Three Games In, Are You Buying or Selling Wake's Wide Receiver Unit?
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The bye week is now behind Wake Forest football, and that gives us a chance to reflect on the first three games of the season and evaluate how this transformed roster under Coach Dickert has been performing. The Deacs currently sit at 2-1 (0-1 in the ACC) after wins against Kennesaw State and Western Carolina and a ten-point loss to NC State.
There is still a lot of football to be played this season, so we will be looking at some impressive players/areas of the team thus far (buy) and some players/areas that are still showing a lot of room for growth (sell). Let's get started!
Buy: Wide Receiver Unit
The confidence in the Deacs receiving corps predominantly comes from speedy receiver Chris Barnes, who, through three games, has 12 receptions for 248 yards. He has shown his ability to make big plays, averaging over 20 yards per reception and taking the opening kickoff versus NC State to the house. His short, but speedy frame allows him to take off in a hurry and keep opposing defenses on their toes. For Wake to be successful this season, Barnes will need a lot of touches.
Wake receiver Sterling Berkhalter has also shown some impressive capabilities for this receiving core. He has already grabbed eight receptions for 149 yards on the season while averaging over 18 yards per catch. He is a good deep threat for Robby Ashford to lean on with his 6 foot 3 powerful frame.
Sell: Offensive Line
One of Jake Dickert's biggest tasks this offseason was the almost complete overhaul of an empty offensive line room. He brought in some big additions, including Fa'alili Fa'amoe and Devin Kylany from Washington State. So far, I don't think this group has gelled as well as Coach Dickert would like. We have already seen some miscommunications on snaps between Kylany and Ashford, along with some drive-killing penalties.
The big red flag, though, came in the second half versus NC State, where Wake lost control of the line of scrimmage entirely. They only managed 2.7 yards per rush against the Wolfpack defense, which led them into some obvious passing situations. The Deacs had to settle for four straight three-and-outs to start the second half. For this offense to get in a consistent groove, it will need to win more battles in the trenches and control the line of scrimmage to develop the run game for Claiborne.
Buy: TE Eni Falayi
Falayi has been a bright spot early on that has somewhat flown under the radar in my opinion. The Tight End has nagged five receptions for 94 yards, showing his big play ability with over 18 yards a catch. His best game came against Kennesaw State, where he grabbed four receptions for 52 yards. He also did not play in Wake's second game against Western Carolina, so he only has two games under his belt so far. I think Falayi can develop into a go-to target for Ashford and this offense to help build more consistent drives. Look for him to get even more involved in the offense going forward.
Sell: Run Defense
The defense has shown some flashes of being able to get to the quarterback and stop the run. However, against the Wolfpack, the Deacs allowed almost five yards per rushing attempt. Wolfpack running back Hollywood Smothers had an exceptionally dominant performance, mustering 164 ground yards. It looked like the Deacs were struggling to bring him down with multiple missed tackles. The defensive line also failed frequently to put pressure on Bailey in the passing game.
Against Western Carolina, Wake's front seven was exceptional, holding the Catamounts to a staggering sub-35 rushing performance, and they kept the quarterback on his toes with five team sacks. This is in comparison to only one total team sack against the Wolfpack. The question will be can the Deacs translate their defensive pressure to competing against Power-Five opponents.
Overall, Wake Forest now gets into the meat of their schedule, and it will be interesting to see if they can use this bye week to build off of both momentum and adversity so far in this young season in order to become a better football team.
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Justin is a student at Wake Forest University. He is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and aspiring finance major interested everything sports. In his freshman year, Justin completed an internship with the Wake Forest Ticketing Department where he gained some valuable insight into the sales and operations aspects of collegiate athletics. Before working with Wake Forest On SI, Justin was a contributing writer for Wake Forest’s student publication The Old Gold and Black. Currently, Justin serves as a student manager on the Wake Forest Men’s Tennis team. In his free time Justin enjoys spending time with his family and friends on the golf course and traveling.