College-Football Notebook: Deacs often win battle of turnovers

By: JournalNow Staff | JOURNAL STAFF REPORT
Published: October 30, 2009

Wake Forest

■ One reason that Coach Jim Grobe has been successful at Wake Forest is that his teams have been better at taking the ball away than giving it up. Six of his first eight teams had positive turnover margins, and last season, the Deacons ranked fifth in the nation at plus-17 (37 takeaways, 20 turnovers).

"We talked about that at the beginning of the year that this was not going to be a defense that we could expect we were going to turn it over like Alphonso (Smith) and (Aaron) Curry and those guys did, without that experience,'' Grobe said.

-- Dan Collins

Winston-Salem State

■ Coach Kermit Blount has been a part 20 homecoming games at Winston-Salem State -- 16 as a coach, four as a player -- and he said it's important to win them.

"The fans get to celebrate a little, and the players like that as well," Blount said. "For us, it's not homecoming, it's another ball game."

The Rams, who will play their homecoming game against Hampton on Saturday, haven't played at Bowman Gray Stadium since Sept. 10.

"It feels good to get off the road," Blount said.

-- John Dell