Notre Dame Football Opponent Preview: Wake Forest Deacons Offense

Wake Forest Head Coach Dave Clawson brings a scrappy 5-3 football team into Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday. The Demon Deacons enter without several of their key playmakers. During a 42-32 victory over Louisville, Wake Forest lost Wide Receiver Greg Dortch and Running Back Cade Carney. Without Dortch and Carney, the Demon Deacons offense might struggle this weekend. However, the Notre Dame football team must guard against a letdown.

Quarterback

Senior Quarterback John Wolford returns to Notre Dame Stadium for the second time in his career. In 2015, Wolford completed 19 of 30 passes for 219 yards. One of those 11 incomplete throws fell into the hands of Defensive End Andrew Trumbetti who returned the pick for a touchdown.

After a shaky 2016 season, Wolford has become more efficient this year. He completed 65.7% of his throws for 1660 yards in seven games. In addition, Wolford’s touchdown to interception ratio has improved greatly. Thus far, he has thrown 15 touchdowns compared to only 2 interceptions.

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Wolford is not explosive like Wimbush but he is a competent runner. He’s carried the ball on 74 occasions for 341 yards. His biggest efforts came against Boston College and Appalachian State when he rushed for 92 and 77 yards respectively.

Running Back

The Demon Deacons Running Backs typically receive carries by committee. Currently, Quarterback John Wolford is the top rusher for Wake Forest. Behind Wolford, Freshman Arkeem Byrd and Junior Matt Colburn II are the main rushing threat for the Demon Deacons. On the season, Bryd racked up 334 rushing yards and a touchdown. Not to be outdone, Colburn tallied 317 yards this year.

Receivers

The Deacons receiving corps lost their best player, Greg Dortch, against Louisville. Furthermore, Dortch was clearly the best offensive weapon for Wake Forest. His loss cannot be discounted. Against Louisville, the Freshman Wide Receiver caught 10 passes for 167 yards and 4 touchdowns. On the season, Dortch collected 53 catches for 722 yards and 9 scores.

Sophomore Wide Receiver Scotty Washington steps up to fill the void. Washington caught 17 passes for 339 yards and 2 touchdowns up to this point. Last week, Washington snagged 6 balls for 133 yards. Washington is definitely someone to keep an eye out for. Tabari Hines and Chuck Wade, Jr. will start alongside Washington.

Tight End Cam Serigne is second on the team in touchdown receptions. With the injured Greg Dortch out, he becomes the team’s biggest redzone threat. He stands at 6’3″ and weighs in at 240 lbs.

Offensive Line

Wake Forest possesses a fairly experienced Offensive Line. Behind Quarterback John Wolford and Tight End Cam Serigne, the most experienced players reside on the Offensive Line. Left Tackle Justin Herron, Left Guard Phil Haynes and Center Ryan Anderson have started a combined 86 starts. Right Guard Patrick Osterhage and Right Tackle Jake Benzinger round out the Offensive Line.

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Bottom Line

The Demon Deacons rank in the Top 50 of scoring offense with 31.3 points per game. They are a balanced offense that runs for 171 yards and throws for 256.3 yards on average. This is an above average offense. However, they are only averaging 14 points per game against ranked opponents.

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Notre Dame Football Opponent Preview: Wake Forest Demon Deacons Offense

By Andrew Hall | Nov 1, 2017