Three Keys For Wake Forest Football Post Bye Week
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The Demon Deacons are coming off of a much-needed bye week to reset and recharge before getting into the final five-game stretch of their season. The Deacs can certainly make a push for the ACC Championship, but will need to continue to play at their pre-bye-week form.
Wake has defeated their past three opponents by 24 points or more, which is quite impressive, especially since all three were ACC opponents and two were on the road. There are some areas where the Deacs will need to continue to capitalize over the next few games to take care of business and establish themselves in the upper echelon of college football. Let's break down three keys here:
Getting the Ground Game Going
The run game for Wake Forest seems to have made tremendous strides over the course of the season thus far. In fact, Wake has rushed for over 175 yards in three of their last four games, with the lone outlier being the game in Raleigh against NC State. This gives some balance to the Deacs' dynamic passing attack and allows them to keep opposing defenses on their heels.
Maybe the best part of the run game has been the versatility Wake has gotten on the ground. The Deacs have four rushers who have already registered at least 120 yards on the ground this season. Ty Clark III has been solid despite being banged up at times. Gio Lopez has shown he can add a layer to the run game as a mobile quarterback, and Jamar Searcy has emerged as a legit threat in recent weeks.
Maybe the biggest pleasant surprise of the rushing attack has been speedy freshman Deuce Lawrence. He already has over 300 rushing yards this season and three touchdowns. He is only getting better and will certainly be an X-factor offensively for the Deacs down the stretch as they look to make an ACC title push.
Dominating Defensive Front
This defense has really found its stride over halfway into the season, and most of that success can be attributed to how dominant Wake's defensive line has been at making life hard for opposing quarterbacks and rushing attacks. Wake has been the third-best ACC team in stopping the run from a yards-per-game standpoint. They have also had at least six TFLs in their last four games, dominating the line of scrimmage.
A lot of this success can be attributed to the depth Wake has shown on the defensive line. Langston Hardy leads the way with 5.5 sacks off the edge, and Gabe Kirschke has been a force on the other side of the line, already with three sacks. On the interior, Zach Lohavichan has seven TFLs and has been terrific. Dallas Afalava has been superb as well at putting pressure on the quarterback. Matt Herron has been a really good run-stopper, and young Kadear Dembele is showing massive strides. If this group continues to play at a high level, the ceiling gets a whole lot higher for this team.
Contributions from Young Guys
We already talked about freshman Deuce Lawrence's impact on the rushing attack. There are other young guys who have stepped up as well and taken massive steps this season.
Freshman Somad Eaddy is probably the best example of this. He took full advantage of his opportunity in the second half of the Miami game and has been great on the field ever since. He got his first career interception in a critical moment during the Louisville game, and he is currently graded as Wake's second-best defensive player according to PFF. Look for him to continue his great play at corner.
Freshman tight end Dominick Barry had a breakout game at Cal, catching three touchdowns and going for over 100 receiving yards. It would be great to see him establish himself as a consistent weapon at the tight end spot. Myles Turpin also came up big in the Cal game. He came in for Davaughn Patterson after his ejection and led the Deacs in tackles with 10 and 1.5 TFLs. It is great to know this team has depth and the young guys are ready to contribute when called upon. Look for even more of this down the stretch of the season.
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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.