No. 3 Miami carries top-ranked defense to Wake Forest

Posted 4:34PM on Friday 11th November 2005 ( 19 years ago )

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) All in all, Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe has had better Saturdays. The trouble began last week when the Demon Deacons lost at Georgia Tech to clinch their third consecutive losing season, then continued following the plane ride home. That's when Grobe turned on his TV and watched Miami cruise to a surprisingly easy victory at Virginia Tech. Unfortunately for him and Wake Forest, they are next up on the schedule for the third-ranked Hurricanes. ``If they had done that in the Orange Bowl, I don't think anyone would have been surprised,'' Grobe said. ``For them to come into Blacksburg and do it, I think it took everyone by surprise.'' Miami (7-1, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) must find a way to avoid a letdown and keep winning. Sure, beating the Hokies left coach Larry Coker and his team in control of the Coastal Division of the ACC, but it goes away if they slip up against the Deacons (4-6, 3-4). ``We haven't done anything yet,'' Coker said. ``All this does is raise the stakes. Makes the Wake Forest game that much more important.'' His players appear to understand. ``Right now, we're not taking nobody lightly,'' linebacker Willie Williams said. ``We've all got to hunt right now.'' Doing so is made easier with the top-ranked defense in Division I-A. The Hurricanes allow only 215 yards a game, a figured helped greatly by their effort against Virginia Tech. The Hokies gained only 167 yards the fifth straight Miami opponent to get less than 200 and watched quarterback Marcus Vick get sacked four times. When he wasn't getting tackled in his own backfield, Vick was harassed into a rare off day: 8-for-22 for 90 yards and six turnovers. No one needs to tell Kyle Wright about how tough this defense is. The Hurricanes quarterback sees it every day in practice. ``The first day I stepped on campus, I knew our defense was pretty good,'' he said. ``This year, the guys are a typical Miami defense, strong and fast. They go out and have fun. They love going out there and make the big plays. ``I don't think that there is a better defense in the country.'' It was pretty good last year, too, particularly against Wake Forest. The Hurricanes jumped to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and blew out the Deacons 52-7, piling up 579 yards of total offense in the process. The Deacons had trouble getting anything going offensively and finished with only 36 yards passing. So even though they are eliminated from bowl contention, they can find plenty of motivation in trying to bounce back from that pitiful effort. ``We didn't play too well down there,'' offensive lineman Greg Adkins said. ``Basically, the thought is in our head that we have to redeem ourselves. If we do, we'll make school history.'' That much is true. This is Wake Forest's 30th game against a team ranked in The Associated Press' top five, and after a victory over Tennessee in the first one 49 years ago, it still is looking for another. The Deacons are getting more used to the limelight, however. They have played Florida State in each of the past 14 seasons, including a 41-24 loss last month in Tallahassee. The Seminoles routinely struggle when they travel to Wake Forest, and they trailed into the fourth quarter last season before rallying for a 20-17 victory. Of course, Grobe doesn't expect the same from the Hurricanes. ``Miami is obviously a great football team, one of the top three or four teams in the country right now,'' he said. ``We have our work cut out for us, but I hope our players realize what a great opportunity we have.'' (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/11/121929