Playmakers and Unfamiliarity: NC State Preparing for Wake Forest Offense
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RALEIGH, N.C. -- Both Wake Forest and NC State enter the Week Three matchup with 2-0 records, although the two teams got there in very different ways against wildly contrasted competition.
The Demon Deacons survived a major scare from Kennesaw State in their opener before blowing out Western Carolina in the second game of the season by over 30 points. NC State barely survived back-to-back games against frisky East Carolina and Virginia squads.
Now on a short week, the two teams will meet Thursday night in Winston-Salem, continuing one of college football's longest rivalries. The Wake Forest offense could pose some challenges for the NC State defense, especially after the Wolfpack struggled mightily against the run in the Virginia game.
Major Backfield Talent
The primary threat in Wake Forest's offense is Demond Claiborne, the team's senior running back. Claiborne punished NC State's weak rush defense a season ago in a 34-30 win for the Demon Deacons. He finished with 136 yards on 20 carries and marched into the twice on the ground and once through the air.
Despite the retirement of head coach Dave Clawson, Claiborne opted to stay with the Wake Forest program under first-year coach Jake Dickert.
The running back left the opener with an injury, but returned for the Western Carolina matchup and scored three touchdowns. He rushed for over 100 yards on just 10 carries in the dominant victory.
He's joined forces with journeyman quarterback Robby Ashford, who came over from South Carolina after losing his job to LaNorris Sellers. Ashford is a dynamic runner who has struggled to be an effective college passer across two seasons at Auburn and his lone season with the Gamecocks. However, after NC State allowed 257 rushing yards to Virginia, both players could be problematic if the Wolfpack linebackers can't tackle more consistently.
No More Slow Mesh
NC State head coach Dave Doeren only faced Wake Forest once without Clawson leading the Demon Deacons all the way back in 2013, Doeren's first year in Raleigh. The Wake Forest program became identified as the slow mesh RPO team under Clawson, as the team committed to the system no matter what for 11 seasons.
With Clawson's exit, the Demon Deacons changed the scheme. Doeren stated that Wake Forest looks more 'traditional' than it did under the longtime head coach, with Dickert bringing in the same system he ran while coaching Washington State.
While it was always difficult to play against and prepare for, the Wolfpack had some familiarity with the slow mesh offense. Now, Doeren and first-year defensive coordinator DJ Eliot were forced to start from scratch with limited film from Dickert's first two games.
The Demon Deacons brought in Rob Ezell as offensive coordinator. Ezell spent last season with South Alabama in the same role, his first as a coordinator. He's brought a power spread offensive scheme, leaning even more on the run game than the slow mesh did.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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