Deacons often run out of gas against Maryland - hence, seven straight losses - but they should have more fumes this time.
Quarterback Benjamin Mauk broke his throwing arm on opening night. Instead of disaster, the Deacons have aided the careful emergence of freshman Riley Skinner. The calm Floridian has completed 68 percent of his passes, 15th nationally. He has thrown for 912 yards and four touchdowns while suffering only one interception. He ranks second to Clemson's Will Proctor in overall passing efficiency, and first in ACC games only.
With rushing leader Micah Andrews knocked out by a knee injury, the Wake Forest offense might have sputtered. Instead, the Deacons lead the ACC with 21 scores on 23 trips inside the 20-yard line, the red zone. A major factor: kicker Sam Swank ranks sixth nationally with 1.6 field goals per game and kicked three from beyond 50 yards last week, which means that Wake Forest can score from nearly anywhere inside an opponent's 40.
Swank's punting average (42.9 yards a kick) ranks No. 22 nationally, but that is a quirky stat harmed by his knack for letting punts die in teammates' arms just outside the end zone. The no-return policy has made the Deacons No. 2 nationally in net punting (38.9 yards after returns are figured).
In real ACC games, Wake Forest won 25-23 at State and blew a two-touchdown lead against Clemson before losing 27-17. Clemson thus holds a tiebreaker edge head-to-head, which damages the Deacons' chances. Three-way ties are resolved differently, though, often relying on other results within the division.
Wake Forest could lose again and still nudge past Clemson in a three-way deal, or Wake Forest could win the division outright."
I hear Jacksonville's lovely in December. OK, not really, but if Wake's in the ACC Championship game, it'll sure look lovely to me.
Monday, October 09, 2006
this helps, too
From my friend Patrick:
For those of us who like college football...
(1) What does the average Michigan player get on his SATs? .........Drool.
(2) What do you get when you put 32 West Virginia cheerleaders in one
room?
.........A full set of teeth.
(3) How do you get a Nebraska cheerleader into your dorm room?
........Grease her hips and push.
(4) How do you get a Florida State graduate off your porch? ..........
Pay him for the pizza.
(5) How do you know if an Alabama football player has a girlfriend?
........There is tobacco spit on both sides of his pickup.
(6) Why is the Indiana football team like a possum? .....Because they play
dead at home and get killed on the road.
(7) What are the longest three years of a Miami (Fla) football
player's life?
.........His freshman year.
(8) How many Oklahoma freshmen does it take to change a light bulb?
.........None. That's a sophomore course.
(9) Where was O.J. headed in the white Bronco? ......... Durham, North
Carolina. He knew that the police would never look for a Heisman
Trophy winner at Duke. AND FINALLY......
(10) Why did Tennessee choose orange as their team color?
.........You can
wear it to the game on Saturday, hunting on Sunday, and picking up
trash along
the highways the rest of the week.
For those of us who like college football...
(1) What does the average Michigan player get on his SATs? .........Drool.
(2) What do you get when you put 32 West Virginia cheerleaders in one
room?
.........A full set of teeth.
(3) How do you get a Nebraska cheerleader into your dorm room?
........Grease her hips and push.
(4) How do you get a Florida State graduate off your porch? ..........
Pay him for the pizza.
(5) How do you know if an Alabama football player has a girlfriend?
........There is tobacco spit on both sides of his pickup.
(6) Why is the Indiana football team like a possum? .....Because they play
dead at home and get killed on the road.
(7) What are the longest three years of a Miami (Fla) football
player's life?
.........His freshman year.
(8) How many Oklahoma freshmen does it take to change a light bulb?
.........None. That's a sophomore course.
(9) Where was O.J. headed in the white Bronco? ......... Durham, North
Carolina. He knew that the police would never look for a Heisman
Trophy winner at Duke. AND FINALLY......
(10) Why did Tennessee choose orange as their team color?
.........You can
wear it to the game on Saturday, hunting on Sunday, and picking up
trash along
the highways the rest of the week.
Clemson 27, Wake 17
This one hurt. This one hurt bad.
Wake had it. Wake had it in the palm of their collective hand. And then they blew it.
Swank makes that field goal, Clemson's looking at three scores to get back into it. Wake makes that field goal, the psychology totally shifts; or, rather, it stays the same, with Wake dominant and Clemson struggling. By no means am I laying the blame on poor Jon Temple; stuff happens, and he did exactly what he was supposed to do when that particular stuff happens. Clemson still had to score twice more to win the game, so there's plenty of blame to go around, if you want to place blame. I don't. They played their guts out. They have a lot more football to play. But, good Lord above, this one hurt bad.
Groves Stadium had a capacity crowd, standing room only. Wake had it. For three quarters, Wake looked like worldbeaters.
I wasn't there. I was at the beach, watching on ESPN (long story short, my wife owed me). I had my notebook and wrote a post about the excitement of watching College GameDay and hearing a Wake game discussed as one of the day's biggest games, of seeing the Charlotte Observer call it 'the most important game in the Carolinas.' I was bouncing off the walls. The only thing keeping my excitement in check was GameDay's use of a Big & Rich song for their theme (can they please go back to being Small and Poor?).
I looked back over what I wrote and decided I couldn't put it online. Too painful. I kept a running diary of the game; I can't bring myself to post that, either. Who would want to read the record of 45 minutes of joy abruptly followed by 15 minutes of shock and anger?
Reminding myself that this was just a game, that football's just a game, hasn't helped so far. Reminding myself that I have invested nothing in this program, nothing like what the coaches and players have, hasn't helped. It still hurts.
This helps: Tom Sorenson's column in the Observer on Sunday ran under the headline "Wake loses game, keeps its class,' and talked about how well the Deacons held up under the heartbreak of this game (www.charlotte.com). I'd rather root for a losing team with class, who goes to class, than a winning team made up of thugs and dummies who bitch and moan and point fingers.
This helps, too: I don't have to choose between classy winners and thuggish losers. Wake's record is now 5-1. My math skills are suspect, but that still looks like a winning record. Like I said, they have a lot more football to play. They have a lot of heart to play it with.
Wake had it. Wake had it in the palm of their collective hand. And then they blew it.
Swank makes that field goal, Clemson's looking at three scores to get back into it. Wake makes that field goal, the psychology totally shifts; or, rather, it stays the same, with Wake dominant and Clemson struggling. By no means am I laying the blame on poor Jon Temple; stuff happens, and he did exactly what he was supposed to do when that particular stuff happens. Clemson still had to score twice more to win the game, so there's plenty of blame to go around, if you want to place blame. I don't. They played their guts out. They have a lot more football to play. But, good Lord above, this one hurt bad.
Groves Stadium had a capacity crowd, standing room only. Wake had it. For three quarters, Wake looked like worldbeaters.
I wasn't there. I was at the beach, watching on ESPN (long story short, my wife owed me). I had my notebook and wrote a post about the excitement of watching College GameDay and hearing a Wake game discussed as one of the day's biggest games, of seeing the Charlotte Observer call it 'the most important game in the Carolinas.' I was bouncing off the walls. The only thing keeping my excitement in check was GameDay's use of a Big & Rich song for their theme (can they please go back to being Small and Poor?).
I looked back over what I wrote and decided I couldn't put it online. Too painful. I kept a running diary of the game; I can't bring myself to post that, either. Who would want to read the record of 45 minutes of joy abruptly followed by 15 minutes of shock and anger?
Reminding myself that this was just a game, that football's just a game, hasn't helped so far. Reminding myself that I have invested nothing in this program, nothing like what the coaches and players have, hasn't helped. It still hurts.
This helps: Tom Sorenson's column in the Observer on Sunday ran under the headline "Wake loses game, keeps its class,' and talked about how well the Deacons held up under the heartbreak of this game (www.charlotte.com). I'd rather root for a losing team with class, who goes to class, than a winning team made up of thugs and dummies who bitch and moan and point fingers.
This helps, too: I don't have to choose between classy winners and thuggish losers. Wake's record is now 5-1. My math skills are suspect, but that still looks like a winning record. Like I said, they have a lot more football to play. They have a lot of heart to play it with.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Ouch
Wake-Clemson gets a mention in Dave Revsine's Between the Numbers column on espn.com:
67: The marquee game in the ACC this week, though, involves the biggest surprise team in the conference: Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons' five wins already are more than they totaled in 67 of their 104 years of football. (Italics mine)
1944: With a win over Clemson, Wake would be 6-0 for the first time since coach "Peahead" Walker's team started 7-0 in 1944.
I mention this for no other reason than to use the name "Peahead" in context, although Walker is the source of one of the great football quotes of all time. After being disciplined by the university president for using some offensive language during a game, Walker responded by saying, "Damn to a football coach is like amen to a preacher." Where have all the Peaheads gone?
3: As for Clemson, the Tigers had 3 100-yard rushers in their obliteration of Louisiana Tech last week. That's one more 100-yard rusher than they had in the entire 2004 season, when Reggie Merriweather went over the century mark twice -- with both efforts coming in the final three games of the season.
Here's the link to the article: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=revsine_dave&id=2613804&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1
67: The marquee game in the ACC this week, though, involves the biggest surprise team in the conference: Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons' five wins already are more than they totaled in 67 of their 104 years of football. (Italics mine)
1944: With a win over Clemson, Wake would be 6-0 for the first time since coach "Peahead" Walker's team started 7-0 in 1944.
I mention this for no other reason than to use the name "Peahead" in context, although Walker is the source of one of the great football quotes of all time. After being disciplined by the university president for using some offensive language during a game, Walker responded by saying, "Damn to a football coach is like amen to a preacher." Where have all the Peaheads gone?
3: As for Clemson, the Tigers had 3 100-yard rushers in their obliteration of Louisiana Tech last week. That's one more 100-yard rusher than they had in the entire 2004 season, when Reggie Merriweather went over the century mark twice -- with both efforts coming in the final three games of the season.
Here's the link to the article: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=revsine_dave&id=2613804&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1
Alert: Back in Black on Saturday
From www.wfu.edu: Wear black, support the Deacs
Wake Forest fans attending Saturday's game against Clemson (noon kickoff) are encouraged to wear black to show their support for the ACC's only remaining undefeated team. The Deacons are 5-0 for the first time since 1987. Clemson is ranked 15th in the country.
Wake Forest fans attending Saturday's game against Clemson (noon kickoff) are encouraged to wear black to show their support for the ACC's only remaining undefeated team. The Deacons are 5-0 for the first time since 1987. Clemson is ranked 15th in the country.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Grobe makes the Forde-Yard Dash
Pat Forde gives Jim Grobe his September's Coach award on ESPN.com:
"• September's coach is Jim Grobe (11) of Wake Forest, whose injury-depleted team is nevertheless the last unbeaten in the biggest flop of a conference, the ACC. "
And a shout-out to the Old Gold and Black:
"• Black and gold (23). Not a bad color scheme for up-and-comers. Works for Missouri (5-0). Works for Wake Forest (5-0). Not working so well for Colorado (0-5). "
You can read the full Forde-Yard Dash at http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2611255.
"• September's coach is Jim Grobe (11) of Wake Forest, whose injury-depleted team is nevertheless the last unbeaten in the biggest flop of a conference, the ACC. "
And a shout-out to the Old Gold and Black:
"• Black and gold (23). Not a bad color scheme for up-and-comers. Works for Missouri (5-0). Works for Wake Forest (5-0). Not working so well for Colorado (0-5). "
You can read the full Forde-Yard Dash at http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2611255.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
5 for Abbate
If you're at the Clemson game Saturday, get your hand up at the start of the fourth quarter: http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ/MGArticle/WSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149190946222
Monday, October 02, 2006
5-0 Does Not Make Good Baptists Happy*
With Wake Forest starting 5-0, this should be an easy time to bask in the program and in college football generally. Should be. But although I, like Wake Forest, broke with the Southern Baptists some time ago, enough of the old low-church is in my blood that I can’t help but feel uneasy. Baptist theology is not strictly Calvinist, since the whole point of adult baptism is the free will of the individual soul, but it’s just as distrustful of anything that feels too good. 5-0 feels good, feels really good, and a lot of Wake Forest folks, myself included, just can’t trust it. We want to stand and cheer, to holler our lungs out like we were at a revival, to ride this winning streak right into the New Year. But we’ve grown up Wake Forest fans, and Southern Baptists, and we assume Apocalypse is right around the corner. Or next Saturday.
* Nothing really makes good Baptists happy.
* Nothing really makes good Baptists happy.
Wake 34, Liberty 14
Wake beats Liberty by 20 points and starts the 2006 season 5-0, and still some of the Deacon faithful weren’t entirely happy.
They were looking ahead to Clemson, and they found the Deacons’ more-than-adequate efforts against the Flames to be less-than-adequate against the Tigers in their minds, the Tigers that beat the Seminoles and mopped up Death Valley with the Tarheels.
When the Liberty quarterback found one of his receivers in the back of the end zone, the guy sitting behind me wailed, “Left him wide open.” I guess he couldn’t see the Wake defender running jersey-to-jersey with the Liberty receiver. To me, the touchdown looked like a great catch by a taller receiver who went up for a jump ball over the stout defense of a shorter player.
Liberty, in fact, had an impressive passing game with an accurate QB and sure-handed receivers who were rarely left “wide open,” but had a knack for hanging onto the ball in traffic.
I think the bulk of the faithful, watching Wake’s last non-conference game, wanted dominance more dominating than what they saw against Liberty. They wanted a blowout. They wanted a shutout. They wanted a 50-plus-point smackdown like the Tigers laid on the Tarheels two weeks ago. They wanted a contest as stacked and one-sided as the midway games being played across Deacon Boulevard at the Dixie Classic Fair.
Or maybe all the fair traffic on the way to the game just made them cranky. Otherwise they could have relaxed and enjoyed the fact that Wake Forest is undefeated after five games.
All together now: Wake Forest is undefeated after five games. Wake Forest is undefeated. Wake Forest has yet to be beaten. Almost halfway through the season, and Wake Forest has won every game they have played.
This has happened twice before: in 1944 under Peahead Walker, and in 1987 under Bill Dooley. The AP Top 25 comes out Monday, and Wake stands a good chance of being in it*. Dang.
Riley Skinner looks more poised than anyone in his position should; D’Angelo Bryant is picking up where Micah Andrews left off; the defense is something fierce. So, just as if they were on the Dixie Classic’s midway, the Deacon faithful should quit worrying about the quality of the competition and just savor the sights and sounds and all the pretty colors of a possible Top 25 ranking and a 5-0 record.
Back to the guy behind me: early in the first quarter he let loose with a couple of cuss words. The woman with him slapped him hard on the leg and pointed at my daughter, who had come to the game with me. Now, I didn’t mind much what he had said; the words he sued were pretty mild, nothing my daughter couldn’t hear on network TV. What got me was what he said after he was reminded to watch his language: “You’d think that when you come to a football game . . .”
What the #%^& is that supposed to mean? That when you come to a football game you ought to be able to cuss like a #$%&^ sailor on shore leave? And don’t think that the way he said “football,” the emphasis he put on that one word, didn’t have meaning. I can’t imagine him or most other guys saying “You’d think when I come to a basketball game,” or “a baseball game,” quite the same way. He didn’t just say “football,” he invoked it. Maybe he might invoke “hockey” like that, if he were a Yankee or a Canadian. Probably he’d invoke “NASCAR race” in much the same way, if he’s a NASCAR fan. But those sports have a lot in common with football: speed, violence, and men geared up in helmets and armor.
In football the helmets make the players unrecognizable to the fans in the stands, and the shoulder pads make even the few slight players – kickers and the occasional wide receiver – look like Olympian examples of robust manhood. When Roger Clemens is on the mound, he is recognizably Roger Clemens, even if his name and number were taken off his uniform. Same goes for Tim Duncan banking in a jump shot. When a football player throws or catches a pass, throws a block or makes a tackle, it could be any big strong guy inside that helmet and those pads. Maybe, even, a big strong guy with a face a lot like the one you see in the mirror every morning.
The whole premise isn’t really true, of course: Jim Brown or Tony Dorsett ran in a way that was identifiably theirs, just as Lawrence Taylor rushed the passer or Brett Favre throws the ball. It’s not even logical, but how often does logic get in the way of daydreams? Isn’t that the whole point of vicarious identification, anyway – the escape from the cold, hard fact that you can’t do what you wish you could do?
So I’m guessing that the guy behind me associates the freedom to cuss with a kind of primal joy, if not masculinity, that he also associates with watching football*. Kind of like 6th-grade boys who think they’re big because they know bad words. Now, I find a good stream of profanity as entertaining – even cathartic – as the next guy, but it takes a whole lot more than the basic rules of common civility to make me feel emasculated. Heck, it even takes more than using words like “cathartic.”
This scene leads to a dilemma, though. One fan’s common civility might be another fan’s uptight snobbery. One fan – more than one, at a typical Wake game – might wish that everyone would sit still and clap politely, maybe utter a well-considered “Go Deacs” at appropriate moments but otherwise comport themselves with absolute dignity. Other fans – a growing number of fans at Wake games – might want everyone to stay on their feet from when the team runs onto the field* to the final gun. They want cheers and screams and noisemakers, chants and heckling and loud displays. They want face paint, and bare chests in November. In other words, they want to be the kind of fans you’ll find at Alabama and Ohio State, and maybe if the fans are worthy, they’ll get the kind of football you’ll find at Alabama or Ohio State.
Prime Time with the Packman is a sports-talk radio show produced in Charlotte and broadcast all over the Carolinas. The host is Mark Packer, son of Wake basketball great Billy Packer, so I assume he grew up going to Wake games. Packman took a call one day near the start of the season from a Wake fan who said he took a bicycle horn with him to one game, only to have security take it from him after a well-dressed fan in his section complained. Packer and his co-hosts howled, and one of them pointed out that at an SEC game, the only complaint he would have gotten is not bringing horns for everybody else.
It’s a fine line to walk, but that line is as much of a barrier to Wake’s building a strong football tradition as winning and losing. Jim Grobe is doing everything he can about the wins, and doing it well. Athletic Director Ron Wellman has done an amazing job injecting energy and fan participation into all the sports, football and basketball especially. But the Deacons are never going to build the sizeable fan base a strong program needs unless the fans who want to come and yell and have a rowdy ol’ time are allowed to do so.
If I seem to be contradicting myself, keep in mind that “rowdy” doesn’t (always) mean obscene or offensive. But how in the world is a bicycle horn going to corrupt the morals of our youth? How is the guy up above us, who’s started doing push-ups on the railing for every point the Deacons score, offending anybody? How does some excitement and joy in the stands of Groves Stadium keep some Wake fans from enjoying the game? And, if it does bother them that much, shouldn’t they be the ones to leave?
* Wake was high on the 'Others Receiving Votes' list, but did not crack the Top 25. 5 ACC teams did: Clemson at 15, Florida State (huh?), Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, and Boston College at 25.
* It's not like I'm the first to notice this: the early commercials for the movie Gladiator aired during football games, and spliced together scenes of Russell Crowe swinging his sword with scenes of NFL football.
* Wake actually does something much cooler than running: while the Deacon mascot roars onto the field on a custom Harley**, the football team marches arm-in-arm in a show of solidarity until they're almost at midfield.
** Is there a less "Harley-Davidson" kind of a school than Wake Forest?
They were looking ahead to Clemson, and they found the Deacons’ more-than-adequate efforts against the Flames to be less-than-adequate against the Tigers in their minds, the Tigers that beat the Seminoles and mopped up Death Valley with the Tarheels.
When the Liberty quarterback found one of his receivers in the back of the end zone, the guy sitting behind me wailed, “Left him wide open.” I guess he couldn’t see the Wake defender running jersey-to-jersey with the Liberty receiver. To me, the touchdown looked like a great catch by a taller receiver who went up for a jump ball over the stout defense of a shorter player.
Liberty, in fact, had an impressive passing game with an accurate QB and sure-handed receivers who were rarely left “wide open,” but had a knack for hanging onto the ball in traffic.
I think the bulk of the faithful, watching Wake’s last non-conference game, wanted dominance more dominating than what they saw against Liberty. They wanted a blowout. They wanted a shutout. They wanted a 50-plus-point smackdown like the Tigers laid on the Tarheels two weeks ago. They wanted a contest as stacked and one-sided as the midway games being played across Deacon Boulevard at the Dixie Classic Fair.
Or maybe all the fair traffic on the way to the game just made them cranky. Otherwise they could have relaxed and enjoyed the fact that Wake Forest is undefeated after five games.
All together now: Wake Forest is undefeated after five games. Wake Forest is undefeated. Wake Forest has yet to be beaten. Almost halfway through the season, and Wake Forest has won every game they have played.
This has happened twice before: in 1944 under Peahead Walker, and in 1987 under Bill Dooley. The AP Top 25 comes out Monday, and Wake stands a good chance of being in it*. Dang.
Riley Skinner looks more poised than anyone in his position should; D’Angelo Bryant is picking up where Micah Andrews left off; the defense is something fierce. So, just as if they were on the Dixie Classic’s midway, the Deacon faithful should quit worrying about the quality of the competition and just savor the sights and sounds and all the pretty colors of a possible Top 25 ranking and a 5-0 record.
Back to the guy behind me: early in the first quarter he let loose with a couple of cuss words. The woman with him slapped him hard on the leg and pointed at my daughter, who had come to the game with me. Now, I didn’t mind much what he had said; the words he sued were pretty mild, nothing my daughter couldn’t hear on network TV. What got me was what he said after he was reminded to watch his language: “You’d think that when you come to a football game . . .”
What the #%^& is that supposed to mean? That when you come to a football game you ought to be able to cuss like a #$%&^ sailor on shore leave? And don’t think that the way he said “football,” the emphasis he put on that one word, didn’t have meaning. I can’t imagine him or most other guys saying “You’d think when I come to a basketball game,” or “a baseball game,” quite the same way. He didn’t just say “football,” he invoked it. Maybe he might invoke “hockey” like that, if he were a Yankee or a Canadian. Probably he’d invoke “NASCAR race” in much the same way, if he’s a NASCAR fan. But those sports have a lot in common with football: speed, violence, and men geared up in helmets and armor.
In football the helmets make the players unrecognizable to the fans in the stands, and the shoulder pads make even the few slight players – kickers and the occasional wide receiver – look like Olympian examples of robust manhood. When Roger Clemens is on the mound, he is recognizably Roger Clemens, even if his name and number were taken off his uniform. Same goes for Tim Duncan banking in a jump shot. When a football player throws or catches a pass, throws a block or makes a tackle, it could be any big strong guy inside that helmet and those pads. Maybe, even, a big strong guy with a face a lot like the one you see in the mirror every morning.
The whole premise isn’t really true, of course: Jim Brown or Tony Dorsett ran in a way that was identifiably theirs, just as Lawrence Taylor rushed the passer or Brett Favre throws the ball. It’s not even logical, but how often does logic get in the way of daydreams? Isn’t that the whole point of vicarious identification, anyway – the escape from the cold, hard fact that you can’t do what you wish you could do?
So I’m guessing that the guy behind me associates the freedom to cuss with a kind of primal joy, if not masculinity, that he also associates with watching football*. Kind of like 6th-grade boys who think they’re big because they know bad words. Now, I find a good stream of profanity as entertaining – even cathartic – as the next guy, but it takes a whole lot more than the basic rules of common civility to make me feel emasculated. Heck, it even takes more than using words like “cathartic.”
This scene leads to a dilemma, though. One fan’s common civility might be another fan’s uptight snobbery. One fan – more than one, at a typical Wake game – might wish that everyone would sit still and clap politely, maybe utter a well-considered “Go Deacs” at appropriate moments but otherwise comport themselves with absolute dignity. Other fans – a growing number of fans at Wake games – might want everyone to stay on their feet from when the team runs onto the field* to the final gun. They want cheers and screams and noisemakers, chants and heckling and loud displays. They want face paint, and bare chests in November. In other words, they want to be the kind of fans you’ll find at Alabama and Ohio State, and maybe if the fans are worthy, they’ll get the kind of football you’ll find at Alabama or Ohio State.
Prime Time with the Packman is a sports-talk radio show produced in Charlotte and broadcast all over the Carolinas. The host is Mark Packer, son of Wake basketball great Billy Packer, so I assume he grew up going to Wake games. Packman took a call one day near the start of the season from a Wake fan who said he took a bicycle horn with him to one game, only to have security take it from him after a well-dressed fan in his section complained. Packer and his co-hosts howled, and one of them pointed out that at an SEC game, the only complaint he would have gotten is not bringing horns for everybody else.
It’s a fine line to walk, but that line is as much of a barrier to Wake’s building a strong football tradition as winning and losing. Jim Grobe is doing everything he can about the wins, and doing it well. Athletic Director Ron Wellman has done an amazing job injecting energy and fan participation into all the sports, football and basketball especially. But the Deacons are never going to build the sizeable fan base a strong program needs unless the fans who want to come and yell and have a rowdy ol’ time are allowed to do so.
If I seem to be contradicting myself, keep in mind that “rowdy” doesn’t (always) mean obscene or offensive. But how in the world is a bicycle horn going to corrupt the morals of our youth? How is the guy up above us, who’s started doing push-ups on the railing for every point the Deacons score, offending anybody? How does some excitement and joy in the stands of Groves Stadium keep some Wake fans from enjoying the game? And, if it does bother them that much, shouldn’t they be the ones to leave?
* Wake was high on the 'Others Receiving Votes' list, but did not crack the Top 25. 5 ACC teams did: Clemson at 15, Florida State (huh?), Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, and Boston College at 25.
* It's not like I'm the first to notice this: the early commercials for the movie Gladiator aired during football games, and spliced together scenes of Russell Crowe swinging his sword with scenes of NFL football.
* Wake actually does something much cooler than running: while the Deacon mascot roars onto the field on a custom Harley**, the football team marches arm-in-arm in a show of solidarity until they're almost at midfield.
** Is there a less "Harley-Davidson" kind of a school than Wake Forest?
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