Smoke And Mirrors - What Did We Learn From Wake Forest Football In Week 3
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Welcome back to What Did We Learn. With the return of the football season, my weekly article, a two-year-long tradition on other sites now, begins, where at the end of every weekend, I release my weekly "what did we learn". An opinionated editorial, detailing what Demon Deacon fans can take away from the week before, that might not show up in the box score.
On Thursday last week, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons lost their first game of the season, a 34-24 defeat at the hands of their rivals, NC State. Though the final score can be misleading, it wasn't as bad as a ten-point loss, at times.
Sure, the game ended poorly, especially for the Demon Deacons' offense, which failed to get a second half first down until the final five minutes of the second half, but there were bright spots from the very first kick-off, literally.
A food truck also caught fire, obscuring the vision of fans and players on the field and creating smoke and mirrors. Not for me, though. I saw the vision from my office, and I'm here to share it with Demon Deacon fans.
Shaped In Darkness
Yes, the new motto in the Jake Dickert era will come into play here. The offense looked great in the first half, including Robby Ashford, who looked completely different from the first two weeks of the season. It reached a point where I, an unbiased fan of the Demon Deacons, believed he was making his season's turnaround.
Then, in the second half, they came to a grinding halt, and as I mentioned above, they failed even to get a first down in the third quarter. At that moment, their chances to win the game went out the window, and with it went the newfound expectations derived from the first half of play.
But you see, that's where the smoke and mirrors come in. I talked about it last week and the week before that as well. The climb to what Dickert is building is not an immediate turnaround. That sort of thing no longer happens in college football, not in the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
What happened instead was that you saw the buy-in from a team willing to risk life and limb on that football field for their team, each other, and their head coach. Money can buy a lot, but loyalty will make you rich, and that's what Dickert looks to be building - a Buy-in.
There will be more losses this season. There will also be more wins. There will be recruiting successes and failures, but right now, enjoy this team and their willingness to put everything on the line for you, the fan.
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JD Andress is an accomplished sports writer and journalist with extensive experience covering a wide range of collegiate sports. JD has provided in-depth coverage of the TCU Horned Frogs and the Texas Longhorns. He looks forward to being part of the coverage of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. His experience spans various sports, including football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, rifle, equestrian, and others, reflecting his broad interest and commitment to sports journalism.