Thursday August 03, 2006

The Truth; Not So Fast; High School Football is Here; Clemson Tidbits

The Truth
I think it is time to start calling it like it is when it comes to Wake Forest football under Jim Grobe. This is a very tough out. This is not the Wake Forest of the past. No, this is Jim Grobe’s Wake Forest team. And the worst news is that the 2006 Deacons are Grobe’s best squad since he arrived in Winston-Salem.

I know some of you are still not believers. I know some of you will point out that they went 4-7 the last two seasons. I know some of you will point out that they have defeated Clemson twice under Grobe. Well guess what, it is not just Clemson. They have had success against a lot of teams under Grobe. Wake Forest has defeated Clemson, Virginia, NC State, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Oregon and Purdue under Grobe.

It is their style of play. They do not beat themselves. In fact, over the last four seasons Wake is plus 30 in the turnover margin. They also play so many close games. In the 57 games Grobe has coached at Wake Forest, 29 have been decided by a touchdown or less.

Again, the hard pill to swallow is that this year he has his best team. The Deacons return 19 starters including 10 on defense. I don’t buy into the theory that says Groves Stadium is a hard place to play because no one is there. I believe Grobe has a well-coached bunch that executes. FSU’s last trip there saw a close 3-point Seminole win. I guarantee you if you told Tommy Bowden he could take a 3-point win there this season, he would gladly take it and not even make the trip.

Not So Fast
While I am on the subject of the ACC let me state that I don’t buy into the idea that NC State will be that far down this season. I know they lost Mario Williams, Manny Lawson, Stephen Tulloch, Oliver Hoyte, John McCargo, Jay Davis and T.J. Williams but I think they will not drop off as much as many believe.

First, I like the defensive linemen. DeMario Pressley will be a beast at defensive tackle. At some points last year, their staff thought Tank Tyler was playing as well as the big names guys ahead of him. They also like red-shirt Willie Young, a promising freshman defensive end.

Offensively, the Wolfpack stumbled upon their running game late last year and turned their season around. NC State was 2-4 last year in their first six games partly because they only rushed the ball over 40 times in only one game. In the last six games, they rushed 40 or more times five out of six games. In those final six games the Pack went 5-1. Freshmen Andre Brown and Toney Baker combined to rush for 859 yards in those final six games..

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think NC State will win the division, but I think they can win eight games.

High School Football is Here
Next week there will be high school football jamborees all across the country. The following week the regular season starts in the Palmetto State. I know he will play on ESPN on August 26th but if you get a chance to see Willy Korn this season in person you need to do it.

Consider Korn’s amazing numbers:
Freshman- 12-17-0 90 yards 2 TD

Sophomore- 239-373-9 2,977 yards 31 TD

Junior- 281-421-6 4,164 yards 53 TD

Totals- 532-811-15 7,231 yards 86 TD

Individual records broke at Byrnes:
Most passing yards in a season 4,164
Most passing TD in a season 53
Passing attempts in a season broken So year 373 (Jr year 421)
Most passing yards in a career 7,231 (Senior year left to play)
Most passing TD in a career 86 (Senior year left to play)
Passing attempts in a career 811 (Senior year left to play)

Individual South Carolina State records broke:
Most passing TD in a season 53
Most completed passes in a season 281
Most passing yards in a season 4,164

You could make a very good argument that the current Byrnes state title streak could make them the best program in the history of South Carolina. You could also make an argument that Korn is the best high school football player to ever play in the state.

Two Thursday Clemson Tidbits
*Only two teams out gained the Tigers last season. Maryland and Boston College were the only two schools to accomplish the feat.

*The Tigers return all five offensive line starters for the first time since 2000. The group has combined for 90 starts which is fourth among Division I schools.

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