Now that the long summer days without Wake stories are behind us we will start to pick up our links again. In fact, we are a little behind so I have bombarded you with a ton of links after the jump. If you aren't quite up to speed on this year's gridiron Deacs, take a few moments to read through these stories to get you prepared for the upcoming season. Enjoy!
Scout.com: NEW ... 2010 Wake Forest Preview
The season will be a success if ... Wake Forest makes a swift return to the postseason. Bowl eligibility would be a nice way of telling the rest of the conference that last year was an anomaly. No, the Demon Deacons aren’t built for a surprise run at the division, with a schedule that includes Presbyterian, Duke, Maryland, NC State, and Vanderbilt, six or seven wins should be within reach.
Youth serves Looney well
"He's Aaron Curry at offensive guard," Grobe said. "That's what Joe Looney is -- as far as his attitude. Now whether he ends up playing that good, I can't tell you. But he's a guy that bounces to practice, likes to practice, loves to play on Saturday and kind of lives to play football. "And he's liked by everybody on the football team. He's one of the favorite guys, just because he's such a good person."
"I understand I've been too selfish at times," Frye said. "It's little things here and there. Something as small as trying to wear my uniform a different way to be different. I did too many things trying to stand out." In the middle of last season, Grobe drew a line. The week before Wake's Oct. 24 game at Navy, the Deacons head coach put Frye on the shelf. Not because of an injury. Not because of a dip in performance. But because Frye wasn't delivering the effort and cooperation Grobe demands.
Wake Forest welcomes return of its play-making defensive end
"If you look at the five games that we lost that went into late in the fourth quarter -- two in overtime -- if we make one play in any of those fourth quarters, we win," Grobe said. "Just one minus-yardage play, one caused fumble, a sack in a key situation. "So that's what we lost with Kyle last year. He was going to have one or two of those big plays every game, and hopefully he brings that back."
Deacons work with new QBs, re-emphasize running game - CharlotteObserver.com
Junior Brandon Pendergrass is a solid back-up, and remember the name Josh Harris. The redshirt freshman didn't participate in spring drills but he may have the best combination of speed and power of any of the Wake Forest running backs.
American Chronicle | Deacons go to scheduling Plan B
"We were scrambling," Grobe said. "(Assistant Athletics Director for Football) Bill Faircloth was sending emails to everybody. We were about three weeks away from announcing our schedule and I guess everyone had through we had lost our minds, saying that we needed a game. I was afraid we were going to hear back from the Green Bay Packers. "I appreciate Presbyterian helping us out. They were kind enough to say 'we'll play' even though they already had Clemson on their schedule. We were afraid we were going to be stuck with 11 games."
Deacs' Newman has ideas kicking around in his head
Mornings were spent kicking, afternoons absorbing the wisdom that Andersen accumulated during his 25 seasons with the Saints, Falcons, Chiefs, Vikings and Giants. "We'd kick every day and he'd bring me back to his house and get me to lie down and walk me through how I needed to visualize before games -- just to try to get that confidence," Newman said. "He was talking a lot about muscle memory. And that's the most I've learned."‘
Two Wake Forest players suspended
One of Wake Forest's fastest players will get off to a slow start this season when receiver Chris Givens is suspended for the first two games. Coach Jim Grobe said that defensive end Kevin Smith will also be suspended the first two games, against Presbyterian and Duke. Both are practicing, and will be reinstated to the active roster for the third game, at Stanford on Sept. 18. Grobe declined to identify the off-season transgressions, saying the decision was a result of violations of team policy.
North grad fit for Wake | news-press.com | The News-Press
"I wanted to lose weight this summer so I could fit into the option attack better," said Bohanon, a sophomore. "I've gotten leaner, faster and stronger over the offseason. I think our whole team is ready to make the switch." He upped his bench-press max to 550 pounds and his squat max to "somewhere over 700," all while trimming his weight down to 240 pounds.
Chiefs Sign LB John Russell, Waive G Andrew Lewis
The Kansas City Chiefs announced that the team has signed free agent linebacker John Russell and waived guard Andrew Lewis, according to KCChiefs.com. Russell, a former Wake Forest Demon Deacon, stands at 6′4″ and weighs 280 lbs. He began the 2010 season as a rookie free agent with the Green Bay Packers.
Facebook | Wake Forest Football Practice 8-6-10
Dean Shore's photos from practice.
Rogers helps others despite injury - Wake Forest - NewsObserver.com
"The support has been great, and everybody's trying to help support me," said Rogers, who awarded Duke player Ryan Kelly with the Rodney Rogers Spirit Award for sportsmanship before the ProAm championship game. "I'm doing all right right now, just trying to be happy." Earlier this year, Rogers founded The Rodney Rogers Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Apex aimed at raising awareness of the difficulties of living with paralysis and providing medical services and relief for people who are paralyzed or in wheelchairs. "This is just a way for me to stay busy and to give back to the community," he said. "I'm trying to help others, people that are less fortunate and who can't afford medical supplies. I just want to help them out."
Thorburn: Bzdelik's role pivotal in getting new CU hoops facility - Boulder Daily Camera
Bzdelik, who has a huge ego like any head coach, swallowed his pride at CU. He refused to cut corners and suffered through the agony of defeat after defeat while fixing many of the program's problems and building the team using high school recruits, including several who have higher GPAs than rebounding averages.
Scout.com: Hubert Starting to Focus on Recruitment
"Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Maryland, NC State, Ohio State, and Texas are the schools I've heard from now that the live period is over. I believe everyone except for Texas has offered me a scholarship."
#137 Wake Forest: 2010-11 Basketball Preview | Collegehoops.net
Overall Rank: #137 Conference Rank: #12 Atlantic Coast Conference (Ouch)