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Wake Forest football coach Jim Grobe isn't prone to looking back, particularly during a season, but he can't help but think about how he'd have done things differently.
Worried about the loss of seven defensive starters after last season, Grobe emphasized a ball-control offense in the Deacons' season opener against Baylor, a 24-21 loss.
It was an understandable approach - rely on the offense to keep the ball away and score enough points to win. It didn't play out that way, however.
"I maybe messed things up early this year," Grobe said. "We tried to control the clock and keep our defense off the field, but it comes back to the simple idea that if you're going to win, you have to score points.
"You can't come out and grind it out for 80 yards every possession. After that game, we decided we had to quit worrying about our defense and go out and score some points. It turns out our offense is helping our defense more by not worrying about trying to control the clock."
A comeback win against Stanford and a dominating performance against Elon sends the Deacons (2-1) to Boston College (2-1) on a modest roll today at 2 p.m. for their ACC season opener.
They have gained more than 400 yards in each of the past two games, the defense has earned some battle scars and quarterback Riley Skinner has found his groove.
"I think we're coming around," fullback Mike Rinfrette said.
The storyline gets more complicated today.
Beyond being the Deacons' conference opener, they're facing a Boston College team that has given them trouble. The Eagles have taken advantage of Wake Forest turnovers to win their past two meetings and the Deacons have struggled to find their offensive rhythm.
Grobe doesn't need to be reminded that Wake Forest gained only 181 yards in a 24-21 home loss to Boston College last year, the lowest offensive output in his nine seasons in Winston-Salem.
"They play a (defensive) scheme that makes you be patient," Grobe said. "They put you in a position where you're fortunate to make first downs.
"If you get impatient against them, you're going to make turnovers. I hope Riley will be content with just making some first downs."
Grobe pointed to the Eagles' defensive performance in a 25-7 loss at Clemson last Saturday. The Tigers' only touchdown came on a 77-yard punt return for a touchdown. Otherwise, Clemson settled for six field goals.
After the lessons of the Baylor loss, Grobe said Skinner was given a more aggressive game plan, taking advantage of the Deacons' ability to throw the ball downfield.
In the second-half comeback against Stanford and again in the win against Elon, Skinner looked at the entire field rather than a narrow portion of it.
"We didn't throw it downfield against Baylor and when you do that, you make it easy on the other team," Grobe said. "We've given (Skinner) the opportunity to do a few more things."
