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WINSTON-SALEM -- Jim Grobe would rather listen to 16 consecutive hours of Motley Crue than just chuck it and, well, chuck it incessantly.

"I'm a bit of a knothead about that stuff," the Wake Forest football coach said Tuesday. "I hate to give up and say, 'We can't run the ball.' Hopefully, we can develop as we go through the season."

As his team prepares to face Clemson on Thursday night at BB&T Field, Grobe would like to see some evidence of offensive balance from a team with a running game that ranks 114th out of 119 teams in the NCAA's top division of football.

In four games, Wake has run the ball 49 percent of the time. That ratio seems conventional in light of the national average of 55.8 percent, but for these guys, it smacks of New England in 1776 or Russia in 1917.

Consider that Grobe's final Ohio University team, the 2000 squad, rushed on 82 percent of its snaps. His second Wake squad stuck to the ground 72.5 percent of the time. That figure has generally trended downward since, but this year's start represents the biggest departure by far.

An early deficit against Navy explains some of the statistical trend toward passing, but not all of it.

The success of quarterback Riley Skinner, the 2006 ACC Rookie of the Year, hasn't changed the inclinations around here. While off last week, the Deacs used the bulk of their time honing the fundamentals of run-blocking.

"We've gotten away from teaching who to block and more about how to block," Grobe said.

Translation: Offensive coordinator Steed Lobotzke did not make a pilgrimage to Texas Tech to pay homage to the Pope of the Pass, Mike Leach.

"We're doing what Lobo has taught us for as long as I've been here -- 21/2 years," guard Russell Nenon said. "And I think the message is finally getting across: We can't (halfway) it during the game and expect to win."

Grobe stressed that Wake's substandard average of 2.35 yards per rush can't be blamed entirely on the line.

Running backs and wide receivers, most of whom are underclassmen, haven't always delivered their blocks on time or on the mark. The "Orbit Sweep" in which a receiver carries the ball isn't as large a part of the playbook as it was four years ago, but deception and getting to the perimeter remain in the plan. So everybody's still involved.

Skinner has attempted 35 or more passes in six games during his career, and three of those six have featured three or more interceptions. The most recent was the Navy game, which has been analyzed more than Tony Soprano.

"I couldn't figure out which superhero he wanted to be: Batman or the Green Hornet," Grobe said.

The Deacs still prefer a more terrestrial approach led by running back Josh Adams, with Brandon Pendergrass providing a change of pace every third series or so.

And that's really more about a gut feeling than practical necessity. In the end, it's hard to argue with a 3-1 record that includes a win at Florida State. It's also important to remember that Wake's 2006 ACC champions ranked 96th in total offense. The current squad is 85th.

"We may be an air-it-out team and we may not be able to do anything about it," Grobe said. "We'll see."

Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rob.daniels@news-record.com