Rule Change Coming? Jake Dickert Press Conference Takeaways

Saturday's loss hit Deactown hard, with many still not over it. Coach Dickert has his eyes set on the revitalized Hokies.

Head Coach Jake Dickert during Wake Forest's 29–30 loss against Georgia Tech, Sept. 27, 2025. | Evan Harris/Wake Forest On SI

The sting still hurts, as many Demon Deacon faithful continue reeling after the shocking loss to Georgia Tech. The Deacs defied most of the predictions and hung around with one of the top dogs in the ACC, but have no W to show for it.

Amid the frustration, Jake Dickert spoke to the media on Monday and set the record straight. Here are the takeaways.

"Built in the Dark" Paying Dividends

Demond Claiborne (1) diving for the pylon against Georgia Tech, Sept. 27, 2025. | Evan Harris/Wake Forest On SI

Coach Dickert started off his press conference with nothing but positives. He first thanked the fans and students for sticking around and creating a great football atmosphere. After watching the tape, Coach said his squad "left it out there" and that he was very proud of the performance.

Dickert again emphasized "Built in the Dark" and how the mantra continues to become cemented week by week. The biggest indicator of this new identity taking shape was the growth over the bye week. Coach continually mentioned specific adjustments being made, and they were not empty promises—he saw his words come to fruition on Saturday.

According to Coach Dickert, one notable difference was the offensive line's improvements from Week One to today. He said it was a night-and-day difference and that the group continues to gel and improve.

Something that has become commonplace with the 2025 Demon Deacons is their ability to prevent explosive plays on defense. Dickert said they held Georgia Tech to just three such plays on Saturday. This surprising development is a stark contrast to the Deacs just one season ago, and speaks to the potential power of regime changes.

Coach Dickert also noted the team's late-game growth, playing through the adversity of the humming Yellow Jackets and injuries from Demond Claiborne and Robby Ashford. Despite the promising signs, Coach said they are still not where they want to be, but their breakthrough is coming.

Where it Went Wrong

Karon Prunty (3) lined up against Isiah Canion (4) for Georgia Tech, Sept. 27, 2025. | Evan Harris/Wake Forest On SI

Despite all the positives, Wake Forest fans still painfully know that they lost to Georgia Tech and that it wasn't always pretty. Coach Dickert made sure to address the biggest problems.

The Demon Deacons made five trips to the red zone on Saturday but only managed one touchdown, while also missing a field goal from just 27 yards out. An improved performance in the red zone could have put the Yellow Jackets out of reach, and Coach Dickert acknowledged the need to improve in that department.

On the other side of the ball, the defense showed many strengths, but failed to bring enough pressure on Georgia Tech's quarterback Haynes King in the second half. Seventy-one of King's 106 rushing yards came after halftime, including two touchdown runs.

The Non-Offsides Call

Police officers face the student section to discourage a potential storming of the field against Georgia Tech, Sept. 27, 2025. | Evan Harris/Wake Forest On SI

It's the elephant in the room, and Coach Dickert did address it.

In case you missed it: It was third and five on the Wake Forest 32-yard line. The Deacs had the ball with 1:50 on the clock. Georgia Tech had zero timeouts left. Robby Ashford took the snap and caught a Yellow Jacket in the neutral zone. As a result, Ashford assumed it was a free play and looked deep for Sterling Berkhalter. The pass fell incomplete, and no flag was thrown. Had the five-yard penalty been assessed, the game very likely would have been over. However, as a result of the no-call, Wake Forest had to punt, and Georgia Tech forced overtime, eventually winning. Following the game, the ACC released an official statement, acknowledging the missed call.

Coach Dickert said that there was one uncontrollable thing that cost them the game (the no-call), but also several things they could have controlled (like red zone efficiency). They will focus on what is in front of them and what can be changed, letting the bygones—as painful as they are—remain just that.

Dickert also made a proposal to prevent this error from happening again: a singular challenge flag designated for pre-snap penalties. This is a contentious topic, but his proposal attempts to thread the needle between overreach and laissez-faire. Bottom line, Coach wants to see a solution to this issue, regardless of whether it's his idea.

Coach Dickert highlighted that if this mistake had affected a team in the playoff chase, there would have been much more outcry. Additionally, when asked if Robby Ashford should not have thrown the ball deep on the "free play", he defended Ashford's decision, saying that is how he was trained. However, should a similar situation arise, Jake Dickert and the team have already discussed a different protocol.

Looking Ahead to Blacksburg

Wake Forest's offense lined up against Georgia Tech's defense, Sept. 27, 2025. | Evan Harris/Wake Forest On SI

The Virginia Tech Hokies started the season 0–3 and promptly fired their head coach, Brent Pry. Pry had been the team's head coach since 2022. Since the coaching change, the Hokies are 2–0 and upset NC State this past weekend, 23–21.

Coach Dickert says Virginia Tech is a different team and has been "galvanized" since changing hands at the helm. He characterized their performance against NC State as disrupting and said Wake's matchup with them this weekend looks different now.

When Wake Forest travels to Blacksburg, VA, this weekend, it will mark their first away game of the season. Dickert, however, is not backing down from the newfound challenge—he's excited.

Dickert is looking forward to the challenge of playing in such a hostile environment, famous for packed crowds and the "Enter Sandman" introduction. He also said the players had a good look in their eyes at practice and seemed ready to get back to work. The team did a better job playing present in the moment, and he only expects that trend to continue.

It must be noted that we are still awaiting injury updates on Demond Claiborne and Robby Ashford. Ashford came back after a short absence and finished the game, but Claiborne's status is more ambiguous. Dickert had no updates besides saying he was hopeful about both players, and said more questions should be answered by Wednesday.

Things are looking up in Deactown, as the Dickert era has been a success so far. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons get a surprise test this Saturday against the Virginia Tech Hokies, as they continue to be built in the dark.