Vanderbilt opens season tonight against Wake Forest

And even though both teams would say any season-opener is important, the Demon Deacons and the Commodores sure could use a win — complete with a strong late-game performance — to prove those frustrating days are behind them.

“It’s going to be two hungry teams coming in there Thursday, both wanting to do well right off the bat,” Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said.

Wake Forest, coming off a 4-7 season, is playing its first season opener at home in five years. The Demon Deacons have won all four of their home openers under Jim Grobe, including an upset of then-No. 14 North Carolina State two years ago.

Vanderbilt, 2-9 last year and 8-38 in the past four years, has lost seven straight opening games.

But both teams watched games slip away late last year, and come into this season determined to prevent it from happening again.

The Demon Deacons were leading or tied in the fourth quarters of nine games last season and lost six games by seven points or less.

Those losses were about more than late-game performance, Grobe said. The coaching staff even showed the team a “lowlight” tape of errors that set the stage for breakdowns late in the games.

“The point we tried to make with our kids was we need to play four quarters of football,” Grobe said. “In a couple of games, we could’ve been up a couple of scores in the fourth quarter and drinking Gatorade and laughing and giggling. Instead, we’re sweating bullets going right to the wire.”

The Demon Deacons return 16 starters, but will be without two key players: two-time all-Atlantic Coast Conference running back Chris Barclay and cornerback Riley Swanson. Both were suspended in the offseason for breaking a team rule.

Barclay led the ACC in rushing in each of the past two regular seasons, finishing with 1,014 yards and nine touchdowns in 2004. Redshirt sophomore Micah Andrews is expected to start in Barclay’s place.

Swanson’s absence could also prove troublesome in a secondary that lost starting cornerbacks Eric King and Marcus McGruder. Swanson, a redshirt junior, played in all 23 games the past two seasons.

Wake Forest lists redshirt freshmen Kevin Patterson and Alphonso Smith as its starting corners — an unsettling prospect considering Vanderbilt has preseason all-Southeastern Conference quarterback Jay Cutler.

The four-year starter threw for 1,844 yards and 10 touchdowns last year, but the Commodores still lost five games by five points or less. The last was a 38-33 loss to Tennessee, a game in which Vanderbilt once trailed 28-6.

“Wake is on the same page as we are,” Cutler said. “Everyone wants to start off 1-0 out of the gates and get the season rolling. It’s going to be tough. We’ve been preparing for a long time, and I think we’re ready.”