The time has finally come for Wake Forest to kick off its 107th season of football, and it’s a good thing because I don’t think I can wait much longer.

The Details:
Date: Thursday, August 28, 2008
Time: 8:00 p.m. EDT, 7:00 p.m. CDT
Location: Floyd Casey Stadium, Waco, Texas
TV/Radio: FSN, ISP Radio Network. More details here

The Demon Deacons are 0-4 all time against Baylor, having lost 31-0 in their last meeting – a 1961 matchup in Waco. Another historical record that doesn’t bode well for the Deacs is their 0-11 record all time in games played in the state of Texas. I don’t put a lot of stock in things like that, particularly when much of the data is over 50 years old, but it’s always interesting to see.

As most everyone probably knows by now, Baylor enters the 2008 season with a new coach, Art Briles. Briles is apparently some sort of offensive guru, and based on what he did at Houston, the Wake defense is about to see a pretty interesting and somewhat unique offensive scheme. As far as I can tell, Briles doesn’t really call a single play, rather he gives the offense options, and they have to all read the defense to determine which option is the best (If I got that all wrong you can let me know, Baylor fans).

Though that may sound daunting for some visiting defenses, it sounds like the type of scheme that takes a considerable amount of time to implement effectively. I think it will be at least three weeks before the Baylor offense really has the chance to start clicking. Given the experience and talent Wake will have on the defensive side of the ball, I wouldn’t want to be a young Baylor quarterback trying to figure out which play is most likely to work – the results could be disastrous.

Add to all of this the fact that no one outside of the team knows who the starting quarterback is going to be (heck, I’m not even sure the team knows who its quarterback is), and you’ve got the recipe for a shaky offensive night for the Bears.

Wake’s offense isn’t without its fair share of question marks. Is the offensive line ready to step up in a real game situation? Will the receivers continue to impress like they have for the last month of practices? I don’t expect to see the Deacon offense put a huge number on the scoreboard this week, but it should be enough to get the job done.

I’ve got some other questions going into this matchup as well:

Will we see a noticeably different defensive scheme this year?
The last two seasons under Dean Hood Wake has played conservatively on defense, utilizing a “bend but don’t break” attitude that puts an emphasis on avoiding big plays. That doesn’t mean they didn’t try to make plays on the ball (obviously they did), but it wasn’t a very aggressive scheme. Under Brad Lambert I think we may see a slightly more aggressive defense; one that brings more pressure and allows the guys to react instinctively as the play develops.

How will Steed Lobotzke balance the pass and run?
I don’t know the actual statistics, but for the last couple of years Lobo has run a fairly conservative package that focuses on possessing the ball and maximizing field possession by using lots of rushes and short, accurate passes. With the questions at offensive line, the preseason success of the wide receivers, and the continued improvement of quarterback Riley Skinner, I think we may see a heavier emphasis on the pass game. Particularly if the Deacs struggle to move the ball on the ground early, Lobo might try letting Skinner air it out a little bit.

How many true freshmen will actually play?
The season’s first depth chart, which includes four true freshmen, reveals some interesting things. For one (and Grobe made this clear yesterday), OG Joe Looney and TE Andrew Parker will not be redshirting. Furthermore, center Chance Raines and CB Kenny Okoro will be traveling with the team, but Grobe may try to keep them off the field and redshirt them if possible. Redshirt freshman Dennis Godfry, who moved to the offensive line less than a week ago, is already number two on the depth chart at right guard – not a good indication for the line’s depth.

Is it safe to let Alphonso Smith return kicks?
The depth chart lists Phonz as the starter for both kick return and punt return. While he’s definitely a playmaker and I understand the desire to give him touches, the increased potential for injury worries me. I think this is one of those decisions that will turn out to be incredibly smart or will be looked back on as the downfall of the 2008 campaign. Either Phonz will dazzle in the return game, or he’ll go down with an injury – a major blow to the team. I don’t think there’s an in-between; if he stays healthy I can’t imagine him not doing some pretty special things. I guess that kind of upside is worth risking the potential injury, so I guess I’m going to have to trust the coaches on this one.

Do you have different answers to one or more of these questions? Leave a comment and tell me what you think.

Final Prediction: Wake’s offense struggles early and only manages a couple of field goals in the first half, but a touchdown on defense or special teams sends Wake to the locker room with a 13-3 lead. The offense gets its act together in the second half and the Demon Deacons leave Waco with a 30-10 victory and a respectable start to the 2008 campaign.

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If you're the observant type, it only takes a minute at practice to notice that a pretty significant change is occurring. The various stickers and logos have been added to the players' helmets, a clear indication that we must be getting close to seeing some real football.

This afternoon's practice lasted just over two hours and was conducted only in shells. The team started with some individual work and a lot of special teams. Instead of working on the standard special teams units, some "special" special units were in use (confusing, huh?).

Swank and the punters were working on stopping 35 yard punts just shy of the goal line and Brandon Ghee and the return team were working on blocking punts, plus just about every other special teams unit got some work.

The team also spent a significant portion of the day working on redzone offense and defense. It's important for them to get this kind work in, as things get a lot more cramped down there and things look different than they do when there's plenty of field to work with.

The ball-catchers (WRs and TEs) had a rough day. Not only were they dropping balls, but they were consistently getting in trouble for running the wrong routes. There was clearly confusion - sometimes receivers nearly collided. I noticed Andrew Parker and Ben Wooster had particularly bad days, with several drops each.

The lack of concentration in catching balls would have been enough to make the coaches mad by itself. The wrong routes receivers ran only made them even angrier. Several times I heard coaches remind players that these mistakes could potentially cost them the game next week at Baylor. It got bad enough for the coaches to make all receivers stop and do pushups for awhile.

Riley Skinner's passing looked crisp and accurate. Josh Adams and Brandon Pendergrass were both running well.

Matt Woodlief came up with an impressive interception during red zone 7 on 7. All of a sudden he had an arm in the air tipping the ball to himself for a pick. Devon "Y'lou" Brown was the only receiver I noticed making any impressive catches.

Aside from the helmets, the biggest indication of the transition from preseason to regular season was the amount of time dedicated to scout time. At least half of the practice was spent preparing specifically for Baylor.

As far as I'm concerned, it's about time.

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The Deacs were back at it today with two-a-day number two out of five. Once again the double practices were used to keep working on conditioning and stamina as the team prepares for its second scrimmage tomorrow.

As everyone has probably figured out by now, most practices follow a pretty typical schedule, including individual drills, 7-on-7, 11-on-11, and special teams. For two-a-days, the teams wears shoulder pads and helmets only (they call it "shells") for the morning practice and full pads in the afternoon. Nothing new there today.

The thing that really stood out today were the wide receivers and the job they were doing against the defensive backs in 1-on-1 drills. The receivers were running very crisp routes and working hard to get themselves open. They definitely impressed some people, and it's another sign that this unit is improving and is ready to step up when the season starts.

Not totally sure why, but tight end Ben Wooster sat out both of today's practices, perhaps he hurt something yesterday, but I'm pretty sure it's nothing major and he'll be day-to-day. Freshman tight end Andrew Parker was apparently hurt in the morning practice, tried to come back and practice in the afternoon, but was not able to finish. I imagine he's just day-to-day as well.

Chip Brinkman and Anthony Williams are also getting better, and I think we may see them back on the field as soon as Friday. Cameron Ford was also jogging again today, so it appears he's well on the road to recovery.

Tomorrow's scrimmage is at 3:30, and I'll have a report on it tomorrow night.

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These days, with everyone concerned about hydration, heat, and humidity, two-a-days have almost completely disappeared from college and professional football. Thankfully they haven't been completely abandoned quite yet, and today the Demon Deacons endured their first of five scheduled two-a-days this fall.

It was apparent to those in attendance this afternoon that the double practice was certainly tiring. At times there was a want of effort and concentration from some players, annoying coaches and fellow players alike. Still, it's hard to blame them when they're nearing the end of four hours of practice for the day.

Wide receivers in general seemed to lack concentration, with more dropped balls than usual. Nonetheless there were some highlights, including a long touchdown pass from Brett Hodges to Jordan Williams, who was back in action today, as well as a great touchdown grab by Andrew Parker in double coverage.

On the whole it was another good day for the defense, with Aaron Curry looking particularly impressive.

One of the main focuses of the day was conditioning, which makes sense for a two-a-day. Everyone ran sprints at the end of practice and did other work in position groups, including lots of sled pushing for the linemen. There's no doubt that these guys will be in shape by the time the preseason ends.

That minor injury bug I talked about this morning continued to make the rounds. On his touchdown catch Andrew Parker came down awkwardly, but I'm not sure exactly what he hurt. Chris Givens also appeared to tweak something on a catch as well. Both sat out the rest of practice but did return to do some pushup-type work while the rest of the team ran sprints at the end of practice.

In other injury updates, Cameron Ford is out of the boot he had been wearing, and Chip Brinkman was doing some jogging today. Still going to be awhile for both of them, but it appears they are making progress.

Only one practice tomorrow at 4:00 leading to another two-a-day on Wednesday.

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Tonight the team had another full practice in preparation for tomorrow's 7:30 pm scrimmage at BB&T Field. The team is of course still practicing in full pads, and went through its usual individual periods as well as 7-on-7, 11-on-11 and special teams sessions.

Readers had recently been asking questions about receiver Marshall Williams and I didn't have a whole lot to say at the time, so he decided to change that for me. During the 7-on-7 period Williams made a great one-handed grab in the back of the endzone. It definitely stuck out as one of the best plays of practice.

Other highlights from 7-on-7 included a nice catch by Devon "Y'lou" Brown, good play from freshman tight end Andrew Parker, and an interception of Skylar Jones by freshman cornerback Kenny Okoro. It's great to see these young guys really stepping up early on, particularly Parker considering the team's current depth issues at tight end.

Highlights from 11-on-11 included a deep catch by D.J. Boldin, a nice run by fullback Mike Rinfrette, good runs by C.J. Washington, and a pass deflection by defensive end Anthony Davis.

Speical teams work included a blocked field goal, although I'm not sure who blocked it (not Alphonso Smith, though).

Apparently there are some new injuries, as Scott Betros, Josh Bush, Terence Davis, and Kyle Jarett all sat out today, as well as the guys who've been out for a few days like Chip Brinkman and Cameron Ford. There doesn't appear to be any serious issues for these new guys, probably just small stuff and they're day-to-day. Jordan Williams tried running a few routes but then stopped, so it appears he's not quite ready to come back yet.

Thats it for today. Check back late tomorrow night for a report from the scrimmage.

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As promised, here's a rundown of the first practice:

-Not the most eventful day of practice, mostly individual position work in helmets only.

- Quarterbacks and receivers worked on some passing drills but there weren't any spectacular plays

- The offense came together to run some plays without a defense and appeared to have some trouble lining up properly. Lots of pre-snap running around and disorganization.

- Freshman TE Andrew Parker has impressive size

- Freshman QB Ted Stachitas did not throw a pass and only worked on handoffs. The reason for this is currently unknown. See the Nenon report for the explanation.

- Once the offense got lined up properly the actual plays they ran looked sharp.

Stay tuned for a player report later tonight.

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