College Football
ACC Team Preview: Wake Forest
The ACC is an exciting football brand to keep up with. Each year there seems to be a team that shocks the conference and makes a run. Wake Forest is entering the fourth year of the Dave Clawson era. Wake has enjoyed consecutive winning seasons for the first time this decade. Could this Wake Forest team break out and makes some noise in the ACC Atlantic? Let’s look at the facts.
Wake Forest Football
The 2017 football season was the best yet under Dave Clawson. Wake Forest had its highest winning total since 2008 and closed out the season with a shoot out in the Belk Bowl against Texas A&M. Clawson has a gritty squad that was competitive in most games and could have been 10-2 with the right luck. When looking at this year’s schedule for the Demon Deacons, I see potential for a sneaky year. Wake can make some noise in the Atlantic division. Florida State is handling a coaching change and they get Clemson at home. On the other hand, Wake Forest could struggle to break .500 (6-6) due to away games or unfortunate luck. Let’s look at some key players on offense and defense that will play a part in Wake Forest’s success this season.
Key Players on Offense
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Greg Dortch – WR
Wake Forest set the team record for points scored last season at 459 surpassing the previous record set in the 2000s (362). Part of the reason for the explosion in points? The speedy slot receiver Greg Dortch. Dortch was hitting his stride in his first season at Wake Forest before suffering a season ending injury against Louisville. At that point in time, Dortch had 53 receptions for 722 yards and 9 touchdowns. Keep in mind this was not even a FULL SEASON workload with the Demon Deacon squad. Until the player gets on the field, you have to wonder how they will return, but I am looking for defenses and special teams to get “dortched” this year if he returns to pre-injury form.
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Matt Colburn – RB
The rising senior from Irmo, South Carolina turned it on at the end of last season. In four of the final six games, Colburn rumbled for over 120 yards a game and accounted for over 900 yards rushing to go along with 7 rushing touchdowns. Colburn will be leaned upon early and often as starting QB Kendall Hinton is suspended for the first three games of the season. Colburn has the benefit of a veteran offensive line (nicknamed “The Beef Boys”) to pave the way which has to have him hyped for a big senior campaign.
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The Beef Boys aka Offensive Line
Time to give the lineman some love! Ryan Anderson, Justin Herron, Phil Haynes, Nate Gilliam, Patrick Osterhage, and Jake Benzinger form, “The Beef Boys.” Last season they helped the offense score more points than any team in school history including dropping 64 on Syracuse. The offense gained 3599 yards through the air and over 2400 yards on the ground behind the “Beef Boys.” Look for this squad to pick up where they left off in 2017 as one of the more experienced offensive line squads in the ACC and a strength for the Demon Deacons.
Honorable Mentions: Kendall Hinton – QB, Scotty Washington – WR
Key Players on Defense
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Essang Bassey – CB
Bassey is a gritty corner who does not shy away from contact. Last season, the sophomore had 75 tackles, 16 PBU’s, 6 TFL’s, 3 INT’s, and 1 defensive TD. Just saying, this guy is a baller! However, I would say Bassey is a little underrated considering the media listed him as an Honorable Mention for last year’s play. If teams don’t take notice, Bassey is going to make them look silly. I see Bassey challenging for top honors in the conference this upcoming season.
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Justin Strnad – LB
Coming off of a solid red-shirt sophomore campaign (51 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks, and 3 INTs), the sky is the limit for Justin Strnad. Don’t let this cat fool you! He posted those stats as a non-starter. The red-shirt junior is going to make some noise with his athletic play and instincts. Don’t be surprised if you hear Justin Strnad’s name thrown around more and more as the season progresses.
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Isaiah Rodney
Big 93 aka “Zeek” eats! As you can probably tell, I love to show the lineman some love. The stats aren’t eye popping: 29 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, 1 sack, and 5 QB hurries, but this guy’s presence is felt on game day. There is a reason he is on the Bednarik Award Watch List. The big fella is primed to help lead the d-line with Willie Yarbary and make a case for some personal hardware at the end of the year. (Honestly, it was tough to choose between the two, so consider Willie 1-A).
Honorable Mentions: Willie Yarbary – DT, Amari Henderson – CB, Cameron Glenn – S (Fun Fact: Cameron Glenn did the highlights for the player videos I linked).
Wake Forest Football Schedule Prediction (8-4, 5-3)
@ Tulane (W)
Towson (W)
Boston College (W)
Notre Dame (L)
Rice (W)
Clemson (L)
@ Florida State (L)
@Louisville (W)
Syracuse (W)
@NC State (L)
Pittsburgh (W)
@Duke (W)
Wake’s football schedule is manageable. Wake starts the season on the road but enjoys a nice five game stretch at home after. Here is the tricky part, though: with Kendall Hinton suspended the first three games, they are even more susceptible to dropping one to two games in the beginning. When Hinton does come back, his running ability will help open up the playbook and cause headaches. The true challenge will come with ACC conference play and Notre Dame. I think Wake could sneak up on one of the four teams I have them losing to, but also drop a game they should win via wacky ACC Wheel of Destiny deals.
I think there are only a few teams on the schedule where Wake will be done in by depth. Clemson and Notre Dame immediately come to mind. Florida State and NC State are much more likely to be toss-ups in my opinion. I like Wake Forest as an eight win team that goes bowling for the third consecutive year. Wake’s ceiling will probably be 10-11 wins, but could also see them barely breaking 6 wins with some unlucky bounces. Honestly, Wake could be a sneaky dark horse for challenging in the Atlantic with the right breaks, but I think they need a little more depth so they can compete with the likes of Clemson and FSU on a regular basis.
What do you think? Does Wake Forest make some noise in the Atlantic this year?
