Deacs go Back to Drawing Board at Jake Dickert Press Conference
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5–3, 2–3 ACC) imploded on Saturday against the Florida State Seminoles (4–4, 1–4 ACC), but they have a crucial date with the Virginia Cavaliers to prepare for. Here are the takeaways from Jake Dickert's weekly press conference.
Where It All Went Wrong
"Execution, details, and catastrophics."
Jake Dickert outlined the three types of errors the Demon Deacons made over the weekend. Whether through penalties, missed blocking assignments, or more blunderous turnovers, it was ugly.
According to Dickert, a catastrophic error is "out of character". That statement is in character because the Wake Forest defense, in particular, failed to play damage control, allowing Florida State to keep striking relentlessly.
Coach Dickert said that his squad wasn't overconfident, though the game was possibly overhyped, leading to execution errors.
The Blame Game
Dickert emphasized several times during the press conference that the blame is on him. His blame absorption seeped into several of his answers, and he only spoke about quarterbacks Robby Ashford and Deshawn Purdie when outright asked by a reporter.
He said they started Ashford to extend plays against Florida State's tough defensive line, and he admitted that No. 2 did make some good plays in the early goings. Ultimately, Ashford finished with two turnovers and was taken out of the game for Deshawn Purdie.
Going forward, Coach Dickert said the team will evaluate the quarterback position on a week-by-week and potentially even a series-by-series basis.
Looking Ahead To Hooville
According to Coach Dickert, hidden under all the "sludge" of Wake Forest's performance were bright spots—particularly the offensive line, Micah Mays Jr., tight end Kam Johnson, and punter Cal Joseph.
Coach said the players came into the building with the right attitude on Monday morning, and this week will allow everyone to "really get to see who the team is now," Dickert said.
Eni Falayi missed last week after sustaining an injury against SMU. The team is hoping to get him back in action "sooner rather than later," as he is progressing faster than expected. He and Harry Lodge are on similar timeframes to return.
Dickert made it clear that the Demon Deacons are a highly capable team, and Saturday's loss was not due to a talent gap, but simply failures in execution.
446. 7:00 p.m. EST. 5–3, 2–3 ACC. Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. WAKE v UVA Matchup. . 889. ESPN. No. 12 (8–1, 5–0 ACC)
Wake Forest is winless in the most important month of the season. As Jake Dickert said, "You remember November." The Demon Deacons get a chance to get another signature win in Charlottesville, Virginia this weekend, with the potential of getting ranked.
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Blake is a Sophomore at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. When not living on campus, he resides in West Virginia, where he was born and raised. He is studying communication and is invested in all things related to sports media. In his Freshman year, he completed an internship with the National Sports Media Association, and also worked as a sports editor at Wake Forest's student-run newspaper, the Old Gold & Black. Currently, Blake does play-by-play broadcasting for Wake Forest Club Ice Hockey and holds a job at Learfield, working as a studio host. In a perfect world, he would spend his free time road tripping and attending concerts all across the United States.