Across the Beat: Getting to know Wake Forest
We’re going to have a little fun with this one.
To learn about Wake Forest ahead of Thursday night’s game, we’re going to turn to the publisher of Deacons Illustrated on the Rivals network.
As you probably know, the publisher of that site is a hack; just a shill in every sense of the word. He doesn’t do any research, doesn’t put in any time to hone his craft. Just wants to collect his paycheck every month and live the lavish life of a sports reporter.
So, let’s have some fun with a me-myself-and-I Q&A and get you caught up on Wake Forest ahead of Thursday night’s game:
1. You know the deal — it’s vibe-check time. How is the tenor around Wake Forest’s program?
Answer: There’s a frequently used hashtag that would fit here. But explaining it would take some time that you probably don’t have.
We’ll just say things aren’t good.
Wake Forest is a 4-4 team and there’s a feeling that it should be 2-6. The Deacons’ last two wins were a 17-point comeback at Old Dominion and a final-seconds 21-17 win over Pittsburgh in which the Panthers did everything in their power to lose the game before Wake Forest won it.
Hypotheticals are, as always, for losers.
The Deacons are 4-4 and staring at a distinct possibility of missing a bowl game for the first time since 2015. But a bowl berth is still on the table and despite last weekend’s blowout loss to Florida State, it kind of feels more likely than it did a week ago. That’s because Duke has scuffled, and games against N.C. State and Syracuse could be wins (at Notre Dame feels like a foregone conclusion).
2. What’s going on at QB?
Answer: Kind of a loaded question, huh?
Wake Forest didn’t think it would have a seamless transition in going from Sam Hartman to Mitch Griffis. You could not replace the ACC’s all-time leader in touchdown passes without at least a few speed bumps.
This thing has hit some potholes and is running on vegetable oil, though.
The passing of the baton to Griffis has proved problematic. The first-year starter has held on to the ball for too long, at times. He hasn’t been secure with the ball. He also hasn’t had much support, and Wake’s offense has been a systematic failure.
Griffis was battered and beaten in games against Old Dominion and Georgia Tech, got an off week, and was pummeled at Clemson. So, when he had a rough start to the Oct. 14 game at Virginia Tech, he was benched for Michael Kern. He played OK, but suffered a shoulder injury (throwing arm) on his final snap of that game and doesn’t appear to be on the verge of a return.
Wake Forest started third-stringer Santino Marucci against Pitt and he threw a touchdown pass in the final minute. The Deacons didn’t trust him to do much before the fourth quarter, which explains why they went back to Griffis last weekend against FSU.
3. So … systematic failure? What else hasn’t worked for Wake’s offense?
Answer: It’s not an exaggeration to say things have been downhill since the first practice of fall camp.
That’s when Wake Forest lost Donavon Greene to a knee injury. When it happened, there was an outside chance the starting wide receiver (and former Duke commit) would return, but coach Dave Clawson said a couple of weeks ago he’s not expected to return.
Without Greene, Wake Forest has struggled to establish any kind of consistent deep threat. Jahmal Banks is the only receiver capable of making contested, downfield catches.
The offensive line has had several injuries that have turned it into a patchwork unit. One starter was lost for the season (Nick Sharpe), another missed a few games with an ankle injury (Spencer Clapp).
Wake’s running backs have been … interesting. Justice Ellison has been hobbled by an ankle injury. He’s the most-complete option in the backfield, but Demond Clairborne is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. He’s just a liability in pass protection. Tate Carney is the best pass blocker, but is a battering ram who’s primarily used as a blocker or in short-yardage situations.
4. Wake’s defense was inconsistent for several years and now it seems like that unit has steadied itself. What’s happened to stabilize the defense?
Answer: Here’s what gives Wake Forest fans indigestion with this season.
If you paired the defensive production of this team with any of the previous six seasons of offensive production, you’d have a 10-game winner and challenge for the ACC title.
That’s not how this works, though.
Wake’s defense has gotten great play up the middle. It’s really, more or less, built like a baseball team in being strong at defensive tackle, linebacker and safety. That doesn’t mean there are holes at defensive end, nickel and cornerback; it’s just that when plays are made, they’re most likely being made by somebody from the middle of the defense.
The glass-half-empty part of this is the hypothetical laid out above; the glass-half-full view is that if Wake Forest finds the answers it needs on offense, it’s going to be a quick turnaround to reenter the top tier of the ACC.
5. What does a successful finish to the season look like and what’s it going to take to get there?
Answer: Getting to a bowl — any of them — would be a success. Wake Forest has a seven-year bowl streak that it takes pride in, given the program’s previous longest streak for bowl berths was three straight.
Wake Forest can get to a bowl game with a loss at Duke but it’d certainly keep some margin for error in the equation. A loss to Duke means, as discussed earlier, that Wake Forest needs to beat N.C. State and go to Syracuse and win in the final game of the regular season.
It might be more important that Wake Forest figures out what it can about its QB situation, though.
The Deacons need to figure out if Griffis is the answer moving forward or if they need to look elsewhere. It’s a complicated evaluation with a lot more nuance than we can cover here.
Reaching a bowl game or failing to do so probably answers a lot of that evaluation.