Deacons Go From Road Warriors to Roadkill
If my hero Willie Nelson sang his hit tune ``On the Road Again’’ Sing It Willie about Wake Forest’s 2010 football season, it would have to be rewritten as a dirge.
Nothing but pain, loss and despair has come from the Deacons’ three previous ventures away from home, which is not the most heartening thought going into Saturday’s game at Maryland.
The Deacons are 2-2 at home, where they’ve outscored their opponents 154-113. They’re a big 0-3 on the road, where they’ve been outscored 151-45.
“I’ve heard a lot of announcers say that young teams have a lot of problems on the road,’’ redshirt senior Alex Frye said. “And I guess I would have to agree with them – looking at our track record if nothing else.
“It doesn’t seem like we play any different but the scoreboard says otherwise.’’
The Deacons, in some ways, have yet to recover from their first road game of the season, a 68-24 shelling at Stanford that was effectively settled well before halftime. The two most recent trips have resulted in 31-point losses, the 31-0 cuffing by Florida State and the 52-21 rout at Virginia Tech in their most recent game.
Coach Jim Grobe says the explanation for the road-home differential is obvious. The Deacons’ depth chart going into Maryland’s game has three freshmen and three redshirt freshmen running first team and five redshirt freshmen on second team.
“I think typically young teams, inexperienced teams, don’t do as well on the road,’’ Grobe said. “There’s a comfort zone at home and you tend to play better at home. Most teams do that anyway. I think it’s pretty standard.
“But I think your problems are exaggerated on the road with an inexperienced team.’’
The first half of the 2010 season has shown how far the Deacons have come from their 2010 Orange Bowl campaign. Unfortunately it has been in the wrong direction.
Four years ago, Wake Forest went 6-0 on the road, winning at Connecticut, Ole Miss, N.C. State, North Carolina, Florida State and Maryland.
“Sometimes with the young guys that we’ve got, maybe that away atmosphere gets to them,’’ redshirt senior Marshall Williams said. “I don’t know what it is because I feel like a successful team is always good on the road. Championships are won on the road. We proved that in the Orange Bowl season. We were the only team to go 6-0 on the road, and that was incredible.
“I don’t know how to explain it. When you get beat that much against that little, there are a lot of different avenues you can go, but we’ve got to go in with our mind focused and just be ready to play.’’
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By Dan Collins on 10/27/2010 (12:57 pm)
Comments
1979 was one of my favorite years for Deacon football. I watched the Deacs surprise Georgia in Athens, I watched the miracle comeback against Auburn. But I also sat through a miserable day at Clemson when we could do nothing right. The road at places like Va Tech and Clemson can be very unforgiving even for a good, experienced team. Maryland is having a good year and may have a big crowd to welcome the Deacs. Whatever the circumstances Saturday, we need to show some poise and play smart and tough.
Steve H on 10/28/2010 (3:49 pm)
Let’s get realistic, people. How much success did you expect in the following brutal one-month road stretch? How would other teams fare against the same three on the road?
@ Stanford
@ Criminoles
@ Vick Tech
I know we’d like to be competitive there, but that’s a REALLY hard stretch for a young team dealing with inexperience & injuries at the most important position on the field.
It is what it is—really tough 1st half road schedule draw, some tough luck and, of course, inexperience.
Thanks, Dan. Go Deacs!
Brian L. on 10/28/2010 (1:45 pm)
Ray, I agree that the lack of continuity at the QB position certainly hasn’t helped things. However, injuries played a role there. I thought that the coaches handled the initial selection process very well and very methodically.
DC on 10/28/2010 (8:12 am)
2006 and 2007 were great seasons that are now in the past. I love talking about the runs Wake made those seasons with people I am associated with that pull for either UNC, Duke, or N.C. State! The problem Offensively or Defensively is not the lack of inexperience, but rather, the revolving door at the Quarterback position this season. I have only read about half of my Gold Rush Magazine that I received here in Hendersonville, NC the other day, and by reading the article concerning the Quarterback situation with the play of guys like Skylar Jones, Tanner Price, Brendan Cross, or Ted Stichitas a decision should’ve been made early in the season concerning the quarterback position this thing of putting in Price, Stichitas, or Jones was a headache and still is! We should’ve chose a QB after about the second game of the season and stuck with that guy at that position until there needed to be at change at the postion! This thing of moving a guy in on one series and then playing another on a series or two only worked about the first two games of the season, but we played Duke and Presbyterian! Defensively; well, these guys just seem to lack the confidence! Not being able to make plays, the Defense being on the field too long just wore the players out and has going all the way back to the Georgia Tech Game!
Ray Sharpe on 10/27/2010 (8:05 pm)
Also kind of a false dichotomy of Wake being good at home vs. on the road this year considering the two home victories this year came against pretty crappy teams.
But every week is another opportunity. I’m looking forward to watching a more focused and disciplined team against Maryland in a couple of days.
DC on 10/27/2010 (7:28 pm)
Way too many excuses are being made to rationalize the football team we are fielding this season.The lack of experience seems to be the favorite.
Our problem is that we failed to use the 2006 and 2007 years to build momentum for our program and to bring in some really high quality football players.Players that could be high performers this season,making us championship contenders.
The publication The ACC Area Sports Journal out of the Chapel Hill-Raleigh area has a fair and realistic discussion of our problem in the current issue.
Jerry on 10/27/2010 (5:20 pm)
Dan,
To use Grobe quote, “..an incredible” column, my friend.
Any writer that references and likes Willie is a “hero” of mine!
Bobby
bobby h griffin on 10/27/2010 (4:52 pm)
Let’s not act like this is a just this year problem and is completely down to inexperience, which is becoming the de facto excuse for pretty much everything. Since ‘06 our only road ACC win was @ FSU in ‘08 when they turned the ball over incessantly. Not good.
Cooper on 10/27/2010 (2:55 pm)
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