Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
See for yourself what makes Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2023 NFL draft
It’s never too early to look ahead to the next group of top prospects, so if you’re looking to get a head start on the 2023 NFL draft class, we’ve got you covered.
What makes Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman one of next year’s top quarterback prospects?
Watch the tape and see for yourself:
The word used the most in Clemson’s defensive postgame press conference? Uncomfortable. That was Clemson’s goal coming into Saturday’s game. And even though Sam Hartman threw for over 300 yards, the Tigers rattled Wake’s redshirt sophomore …
The word used the most in Clemson’s defensive postgame press conference? Uncomfortable.
That was Clemson’s goal coming into Saturday’s game. And even though Sam Hartman threw for over 300 yards, the Tigers rattled Wake’s redshirt sophomore quarterback. In the ground game, Hartman was credited with 14 rushing attempts and -37 yards.
Clemson set the tone early. The Tigers recorded a season-high seven sacks, including four in the first quarter. The first play from scrimmage was a sack.
Clemson’s seven sacks were its most in a game since recording eight sacks at Syracuse in 2019.
“Obviously you want to affect the quarterback and we were able to get a lot of pushback and guys were winning one on ones,” Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said following Clemson’s 48-27 win over Wake Forest. “We wanted to start faster. They have a very rhythmic offense. They’ve had great, great success…you go on the road, you’re playing in a hostile environment and you make them uncomfortable early. That affects them to some degree.”
It certainly affected Hartman, who took an absolute beating all afternoon.
“A big thing we wanted to do this week was making sure he was uncomfortable in the pocket,” Etinosa Reuben told reporters. “He’s had a really great season throwing the ball and making plays, so that was one thing we wanted to do, make sure he was uncomfortable and that he was never able to set his feet and get a good throw off. I feel like we did a good job doing that.”
The redshirt sophomore defensive tackle recorded his first career full sack in the first quarter. He finished the game with a career-high two sacks.
“The way we conduct our defense, we do so many unique things in so many different ways that it’s hard to know where things are going to be coming from,” he said. “So, it’s like you’re always guessing if you’re on offense.”
Wake Forest’s mesh concept often keeps opposing defenses guessing, but Venables had his defense prepared and ready to go. The defense forced three turnovers on the afternoon and held the Deacs to just 36 rushing yards on 31 carries.
While it wasn’t Clemson’s most complete defensive effort of the season, it’s the one they needed to have against one of the nation’s most potent scoring attacks.
Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!
If you want the Broncos to draft a quarterback in 2022, these are the names to know.
Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling has released updated quarterback rankings for the 2022 NFL draft, which is, of course, relevant for the Denver Broncos.
Teddy Bridgewater might be one of the best quarterbacks the Broncos have had since Peyton Manning (if not the best since Manning), but it seems pretty clear that he’s not a long-term option. Denver’s staff does not seem to believe Drew Lock is the long-term solution, either.
So the Broncos will likely return to the QB market in 2022, perhaps addressing the position in the draft.
Draft Wire’s latest QB rankings have Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman ranked No. 1, which is a big jump after not ranking among the top 20 QBs on the October list.
After Hartman, Mississippi’s Matt Corral is ranked No. 2, followed by Pitt’s Kenny Pickett (up from No. 7 in October), Liberty’s Matt Willis (who dropped after being ranked No. 1 last month) and North Carolina’s Sam Howell.
Nevada’s Carson Strong (from No. 3 to No. 7) and Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler (from No. 5 to not among the 15 ranked QBs) had notable drops. Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder remains ranked No. 6.
Broncos general manager George Paton has already scouted Corral, Pickett, Willis and Howell in person this fall.
To view Easterling’s complete list of QB rankings, visit Draft Wire.
[pickup_prop id=”14191″]
[listicle id=666521]
[vertical-gallery id=654058]
Last season Clemson handled Wake Forest 37-13 and shut down their offense at Truist Field in Winston-Salem. N.C. This season the Demon Deacons boast one of the most prolific offenses in college football and they hope to carry that momentum into …
Last season Clemson handled Wake Forest 37-13 and shut down their offense at Truist Field in Winston-Salem. N.C.
This season the Demon Deacons boast one of the most prolific offenses in college football and they hope to carry that momentum into Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Wake Forest is led by sophomore quarterback Sam Hartman who caught fire early this season and put his team in the driver’s seat of the ACC’s Atlantic Division.
But Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables thinks while Hartman has developed in 2021, he possessed the same skills in 2020.
“Has nobody been watching Wake Forest?,” Venables asked on Monday. “They’ve been really good, and he’s been really good. He’s the same guy, he is just really good again. I’m not trying to be funny, haven’t they been good? They were right there last year.”
Hartman ranks fifth nationally in both touchdowns and quarterback rating with 30 and an 84.3 respectively. He is also tied for the eighth most yards of any quarterback in the FBS with 3,163 yards.
This year the Demon Deacons rank second nationally in scoring offense with 44.7 points per game, they rank seventh nationally in yards per game averaging 498.4 and eighth nationally in plays per game with 79.8.
“He’s developed, matured, has a lost of moxie and great instincts and he has a great presence,” Venables said. “He really understands the offense and the structure of defenses and how they are going to attack, so he makes a lot of really good decisions so those are the proverbial layups so he isn’t putting it in harm’s way and now the offense can be fluid.”
Venables recalled the first time he saw Hartman play in the 2017 Shrine Bowl representing the Sandlappers in the game after a stellar career at Oceanside Collegiate Academy.
Hartman quarterbacked the defensive coordinator’s son Jake Venables’ team in the annual game and the quarterback impressed Venables from the first time he watched him.
“He’s just more of the same to me, that’s what Sam is,” Venables said. “He played in the Shrine Bowl with one of my sons years ago and that’s what he did there too. He did it in high school and he’s been a baller for a long time.”
Clemson hosts Hartman and the Demon Deacons on Saturday at noon at Memorial Stadium.
North Carolina handed Wake Forest their first loss of the season, and Ty Chandler stole the show from two top quarterbacks
The quarterback duel of Sam Howell vs. Sam Hartman lived up to the hype, but it was North Carolina running back Ty Chandler who stole the show as the Tar Heels handed Wake Forest their first loss of the season.
Chandler racked up 213 yards and four touchdowns on just 22 carries, averaging nearly 10 yards per attempt. His final score was a 50-yarder that put the game out of reach in the final minutes of a 58-55 victory.
Howell threw for 216 yards and a touchdown through the air, and added another 104 yards and two scores on the ground.
Hartman continued his impressive 2021 campaign with another strong performance, throwing for 398 yards and five touchdowns, but with a pair of interceptions. He also made an impact on the ground, rushing for 78 yards and two more scores.
In a wide-open running back class, Chandler’s performance could have him moving up the board as one of the top senior runners in the 2022 NFL draft.
[vertical-gallery id=630400]
The Wisconsin Badgers finished their season with a Duke’s Mayo Bowl victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Final game grades and a…
As Wake Forest Head Coach Dave Clawson said after the Wisconsin Badgers’ 42-28 Duke’s Mayo Bowl victory, “they didn’t beat themselves, and that’s what good football teams do.”
That sentence perfectly encaptures the 2020 Duke’s Mayo Bowl, as Wisconsin played a consistent game of football and took control of the ballgame when Wake Forest Sam Hartman threw four second-half interceptions.
While there were more points scored than we see during a normal Wisconsin football game, the game followed the script of nearly every Badger game this season: the team who won the turnover battle won the game handily.
Yesterday I went through the film of the game and focused on the performances of freshman quarterback Graham Mertz, freshman offensive tackle Logan Brown, the secondary and more.
From the film, here are final game grades and a report card for Wisconsin’s win against Wake Forest:
[vertical-gallery id=26725]
Late Wednesday morning, the Wisconsin Badgers will face off against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, N.C…
Late Wednesday morning, the Wisconsin Badgers will face off against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. This bowl game is not where many expected the Badgers to be at the end of this season, but it should still be a great game to watch.
Related: Five keys to a Wisconsin Badger victory in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Related: Wisconsin heavily favored over Wake Forest in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl per BetMGM
After finishing the regular season at 3-3, a win against Wake Forest could go a long way in improving the confidence of the Badgers going into next season. This is especially true for freshman quarterback Graham Mertz, who has struggled tremendously since his outstanding performances against Illinois and Michigan. Luckily, Mertz should have some of his offensive weapons back for this game including starting running back Jalen Berger.
Similar to Wisconsin, the Demon Deacons finished their season even at 4-4 and have not had a phenomenal year overall. Wake Forest has not beaten a single team with a winning record this season, and their most impressive effort came in a 59-53 loss to the No. 13 North Carolina Tar Heels.
It will be interesting to see how Wisconsin and Wake Forest, which have both had their fair share of struggles throughout this season, matchup in this game. A win and a strong outing from Graham Mertz would be a great way to enter the offseason for Wisconsin and could help the Badgers redeem this season.
How to watch Wisconsin in Duke’s Mayo Bowl against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
How to watch:
Matchup: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Where: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
When: Dec. 30, 2020 at 11 a.m. CST
Where to watch: ESPN
Where to stream: ESPN app or online at ESPN.com/Watch
Where to listen: Badger Sports Network on the TuneIn app, or Sirius 137 and XM 207
