Tag: Wake Forest football

2021 Wake Forest Football Schedule: Analysis, Best and Worst Case Scenarios

Breaking down and analyzing the 2021 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football schedule with the best and worst case scenarios

Breaking down and analyzing the 2021 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football schedule with the best and worst case scenarios.

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2021 Wake Forest Football Schedule

Full schedule analysis with best and worst scenarios below

Sept. 3 Old Dominion

Sept. 11 Norfolk State

Sept. 18 Florida State

Sept. 24 at Virginia

Oct. 2 Louisville

Oct. 9 at Syracuse

Oct. 16 OPEN DATE

Oct. 23 at Army

Oct. 30 Duke

Nov. 6 at North Carolina

Nov. 13 NC State

Nov. 20 at Clemson

Nov. 27 at Boston College

Dec. 4 ACC Championship (in Charlotte)

Games vs. The Coastal: Duke, at Virginia

Missed Teams From The Coastal: Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Pitt, Virginia Tech

Wake Forest Demon Deacons Football Schedule Analysis: The team eases into the season with Old Dominion and Norfolk State to start things out before hosting Florida State. Four of the first five games are in Winston-Salem, but there’s payment due over the second half of the season with five of the last seven games on the road.

There’s no Miami or Virginia Tech from the Coastal, and the North Carolina game is technically a non-conference matchup. That’s part of a brutal finishing kick with three of the four November games on the road including the trip to Clemson.

Wake Forest Football Schedule Best Case Scenario: 9-3. The Demon Deacons start the season 3-0 after beating Florida State, and they take out Louisville and win at Syracuse for a huge first half of the campaign. The second half of the run is a struggle, but they survive Army, take care of the home games, and get by Boston College to close things out.

Wake Forest Football Schedule Worst Case Scenario: 4-8. Wake Forest loses to Florida State and Virginia to start the ACC season, and there aren’t any breaks on the road. The D can’t handle the Army option, the North Carolina game is an ugly loss, and a defeat to NC State leads to a winless November.

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MSU Football lands another transfer, RB Kenneth Walker from Wake Forest

MSU Football has landed another transfer from the NCAA transfer portal in running back Kenneth Walker from Wake Forrest.

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Michigan State has made another move in the NCAA transfer portal this afternoon, landing running back transfer Kenneth Walker from Wake Forest. Walker will be the fifth incoming transfer to the Spartans program (you can check all of Michigan State’s transfer movement here).

Kenneth Walker had entered the transfer portal at the beginning of this week and the Spartans acted quickly, as did Walker, with a commitment coming two days after entering the portal.

Walker has spent the last two seasons playing a key role in the Demon Deacons backfield, totalling 1158 yards on 217 carries and finding the endzone 17 times. Walker is more of a bruising power back that enjoys running in between the tackles. In two seasons Walker has only caught 6 passes, not being very involved in the passing game.

MSU Football Transfer Tracker: Every incoming and outgoing transfer

Out of high school, Walker was a low ranked 3-star out of Arlington, Tennessee, but quickly showed that he was vastly underrated while finding playing time as a true freshman. He will come to East Lansing as a sophomore, with three years of eligibility left.

Mel Tucker will continue to shape this roster into what he deems fit and will actively pursue more talent in the coming months before the start of the 2021 season.

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What Wake Forest HC Dave Clawson said about Wisconsin after the game

The Wisconsin Badgers defeated Wake Forest yesterday 42-28 in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Head Coach Dave Clawson spoke about Wisconsin football

The Wisconsin Badgers rode a four-interception performance by the defense and a few splash plays on special teams to a 42-28 victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons yesterday in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

The win puts the Badgers at 4-3 to finish the year, and even though the team struggled at times as well and missed games due to COVID-19, they finished the season strong and now have momentum to carry into 2021.

Related: Five takeaways from Wisconsin’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl victory over Wake Forest

When Wake Forest Head Coach Dave Clawson spoke after the game he had nothing but good things to say about the Wisconsin football program and the way they executed on the field yesterday.

“First off congratulations to Wisconsin. Good win for their program,” Clawson said. “Football is usually a game where the team that makes the fewest mistakes wins. They made a lot less mistakes than us, they played much better fundamental football. I’m proud of the way we compete to the very end. I thought our guys battled physically. But we just made too many fatal mistakes to overcome.”

Related: WATCH: Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz speaks on accidentally breaking the Duke’s Mayo Bowl trophy

The story of the game was Demon Deacon quarterback Sam Hartman’s four third-quarter interceptions, those coming after the team had only thrown one pick all year.

The Wake Forest coach discussed the turnovers, citing both mistakes from the quarterback and crediting the Badger defense for capitalizing.

“We threw one interception all year,” Clawson said. “I just think we telegraphed some things, I thought [Sam Hartman] held on to targets too long and Wisconsin did a great job of breaking on his eyes and breaking on the arm action.”

Related: Report: Wisconsin is the frontrunner to land USC transfer RB, former four-star recruit

His description continued to note his offense’s missed opportunities and how they put the team in a tough spot in the second half.

“We had open guys in the first half that we missed. I thought we should’ve come out of that half up 21-7 or 28-14 and we just missed some plays” Clawson said. “We dropped the ball, we missed open receivers. And Wisconsin is just a steady, consistent program that doesn’t beat themselves. It’s not one thing, they did a great job and we didn’t play well.”

Clawson then had some words on the interceptions relating to the scheme of the plays and what Wisconsin did on defense to counter them.

“They ran a field pressure and our quarterback thought it was man, a man pressure but it was a zone pressure,” Clawson said when talking about Noah Burks’ interception. “They dropped one guy out and the ball just shouldn’t have gone there…We hit that thing earlier against man and we got a nice sideline route to Christian Beal. But that’s not where the ball goes against zone…The other the safety jumped it. We were running slant routes, we threw the ball late and the safety just jumped it. The other two I’ll have to watch closer but just not a good day.”

Here is how the Wake Forest head coach finished his comments on the game and on the Badgers’ performance.

“Credit Wisconsin, but we beat ourselves. They didn’t beat themselves, and that’s what good football teams do.”

Wisconsin 42 Wake Forest 28: Duke’s Mayo Bowl 10 Things To Know

Wisconsin 42, Wake Forest 28. The 10 ten things you need to know about the Badger win over the Demon Deacons in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

Wisconsin 42, Wake Forest 28. The 10 ten things you need to know about the Badger win over the Demon Deacons in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

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Wisconsin 42 Wake Forest 28: Duke’s Mayo Bowl

10. It’s amazing how good, talented coaches are able to game plan for the start of a bowl, it all works, and then come the adjustments and everything stops. That sort of happened for Oklahoma State against Miami in the Cheez-It Bowl, but the Cowboys were able to hang on. Wake Forest and head coach Dave Clawson came out rocking, everything clicked, and Wisconsin looked totally lost. It was 14-0 Demon Deacons after the first quarter, and then …

9. Wisconsin went Wisconsin. This isn’t the normal Badger team – there was no Jonathan Taylor the of running back, and the receiving corps was gutted over the second half of the season – but it all worked because of the …

8. Badger defense – it figured it out. It got in the throwing lanes of Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman, it forced four interceptions, and the team steamrolled through the second half as it pulled away in stunning fashion. Wisconsin LB Jack Sanborn led the team with 11 tackles two tackles for loss and an interception as the Duke’s Mayo Bowl MVP.

Compared to how the team looked in the first quarter, it was among the wildest turnarounds – it was the biggest bowl comeback in Wisconsin history – of the bowl season.

7. The Wake Forest style was a miserable fit for this game over the long haul. Quickness and an up-tempo attack screws up the Badger D over the years – Wisconsin struggles with crafty quarterbacks and precision passing games – but there has to be some element of ball control or else the Wisconsin system wears teams down. And …

6. The time of possession battle matters. This was supposed to be lopsided Wisconsin’s way, but it wasn’t quite as bad as it should’ve been considering Wake Forest only held the ball for 28 minutes per game. The Badgers had it for eight more minutes, but it could’ve been a whole lot worse.

5. Again, the takeaways. Wake Forest came into the Duke’s Mayo Bowl second in the nation in turnover margin. Take the ball away from the Badgers, and good things tend to happen. A muffed punt snap deep its own territory, and the four Hartman interceptions killed Wake Forest. Wisconsin turned it over once, but it was at the end of the first half on a relatively last gasp deep throw.

4. How weird was this game? Wake Forest came up with 518 yards of total offense. The Badgers hadn’t allowed more than 338 all year, and no one has come up with more yards against the UW D since Ohio State blew out 558 in the 59-0 win in the 2014 Big Ten Championship.

Nebraska came up with 518 in a loss to the Badgers in 2018, but still, this was an impressive offensive day from the Demon Deacons. Wisconsin only gained 266 yards and only outgained Wake Forest 122 yards to 111 on the ground.

3. Wake Forest leading receiver Jaquarii Roberson came into the game with 54 catches for 795 yards and five touchdowns. He wore the Wisconsin secondary as a hat, catching eight passes for 131 yards and three scores, and Donavon Greene caught six passes for 122 yards. There was a whole lot of bending by the Badger D, but again, the turnovers made up for the issues.

2. Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz did his job. Considering Wisconsin just doesn’t have any wide receivers, completing 11-of-17 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown was okay, and not throwing any picks was great. He was careful, didn’t force anything, and he let the defense do the rest. He also powered his way for two short touchdown runs.

1. Wisconsin continues to be one of those programs that is just amazing enough to get close to the elite, but can’t quite get over the top. It can’t beat Ohio State in Big Ten championships, and it hasn’t been able to win Rose Bowls when it has had its chances, but under head coach Paul Chryst, it’s now 5-1 in bowl games with the blemish that strange close loss to Justin Herbert and Oregon in last year’s Rose Bowl. Don’t take this for granted.

Wisconsin had a run from the 2008 Outback to the 2014 Capital One going 1-6 in Bowl games. Gary Andersen left, Barry Alvarez took over against Auburn in the 2015 Outback, and since then, the program has just that one Rose Bowl loss in the post season.

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Wisconsin uses a second half barrage to roll over Wake Forest and take the Duke’s Mayo Bowl

The Badgers roll over Wake Forest to win the Duke’s Mayo Bowl

The first ever Duke’s Mayo Bowl, at least the first sponsored by the mayonnaise brand, was a wild ride. Wisconsin ultimately came out unscathed with a 42-28 victory over ACC opponent Wake Forest. A 28-14 second half margin in favor of UW, four second half interceptions by Demon Deacon QB Sam Hartman, and taking care of the football ultimately propelled Paul Chryst to a victory bath of “mayonnaise” that was definitely just water or clear Gatorade.

The pace of play was the story coming in, with Wake Forest wanting to speed things up against a methodical Wisconsin squad. Early on, the Deacs controlled the pace, and on their first two drives of the game used third down conversions to score in just 3:39 and 1:59 respectively. Hartman looked like the QB that had only thrown one interception all year long. He found junior Jaquarii Roberson for a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter.

Wisconsin’s defense was uncharacteristic early, allowing long third-down conversions and looking like a secondary that was ready to be torched all afternoon long. All of a sudden, Wisconsin was down 14-0 after the first quarter and reeling.

A long, Wisconsin-like drive got the Badgers back to feeling like themselves. A drive that lasted over six minutes ended shortly after the second quarter began with a John Chenal 2-yard TD run to make cut the Wake Forest lead in half. A fitting fullback-led end to a vintage Badger scoring drive.

Graham Mertz once again looked comfortably under center on the late first/early second quarter drive, and had his best series since week one at home against Illinois.

From there, Wake Forest mistakes and lockdown Badger defense gave Wisconsin control. A blocked punt late in the first half by Jaylan Franklin set up a game-tying Badger QB sneak TD by Mertz. The score was knotted at 14 headed to the break.

A quick Wake Forest TD saw Hartman looking like himself to begin the third quarter. Then disaster struck for the sophomore. The next six Wake Forest drives? Two turnover’s on downs and four, yes four, Hartman interceptions. Not only did the Wake Forest signal caller make critical mistakes on the turnovers, he missed numerous big plays by underthrowing his receivers deep.

With the interceptions, the credit to Wisconsin and blame on Hartman is a mixed bag, but there is no questioning the activity of the Badger LB’s in the second half. Duke’s Mayo Bowl MVP Jack Sanborn was everywhere, and led a key 4th down stop near midfield in the third quarter. He finished with a team-high 11 tackles, and came up with an interception.

The Wisconsin offense cashed in on excellent field position in the final 30 minutes. The Badgers had 176 return yards off of their four interceptions compared to just 144 passing yards all afternoon long. Despite Chase Wolf throwing an interception after strangely coming in for the final drive of the half, Mertz valued the ball and finished with a zero in the turnover column.

Six second half Wake Forest turnovers, three of which set up Wisconsin in the red zone, allowed the Badgers to score 28 points in the final 30 minutes. The Badgers capitalized on Demon Deacon mistakes and took home a 42-28 win.

Wisconsin improved to 4-3 to close out this strange 2020 season, while Wake Forest dropped to 4-5. Momentum is on the Badgers’ side headed into a 2021 year where expectations will be rightfully high in Madison.

 

BadgersWire staff predictions + how to bet Wisconsin vs. Wake Forest

How to bet the Duke’s Mayo Bowl according to the BadgersWire staff

The Duke’s Mayo Bowl is less than 24 hours away, and the BadgersWire staff got together this afternoon to let you know how we see this one playing out. In a battle of two teams that play opposite styles, the Badgers and Demon Deacon’s will meet tomorrow morning in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Who covers the spread? Is the game played at a slow, Big Ten pace, or a speedy ACC pace? Who comes away with the win? Here is how we see the battle for mayo going:

Ben: Wisconsin and wake forest enter Duke’s Mayo Bowl on opposite trajectories. The Badgers are coming off a huge rivalry win over Minnesota and the Demon Deacons have lost two straight ACC games. They also enter the game with opposite paths to victory—Wisconsin controlling the clock and playing defense and Wake Forest playing up-tempo and putting points on the board. What will decide the outcome of the game will be the pace, specifically whether the Badgers are able to conduct long drives and hold the football. In my opinion, the Demon Deacon’s soft defense will allow Graham Mertz to play as well as he has since Michigan and successfully compliment a big day from Jalen Berger and Garrett Groshek in the run game. Wake Forest will score some points, but I think the Badgers do what they need to do in the end to win.

Wisconsin 26  Wake Forest 20 — Wake Forest +7.5, Under 51.5 total points 

Wade: The Badgers will be getting back several key playmakers on offense for this game, including freshman RB Jalen Berger, and I think that may give Wisconsin the edge. Despite struggles against Iowa, the Badger defense has been the cornerstone of this team all year long and is one of the best in the country. If they can get rolling on offense, the Badgers should be able to handle Wake Forest tomorrow. These two teams have never played each other before, but the strength of the Wisconsin defense and a relatively healthy offense will help them win the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

Wisconsin 24  Wake Forest 10 — Wisconsin -7.5, Under 51.5 total 

Asher: In a game dictated by pace, I think Wisconsin controls the matchup with their defense. A key for the Badger offense will be time of possession, a stat that Wisconsin usually wins. The pace of the Demon Deacon offense could tire out the Badgers, but if Graham Mertz and company are able to sustain drives and keep QB Sam Hartman and crew on the sidelines they should come away with a win.

Overall, I think Wisconsin elongates enough drives on the ground with Jalen Berger to keep the defense rested. Oh, and I expect Jim Leonhard’s defense to ball out aside from a big play or two.

Wisconsin 24  Wake Forest 17 — Wake Forest +7.5, Under 51.5 total 

 

Podcast: Duke’s Mayo Bowl preview with Wake Forest football’s Andrew Cervantes Kerwin

The Badgers and Demon Deacons match up on Wednesday

With the Badgers just two days away from the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against Wake Forest, we break down everything you need to know about the Demon Deacons on today’s Locked On Badgers episode.

Wake Forest football recruiting operations staffer and former Wisconsin football recruiting intern Andrew Cervantes Kerwin joins the show to give us an inside look at how the Demon Deacons match up with Wisconsin football:

You can listen to Locked On Badgers wherever you get your podcasts, with new episodes out every week.

BREAKING: Wisconsin will play an ACC opponent in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl

The Badgers are headed bowling

The Wisconsin Badgers are bowl bound and will head to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The 3-3 Badgers will match up with the 4-4 Wake Forest Demon Deacons out of the ACC. This is the 19th straight season Wisconsin will play in a bowl game.

First thing to know about the Duke’s Mayo Bowl? There is a gorgeous trophy on the line:

The game is scheduled for Dec. 30 at 11:30 a.m. CST.

Notre Dame and Wake Forest rescheduled date announced

The Notre Dame and Wake Forest game that was scheduled for this weekend has been rescheduled. Find out here when the Irish head to Wake!

Notre Dame was supposed to take on Wake Forest at Bank of America Stadium under the umbrella of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

Then it was moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to be a true home game for Wake Forest at the end of September.

Now it’s going to still be in Winston-Salem, but much later in the year.

Due to the postponement of this week’s game between Notre Dame and Wake Forest there has been some reshuffling for both squads.

Wake Forest will now play their single out-of-conference game against Campbell on October 2, a week that was previously a bye week for the Demon Deacons.

Notre Dame will now travel to Wake Forest on December 12 to close the regular season in Winston-Salem.

That means that Notre Dame will have played two games, been off for two weeks and then have games scheduled nine weeks in a row with a chance for a tenth if they’re to qualify for the ACC Championship Game.

From what we’ve seen around the ACC so far this year with North Carolina, North Carolina State and Virginia Tech already having to postpone games, it’d seem pretty optimistic to think things will go off without a hitch for 10 straight weeks.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that they do, however.

Wake Forest WR Sage Surratt opting out of 2020 season

One of the ACC’s top pass-catchers is opting out of the season and will get an early start on preparations for the 2021 NFL Draft

If there’s to be college football in the ACC this fall, one of the best wide receivers in the conference won’t be playing.

Wake Forest’s Sage Surratt is adding his name to an ever-growing list of top prospects who are opting out of the 2020 college football season in favor of early preparations for the 2021 NFL Draft:

Listed at 6-3, 215 pounds, Surratt has the prototypical frame for an NFL receiver, with a blend of speed, athleticism and toughness that should already have the pro scouting ranks excited about his potential at the next level.

He’s currently projected by most as a potential first-round pick in next year’s draft.

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