Demon Deacons limp into rivalry game
With depth already a major concern for Wake Forest, the Demon Deacons face a huge challenge in their next game.
It comes Thursday night at nationally ranked North Carolina State.
“We have no depth,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said. “When the snap counts get into the 60s in the third quarter, it’s patchwork.”
Matters became worse for the Demon Deacons when Sunday it was announced that freshman quarterback Sam Hartman is out for the remainder of the regular season after suffering a leg injury late in the Syracuse game a day earlier.
That means that it could be redshirt sophomore quarterback Jamie Newman’s turn for his first career start.
The Demon Deacons are coming off a 41-24 home loss to nationally ranked Syracuse.
This is Wake Forest’s second Saturday-to-Thursday turnaround of the season. The other involved a victory against Towson and a loss to Boston College, with both those games at home.
Clawson said the Demon Deacons are equipped for this type of schedule, particularly because injuries have piled up. Those have especially hit the Demon Deacons hard at linebacker.
He said the way the schedule is mapped out for the matchup with N.C. State isn’t a competitive disadvantage for the Demon Deacons, but it’s not ideal for his team.
“I think it’s crazy that after nine games, in November we’re playing one of our rivalry games on short rest,” he said.
Wake Forest (4-5, 1-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) must win two of its final three games to reach bowl eligibility for the third year in a row.
“The path is now narrow again,” Clawson said of attaining that goal.
In five seasons under Clawson, the Demon Deacons hold a 4-12 record in November games.
“We’ve got three games and we have to get two of them for the seniors on the team,” said redshirt junior linebacker Justin Strnad.
There were turnover problems that damaged the Demon Deacons in the loss to Syracuse.
Hartman lost two fumbles and threw an interception in the end zone. Wake Forest didn’t force a turnover.
“I would be shocked if we will ever win a game here if we lose the turnover battle 3-0,” Clawson said.
For the season, Wake Forest has 15 turnovers and has collected only 10 turnovers from opponents.
In the Syracuse game, one of Hartman’s fumbles came on an exchange with senior running back Matt Colburn. The miscues turned a 10-point lead into a deficit.
“We had good energy and we were feeling good,” Colburn said. “We had a little lull. … We were too hot and cold. To beat teams like this, we got to play consistent.”