More Questions Than Answers? Wake Forest vs. Western Carolina Preview

After a confusing 10–9 victory over the Kennesaw State Owls in week one, Wake Forest gets another chance to figure things out.

Jake Dickert with the Wake Forest football team following a 10–9 victory over Kennesaw State, Aug. 29, 2025. | X: WakeFB

"Built in the dark" has been the new mantra under head coach Jake Dickert. With darkness comes obscurity, and the Deacs' performance on Friday night was obscure.

Luckily, Wake Forest has another favorable matchup on their plate before the NC State Wolfpack comes down Tobacco Road for a highly anticipated matchup on Sept. 11.

The Black and White Comparison

Seth Seebaugh / Wake Forest Athletics

Mirroring last week against Kennesaw State, Wake Forest is the heavy favorite to take down the Western Carolina Catamounts on Saturday. The Catamounts, belonging to the Southern Conference of the FCS, lost their opening game to Gardner-Webb, 52–45. They led the Runnin' Bulldogs 42—28 heading into the fourth quarter, where they were outscored 24—3.

Running back Patrick Boyd Jr. led the way for Western Carolina, running for 142 yards and a score. Complimenting Boyd is Branson Adams, who saw 12 carries for 66 yards last Saturday. Though it is just one week, the Catamounts relied more heavily on the run, compared to their tradition of airing the ball out—something to keep an eye on at Allegacy Stadium on Saturday.

	2024	2025 (One Game)
Pass Yards Per Game	335.75	233
Rush Yards Per Game	136.3	221
Total Yards Per Game	472.1	454

Additionally, the Catamounts were not as severely affected by the transfer portal bug and staff turnover as Kennesaw State was, which should provide a more formidable test, especially for the Wake Forest defense. However, the opposing quarterback situation, as was the case last week, is also interesting. Both Bennett Judy and Isaac Lee saw playing time last week against Gardner-Webb. Judy came into the season with just 10 passing attempts under his belt, while Lee is a redshirt freshman.

For a twist of mystery, FCS All-American Taron Dickens is slated as Western Carolina's starting quarterback, yet was marked as “inactive/unavailable” for their Week One matchup. If Dickens starts this weekend, the outlook would certainly become more interesting for the Demon Deacons.

We Still Don't Have Answers

Ty Clark III vs. Kennesaw State, Aug. 29, 2025. | Seth Seebaugh / Wake Forest Athletics

The Demon Deacons are 1–0, and to some, that is all that matters. However, many are dissatisfied with their lackluster start, despite the notch in the win column. Coming into the season, the belief was that questions would be answered and the Deacs' identity would be revealed. After week one, Deactown is still left in the dark, with potentially more questions than they started with.

Robby Ashford had a clean sheet to start his Wake Forest career, but showed little beyond serviceability. Perhaps that is a week one glitch, as the soon-to-be-23-year-old is still adjusting to a scheme that lost its best player three plays into the game. On the flip side of that, a time will come when Ashford needs to push the ball down the field—something he was largely shielded from doing in his debut.

With Demond Claiborne essentially absent from Friday night's contest, standout performers were hard to come by. No running back, other than Claiborne, averaged over 3.5 yards per carry. Two receivers got over 40 yards—Karate Brenson had one catch for 41 yards, and tight end Eni Falayi had four receptions for 52 yards. The offense's inability to generate points against Kennesaw State emphasizes the importance of avoiding over-reliance on one player.

The defense and special teams did their part: the defense made a crucial stop at the end of the game, and the special teams didn't lose the game for them. All eyes now point toward the offense, desperately hoping that Demond Claiborne's absence was the root of the stagnant offense, as sustaining a Claiborne-less offense looks grim.