Ben Wooster's back is out, and so is he.
Coach Jim Grobe of Wake Forest said yesterday that Wooster, a fifth-year senior who caught the winning touchdown pass in last season's EagleBank Bowl victory over Navy, will be sidelined indefinitely with an injured back. Wooster has been limited by the injury since preseason practice, and his only playing time this season was a brief appearance in the second game against Stanford.
Don Steelman, the head football trainer, said that Wooster has a bulging disc that has not ruptured. Steelman said that Wooster will miss at least the next two games against Boston College and N.C. State before being reevaluated.
Sophomores Andrew Parker and Cameron Ford will continue to share the position, and Grobe said yesterday that senior Ted Randolph might work his way into some playing time as well.
"Ben's going to take some time off," Grobe said. "His back is bothering him. He's got a bad back, and the doctors feel like it would be better for him to rest for a while. So we'll give him some rest and hope that Cam and Andrew can continue to play well and stay healthy."
Wooster, who said that his father, Ed, has a history of back problems, tried to practice last Tuesday only to have the injury flare up again.
"We just went into the game feeling he wouldn't play (against Elon)," Grobe said.
Wooster caught 24 passes last season despite missing three games with a pulled hamstring. He was at his best early, when he caught six passes against Baylor and six against Mississippi. But after catching five passes in the fifth game against Clemson, he managed only four receptions for 22 yards the rest of the season.
Ford has three catches for 61 yards this season and Parker has two for 7 yards and a touchdown.
"You hope for all your seniors to have a good final season," Grobe said. "But the good news is the two young guys have played really, really well. They need to play better, but they've played really well.
"But I'm just hopeful Ben can get back healthy because he's a great kid, and I would like for good things to happen for him before this season's over."
Kevin Harris, who started the first three games at running back, missed Monday's practice with a pulled groin he sustained in the first half of last weekend's 35-7 victory over Elon. Grobe said he won't know Harris' chances of playing Saturday at Boston College until later in the week.
Harris did not practice yesterday. He said there's a chance he could return today.
The Deacons have sufficient depth at running back. Junior Josh Adams, the 2007 ACC offensive rookie of the year, has gained 88 yards on 24 carries this season, and sophomore Brandon Pendergrass, who gained 110 yards last year against Virginia, has 42 yards on 13 carries.
Grobe said he is not inclined to play first-year freshman Josh Harris, despite Harris' impressive showing in the preseason. Willie Dixon, a sophomore walk-on from Durham, is currently the third-team running back. Dixon had seven carries for 21 yards against Elon.
"I thought Willie Dixon ran the ball and looked pretty good Saturday," Grobe said. "He's a really physical running back and he's got enough speed, I think, to hurt people.
"Actually he's had a couple of really good scrimmages for us, but has stayed too banged up to be a factor. I would say if Kevin couldn't go, it would be Willie. I don't think we would go to Josh before we go to Willie."
dcollins@wsjournal.com
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