Deacs Have Tunnel Vision at Jake Dickert Press Conference
In this story:
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8–3, 4–3 ACC) will have a winning record in November for the first time since 2008. On top of that, the Deacs are receiving AP Top 25 votes for the first time all season. With all the buzz in Winston-Salem, head coach Jake Dickert is only focused on the step in front of him: the Duke Blue Devils. Here are the takeaways from his weekly press conference.
Continue Cultivating Grit
The Demon Deacons were the team that was "close" to achieving good things earlier in the season. When asked about the discrepancy between the team then and now, Jake Dickert said the players were tired of the monotony and started to change course against the Virginia Tech Hokies.
He said his group's best characteristic is their ability to respond to failure and hardship—evident from their upset over No. 12 Virginia after being decimated by Florida State. When a reporter attempted to give Coach Dickert credit, he did as he always does: deflect and shower the compliments on his team.
He said that general manager Rob Schlaeger is the best in the country, but did say he and Schlaeger did a good job hiring the "right people" and that his staff has done an elite job getting the team consistently prepared.
Thanksgiving Week Preparation
This is the first season that Dickert said his players have classes on Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week—welcome to Wake Forest. He also said they will have practice early on Thanksgiving Day and then enjoy the rest of the holiday.
Despite all the distractions, Coach Dickert is steadfast in keeping his team on track for their short road trip to Durham to play Duke.
A Quick Duke Preview
Jake Dickert is 1–1 against Big Four opponents in his first year. While a win against the Blue Devils secures a better bowl game, it also gives the Deacs a winning record on Tobacco Road for the first time since their historic 2021 campaign.
However, before they can claim even more headlines, they have to beat Duke. Coach Dickert highlighted their "dynamic offense" and labeled transfer quarterback Darian Mensah as "elite" and had high praise for true freshman running back Nate Sheppard.
Defensively, the Blue Devils are constantly changing their looks, which Dickert said keeps opponents off balance and struggling to find rhythm.
Dickert called out the Duke special teams and their fake field goal last week that helped lift them over the North Carolina Tar Heels, 32–25. He also said he was thankful they ran their perfectly executed trick play against UNC and not them this weekend.
Jake Dickert said his team needs to empty their tanks against the Blue Devils because they'll have two weeks to rest before bowl game preparation begins. This weekend marks yet another opportunity for Wake Forest to assert itself as a threat in the ACC and continue building something special in the Forest.
Recommended Articles
Blake is a Sophomore at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. When not living on campus, he resides in West Virginia, where he was born and raised. He is studying communication and is invested in all things related to sports media. In his Freshman year, he completed an internship with the National Sports Media Association, and also worked as a sports editor at Wake Forest's student-run newspaper, the Old Gold & Black. Currently, Blake does play-by-play broadcasting for Wake Forest Club Ice Hockey and holds a job at Learfield, working as a studio host. In a perfect world, he would spend his free time road tripping and attending concerts all across the United States.
Follow BlakeARobison