First Impression of Deacons Could be Deceiving
WINSTON-SALEM -- First impressions are often lasting ones, but they can also be deceiving.
That's why it would be a mistake for coach Dave Doeren and his NC State football team to draw any conclusions about their upcoming opponent based on Wake Forest's opening performance on Saturday.
The Deacons were beaten 37-13 by Clemson at Truist Field in a game that was even more lopsided than the score.
But the Tigers have made a lot of teams look bad during their recent run as a national championship contender. They're also a particularly bad matchup for Wake.
The opposite is true when the Deacons play the Wolfpack. Coach Dave Clawson's team has won the past three meetings between the ACC Atlantic rivals and after sweeping.
So despite the disappointing result, Wake figures to be a confident team -- with a game already under its belt to work out the kinks -- when it comes to Carter-Finley Stadium for the Wolfpack's 2020 debut next Saturday.
"I think there's a lot of positives to build on," Clawson said after the Clemson loss. "We had a lot of good young players play a lot of football for the first time. ... I'm not happy with the result, but I thought our players competed. I thought we played hard for 60 minutes."
While 10 of the Deacons' 13 points came in the fourth quarter, long after the Tigers' Dabo Swinney called off the dogs and began substituting liberally, there are a number of things that will likely catch the Wolfpack's attention when they begin scouting the video.
First and foremost is the play of Wake quarterback Sam Hartman.
The junior, who regained the starting job he held down in 2018 after serving as Jamie Newman's backup last year, took a beating from the physical Clemson defense. Clawson finally pulled him as a precaution after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit (that wasn't penalized) late in the third quarter.
But when he wasn't running for his life, Hartman showed a strong accurate arm while completing 11 of his 21 passes for 182 yards. He has the potential to do significantly more damage if State's young defensive line -- with some help from the linebackers -- allows him to get comfortable and find a rhythm.
At the back end of the defense, the Wolfpack's secondary can't afford to get complacent just because All-ACC receiver Sage Surratt has opted out.
Redshirt freshman Donovan Greene showed an ability to get downfield and make tough catches while Taylor Morin, also a redshirt freshman seeing his first action from scrimmage, looked like a carbon copy of Thayer Thomas while catching nine passes for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, edge rusher Boogie Basham will present a serious challenge to State's veteran offensive line. His 16-yard sack of Trevor Lawrence extended his streak to 19 straight games with a tackle for a loss, longest in the nation.
Having already played a game, the Deacons will also have the advantage of identifying their most pressing needs for improvement and can spend the coming week working on them while the Wolfpack will head into the game flying somewhat blind.
"I'm excited for next week, because it's another opportunity, another chance for us to fix the mixtakes, grow and learn," Hartman said. "I'm very optimistic. the biggest thing is we showed what we can do on the field.
"When you look at the score, people will say "Ah, Wake is this, Wake is that.' But there's a lot of room for growth. That's important for us to realize. Hopefully we'll make it for what it's worth, go out next week and play football."
As wary as the Wolfpack should be about the Deacons, Saturday's performance also exposed several potential weaknesses for Doeren and his staff to exploit.
The most glaring was Wake's difficulty in defending Clemson's read option attack.
While some of the Tigers' success on the ground had something to do with the fact that their primary ballcarrier Travis Etienne is a two-time ACC Player of the Year, don't be surprised if new offensive coordinator Tim Beck works some similar plays into the Wolfpack's gameplan.
Bam Knight, Jordan Houston and Ricky Person Jr. could potentiall have a big day if the Deacons don't do a better job of identifying the ballcarrier and plugging their gaps.
Tight end Cary Angeline could also be a major factor, given Clemson's success attacking the middle of the Wake defense with its tight ends. Between them, Braden Galloway, Davis Allen and J.C. Chalk combined for seven catches and 114 yards, with Chalk catching a 12-yard touchdown pass.
On the other side of the ball, look for defensive coordinator Tony Gibson to dial up a variety of blitzes and other tactics to take advantage of a Deacon offensive line that had a hard time keeping Clemson pass rushers out of their backfield.
If nothing else, State can count on getting Wake's best. Not only will the Deacons be motivated to avoid an 0-2 start in a shortened season, but they're also intent on continuing their recent success against in-state ACC rivals.
After sweeping the Wolfpack, North Carolina and Duke last season -- an accomplishment they celebrated with state championship rings -- Clawson and his players are serious about staying out front in the local competition.
"We're going to get some guys back that we didn't have (Saturday) with injuries or COVID-related (issues)," Clawson said. "If our guys continue to do the right things, hopefully we can be close to full strength next week as we try to start defending our Big Four championship on the road against NC State."
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