Weekend Top 25 results

While Maryland's Ralph Friedgen is in line for national Coach of the Year honors, you can't overlook the great job turned in by another first-year ACC head coach, Wake Forest's Jim Grobe.

Grobe's Demon Deacons run a complex, diversified offense while staying away from costly penalties.

After a successful tenure as head coach at Ohio -- where he led the Bobcats to a 7-4 record during the 2000 campaign, including a victory over MAC powerhouse Marshall -- Grobe has the surprising Demon Deacons in the mix for postseason action.

Wake Forest (5-4) becomes bowl-eligible with one more victory. This week, the Demon Deacons host Georgia Tech. Then Northern Illinois visits Groves Stadium for the regular-season finale.

At the outset of the season, most observers figured Wake would finish near the bottom of the ACC. After all, just one season ago, the Demon Deacons suffered through a 2-9 campaign that included a home loss to Division I-AA Appalachian State. Wake's only victories last year came against Duke and Navy.

Grobe and his staff were able to right the ship immediately. The Demon Deacons opened with an upset victory over East Carolina at Greenville, then were competitive in losses to Maryland (27-20), N.C. State (17-14) and Clemson (21-14).

Lately, the Demon Deacons have found a way to win the close games, pulling out hard-fought victories on the road against Virginia and North Carolina. Against North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Saturday, Wake Forest showed its true mettle, rallying from a 24-0 halftime deficit to come away with the biggest comeback win in school history.

Grobe's Demon Deacons run a complex, diversified offense while staying away from costly penalties (eight for North Carolina and only two for Wake). The Demon Deacons' attack is tough to prepare for; they were successful on a pair of reverses that resulted in TDs by John Stone and Fabian Davis. The versatile, super-fast Stone provides big-play potential at receiver and excels as a kickoff returner.

The good news for Wake Forest fans is that key players on both sides of the ball are slated to return for the 2002 season; these include gritty QB James MacPherson (14-for-23 passing vs. UNC), productive tailback Tarence Williams, underrated TE Ray Thomas and wideout Davis.

On Saturday, Williams ran for 101 yards despite the fact that he was coming off a sprained ankle that forced him to miss the previous week's action against Virginia.

Overall, the Demon Deacons are expected to return eight starters on offense and eight on defense. Speaking of the stop squad, sophomore free safety Quintin Williams (a former cornerback) recorded eight tackles and forced a fumble vs. UNC.

Green says no to NFL draft -- for now
After the suspension of Boston College junior RB William Green for the Miami game Saturday, there was speculation that Green may bypass his final year of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2002 NFL draft.

Green said Monday he wasn't planning to leave early for the draft. Nevertheless, if the news had been true, it would have been inappropriate and premature for him to comment on his intentions for the NFL draft. Players finishing their third year in college have until January to make the final decision. Why create any possible distractions during the season? And why, after being forced to sit out one of the biggest games in school history, would you again turn attention away from the team and back on yourself?

Accept responsibility, apologize to your teammates and the coaching staff, then return to the practice field with your total focus on preparation for the game against Rutgers on Saturday. And, in fact, Green has returned to practice.

As for Green's ability, I've been saying all season that he's right up there with UCLA's DeShaun Foster as the top back in college football. A definite Heisman candidate prior to the suspension, Green could have garnered a great deal of national attention with an impressive effort against Miami.

His production has been exceptional, plus he possesses the physical ability and overall skill level to eventually project as a first-round draft choice. In the coming months, however, if he does enter the draft, Green will have to register strong individual workouts and also answer questions about what led to the recent suspension (as well as a similar suspension that cost him an opportunity to play in the Aloha Bowl last year against Arizona State).

Green (6-1, 225 pounds) showcases home-run hitting potential and is a capable pass-receiving option. This season, he has rushed for 1,164 yards (5.3 yards per carry) and 12 TDs. He has also caught 16 passes out of the backfield for a 12.7-yard average and two TDs.

Air attack carrying Marshall
Following a big win over Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, Marshall has moved into the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll.

A key element for the Thundering Herd has been the exceptional performance of junior QB Byron Leftwich. In my view, Leftwich is among the country's top five Heisman candidates. This season, he has thrown for 3,094 yards and 25 TDs (and just six interceptions) and is completing a remarkable 66.9 percent of his passes. Against Miami (Ohio), Leftwich didn't throw any TDs but was extremely efficient (28-of-41 for 285 yards).

With Leftwich airing it out so effectively, it's not surprising that the three top receivers in the MAC all hail from Marshall. They are Darius Watts, Josh Davis and Denero Marriott.

Against Miami (Ohio), Watts was contained by the RedHawk defense (eight catches for just 44 yards). Davis, though, accounted for 102 yards on nine catches, and Marriott had seven receptions for 132 yards and one TD.

By the way, the bad news for the rest of the MAC is that these three wideouts are underclassmen.