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'Woody'

Former Bandys star ready for starting role for Deacs

BY PAUL FOGLEMAN

Record Sports Correspondent

Published: September 3, 2009

Former Bandys High star linebacker Matt Woodlief knows where the spotlight will be shining on this year's Wake Forest football team… and he is not worried.

He's well aware of where preseason prognosticators have tagged this season's question mark on the Deacons, and he's perfectly at ease with it.

"It really doesn't bother me," said Woodlief, a red-shirt junior who will start. "We've heard all of the bad comments because we've supposedly lost so much (defensively).

"That just makes us want to play better.

"It makes us want to be more physical and want it more than (opposing offenses)."

No doubt, when Wake Forest plays host to Baylor at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday in the season opener for both teams, the glare will be noticeable on the Deacons' defense.

And where it illuminates the most may be on the linebackers.

It's understandable, even expected, said Woodlief, given the departures of All-American Aaron Curry (the NFL Draft's fourth pick by Seattle) and Stanley Arnoux (a fourth round pick by New Orleans).

But like the Wake Forest program that has transformed from doormat to door buster in recent years, Woodlief said the 2009 group is ready to step up and surprise the skeptics.

He's ready to prove the Deacons' defense and its trio of fresh-faced linebackers in Woodlief, Hunter Haynes and Jonathan Jones are neither down nor out.

"Since I've been in college, we've had great players in front of us, and I know I've learned a lot from them," Woodlief said. "I know there are going to be some big shoes to fill, but during (preseason) camp we just went out and were fired up every day.

"Going out and practicing and getting better each day, I think that relaxed us as camp went by."
Last year's defense finished 16th in the country in total defense, and there was little doubt where its heartbeat could be found.

With Curry and Arnoux anchoring the unit, Wake Forest surrendered a bit more than 296 yards a game and ranked third in the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring defense, allowing 18.3 points per game.

Still, the Deacons went only 4-4 in the ACC. And with this year's linebackers and three of the four players in the secondary starting for the first year, matching last year's performance and moving into the league's upper echelon may be a daunting task.

But the guy simply known as "Woody" when he played at Bandys was ranked among the top 50 linebackers in the nation by several recruiting services his senior year.

While at Bandys, he was an intense defensive leader best known for isolated hard hits on unsuspecting offensive players that became know as "Woody Wallops".

Woodlief says he isn't feeling the pressure to live up to last year's billing. He said this season's defense may hold a slight advantage over last year's in one important area.

"I feel like this year we're a little faster," said Woodlief. "I might have felt a little pressure at first because I didn't want to make any mistakes and let my family, or my coaches and our fans down.

"In camp I saw the mistakes I might make and then went out the next day and fixed them.

"So (pressure) really doesn't bother me. That's the way it was in high school, and it's just a different level now."

But that doesn't mean Woodlief isn't a little anxious – and excited – for Saturday's opener. He and the Deacons' deffense will face an early test against a Baylor offense that features one of the country's top dual-threat quarterbacks in Robert Griffin.

Griffin, a sophomore, came off the bench in Wake Forest's 41-13 victory in last year's opener and remained the starter the rest of the way, finishing with nearly 3,000 total yards and 28 touchdowns (13 rushing, 15 passing).

"I've been watching them on film since the summer, and they have a quarterback who's really good," Woodlief said. "It's going to be a challenge, but if we're going to rise up, we'll rise up."

And a win over the Bears would be step one of several modest goals the 5-foot-11, 255-pounder has set for the year.

"I just want to win every game, but every week's a challenge and you have to stay humble," Woodlief said. "I want to go after the ball carrier and try to get the most tackles I can, but mainly I want to go out and play good football.

"I'm not trying to be top dog or anything like that. I just want to go out and do what I do best."