Demon Deacons head into opener without Barclay, Swanson

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Posted 5:34PM on Tuesday, August 30, 2005

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) For the past two seasons, Chris Barclay has been the engine that powered Wake Forest's turf-munching attack. The question is whether that offense will go very far without him in the season opener. Coach Jim Grobe suspended Barclay and cornerback Riley Swanson during the offseason for breaking a team rule, leaving the Demon Deacons short-handed heading into Thursday's game against Vanderbilt. But Grobe doesn't sound too concerned about lingering disappointment over his decision. ``I don't think it's even in (the players') heads right now,'' he said Tuesday. ``I think our team trusts us to make good decisions not only for the team but for the individual players, so I think they moved on almost immediately once we decided that Chris and Riley were not going to play. ``They obviously understand that we're at a disadvantage Thursday night and some guys have got to step up. Not just the running backs and the corners, but the team's got to collectively accept maybe a little more responsibility than they normally would.'' Barclay's absence will be the most glaring for the run-oriented Demon Deacons. The senior is a two-time all-Atlantic Coast Conference pick and the only two-time 1,000-yard rusher in school history. He led the league in rushing in each of the past two regular seasons, finishing with 1,014 yards and nine touchdowns in 2004. Barclay is part of a rushing attack that has piled up 10,279 yards in Grobe's first four seasons, ranking eighth in the nation during that time. A pair of redshirt sophomores, Micah Andrews and De'Angelo Bryant, is expected to carry the load against the Commodores. Andrews, who ran for 264 yards and six touchdowns last year, is listed as the starter on this week's depth chart. That could increase the pressure on sophomore quarterback Benjamin Mauk, who beat out Cory Randolph for the starting job. Mauk split time with Randolph for much of last season before starting the final three games. Randolph has moved to wide receiver. Mauk sounds comfortable in that lead role, whether he's talking about offseason tweaks to the offense or throwing the ball to his untested running backs. ``Last year, it wasn't like our team was divided, but sometimes the receivers would go to Cory and some would go to me,'' Mauk said. ``It's a little different now that all the receivers come to me and tell me what they see, so I think we're all going to be on the same page and it's just going to help us move the football down the field.'' Swanson's absence could also prove troublesome in a secondary that lost starting cornerbacks Eric King and Marcus McGruder. Swanson, a redshirt junior, played in all 23 games the past two seasons. Wake Forest lists redshirt freshmen Kevin Patterson and Alphonso Smith as its starting corners an unsettling prospect considering Vanderbilt has preseason all-Southeastern Conference quarterback Jay Cutler. Still, the Demon Deacons return 16 starters from a 4-7 team that made a habit of playing tight games. Wake Forest lost only one game by more than seven points, and has traditionally been a team known for its workmanlike mentality. ``That is our calling card. That's something that Coach Grobe emphasizes,'' safety Patrick Ghee said. ``That's how you win games. You've got to outwork your opponent. I don't know too many jobs where if you don't work harder than the person next to you that you'll be victorious.'' (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)