Established 1916

Search ogb.wfu.edu

 

 

 

 

 

Zack Klein/Old Gold amd Black

King and Co. pillage pirates, plunder win
By Matt Gallagher
Sports Editor

Fear not, Deacon gridiron fans, for our Barbarians of the Bible Belt have conquered the team that actually lost to Duke. And for that, be eternally thankful.

In a nailbiter that produced a plethora of big plays and twists, Wake Forest held on against East Carolina, seizing a 27-22 victory Sept. 7 at Groves Stadium. The Pirates, who only a week before had snapped Duke’s 23-game losing streak by falling to the Blue Devils, proved to be a much scrappier and resilient opponent for the Deacs than most would have thought, given their week one showing. Sophomore cornerback Eric King led the way, snatching two errant Pirate passes at just the right times, and also forced a fumble for a turnover.

The Demon Deacs ran out of the gates in the first quarter. Just four minutes into the game, Head Coach Jim Grobe elected to go for it on 4th-and-11 at the East Carolina 30-yard line. The gamble paid off immediately as senior quarterback James MacPherson hit Speed Racer himself, senior Fabian Davis, on a 29-yard projectile that put the team on the goal line. One play later, senior fullback Ovie Mughelli bulldozed his way in for the touchdown, setting the score at 7-3.

King nabbed his first pick on the subsequent Pirate drive, placing Wake Forest in excellent field position, right around midfield. MacPherson marched the squad down the field, but sophomore Matt Wisnosky missed a chip-shot field goal. However, Wisnosky’s troubles, which also date back to last week’s loss to Northern Illinois, would end at this point. He would play a positive role for the rest of the game and his confidence seemed to rise with each subsequent kick. He booted a 29-yarder just three minutes later, following the Deacs’ second interception of the game by senior defensive tackle Montique Sharpe.

East Carolina simply could not move the ball on the Deacon "D" in the opening quarter, garnering only 33 total yards. In comparison, MacPherson and friends plowed through for 145 yards, setting the score at 10-3 at the beginning of the second quarter.

The Pirate offense eventually started to move on King and company, but a clutch interception by junior defensive back Daryl Shaw in the Deacs’ own end-zone prevented a score. It was also Pirate quarterback Paul Troth’s third pick in just over 20 minutes of play. After some back-and-forth punting, Wisnosky put his team back on the scoreboard with another short field goal, making it 13-3. Wisnosky then boomed the following kickoff, forcing East Carolina to kneel for the touchback.

"We really wasted some great opportunities (on offense)" Grobe said. "I think part of that is a little bit of killer instinct and a little bit of execution. We’ve got to become an offense that is very consistent and really takes care of business when we get in the red zone," Grobe said.

Troth and junior fullback Art Brown continued to plug away against the Deacons though, and marched into the red-zone with just one minute left in the half. However, King’s fumble-forcing evolved into a Deac takeover of ball possession, essentially ending the half at 13-3.

For the second straight half, MacPherson and the receiving corps burst onto the scene right away. After the defense held the Pirates to a three-and-out offensive set, the Demon Deac "O" got right to work. Junior running back Nick Burney, one of the Triple B’s residing in the backfield (redshirt frosh Cornelius Birgs and freshman Chris Barclay are the others), bounced up the middle for a 18-yard lightning strike. The very next play, MacPherson and sophomore wideout Jason Anderson hooked up for a 46-yard bomb, giving Grobe’s Gang a very comfortable 20-3 lead.

The comfort did not last. Much like the Empire, ECU struck back. The very next series, Troth and Brown put together a very impressive drive, culminating in a 10-yard bullet TD pass from Troth to junior Richard Hourigan. When the Pirates got the ball back again, they continued to bully the Deac secondary. Troth nailed junior Terrance Copper for a 53-yard rumble to the six-yard line, and Brown sealed the deal a play later, rambling in to notch the score 20-16. That would be all East Carolina would get this drive however, as their extra point attempt was blocked with 3:15 left in the third quarter. The only other notable play in the third quarter took place on the next Deac series, when senior running back Tarence Williams ran for a short gain. Williams, a Preseason Doak Walker Award Canidate, has been recovering from an oft-injured left ankle, and this was his first appearance of the season.

A huge play by the Wake Forest special teams broke the calamity of the fourth quarter in the ninth minute. A blocked punt deep in ECU territory, recovered by frosh receiver Chris Davis, set up the Deacs at the four-yard line. Two plays later, Birgs scampered in for a score, making it 27-16.

But the Pirates refused to give up, and again fought back quickly. Two minutes after Birgs’ TD, Troth found sophomore Edwin Rios for a fingertip touchdown. But once again, the Demon Deacon special teams stepped up, stopping the 2-point conversion attempt. Nevertheless, ECU was in striking distance, 27-22, with over seven minutes left to play.

The Pirates would get two more chances to score and win the game — but they would come up empty both times.

First, King collected his second pick of the game, and Troth’s fourth, by catching a poor fade pass in the Deacons’ end-zone.

And with just over one minute left, and the Pirates desperately trying to engineer a miracle, senior defensive end Rod Stephen ended the game on 4th-and-3 on the Deacon 35 with a gigantic pass rush, forcing Troth to throw the pass into the oncoming pass rush. The scoreboard at the end of the game read 27-22 in Deacon favor.

"We continued to make a lot of mistakes last week in the game against East Carolina, but I saw some improvements and we were a little more solid on the defensive side," Grobe said.

MacPherson, meanwhile, is concentrating on improving the offensive play. "We are still looking to break out offensively," he said. "I think it is only a matter of time before our offense breaks out."

After two exhausting games that came down to the final play, things do not get any easier for the gridiron Deacs. On Sept. 14, they travel to Raleigh to square off against quarterback Philip Rivers and his N.C. State Wolfpack. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.