Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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130 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY BRYAN DRISKELL Year four has been good to head coach Dave Clawson at his last three coaching stops, when he guided teams at Fordham, Richmond and Bowling Green to postseason berths. However, doing something similar in his fourth season at Wake Forest will be quite the accomplishment. The Demon Deacons have a challenging schedule that includes seven op- ponents that earned a bowl berth last season. "The main storyline is whether or not Wake Forest can continue the momentum from last year and make another bowl game," stated Ri- ley Johnston, who covers Wake Forest for Blog- ger So Dear. "The schedule this year sets up a little tougher than last year, and there are also some big losses on defense." One of those losses is defensive coordinator Mike Elko, who is now in charge of that side of the ball at Notre Dame after building a Deacon unit that ranked 23rd nationally in scoring de- fense last season. The other is senior linebacker Marquel Lee, who led Wake Forest with 105 tackles and 20 tackles for loss last fall. Elko is being replaced by former Minnesota coordinator Jay Sawvel, whose unit ranked 21st in scoring defense a season ago. "Jay Sawvel should run a very similar scheme base-wise to what Mike Elko ran," Johnston said. "… However, as Sawvel showed in the bowl game against Washington State last year [while at Minnesota], he is not afraid to line up in a lot of strange formations. He came out in a 1-4-6 and 2-4-5 fronts against the Cou- gars … I would expect him to continue to play with these fronts as the year goes along." Even if Sawvel is able to continue the defen- sive success Wake Forest had under Elko, it will also need dramatic offensive improvements. "Fortunately, the offense returns just about everybody and it is time for the offense to help carry the team a bit more," Johnston said of the attack that ranked 118th nationally in scoring and 124th in total offense last season. "… Wake Forest leads the nation in returning productivity on the offensive side of the ball at 97 percent. This usually leads to a lot of increased success for teams in year's past." ✦ 2017 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2016 Result Aug. 31 Presbyterian — Sept. 9 at Boston College L, 17-14 Sept. 16 Utah State — Sept. 23 at Appalachian State — Sept. 30 Florida State L, 17-6 Oct. 7 at Clemson L, 35-13 Oct. 21 at Georgia Tech — Oct. 28 Louisville L, 44-12 Nov. 4 at Notre Dame — Nov. 11 at Syracuse W, 28-9 Nov. 18 North Carolina State L, 33-16 Nov. 25 Duke W, 24-14 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Notre Dame leads 3-0 Last Meeting: Notre Dame 28, Wake Forest 7 (Nov. 14, 2015; South Bend) Head Coach: Dave Clawson, 13-24 (4th year) and 103-103 overall (18th year) 2016 Results: 7-6 overall, 3-5 ACC Atlantic (T- 4th); beat Temple 34-26 in the Military Bowl Returning Starters: 13 (8 offense, 5 defense) 2017 Preseason Rankings: No. 52 by Athlon, No. 54 by ESPN Football Power Index and No. 73 by Lindy's Did You Know?: Notre Dame defensive coordi- nator Mike Elko (2014-16) and linebackers coach Clark Lea (2016) previously worked at Wake Forest … Starting safety Jessie Bates is from Fort Wayne, Ind. … Bates is a preseason second-team All-ACC pick by Athlon and Phil Steele's … Defen- sive end Duke Ejiofor's 10.5 sacks in 2016 were the second-best mark in school history … Ejiofor is a preseason second-team All-ACC pick by Lindy's, Athlon and Phil Steele's … Tight end Cam Serigne was chosen as a preseason first-team all-conference pick by Lindy's and Phil Steele's. Prediction: Notre Dame 36, Wake Forest 13 STRENGTH: Front Seven Despite the losses of linebacker Marquel Lee — a fifth-round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders — and both starting defensive tackles, the Wake Forest front seven should still be the strength of the football team. Senior Duke Ejiofor is one of the best ends in the ACC, a league loaded with talented edge play- ers. Ejiofor had 17 tackles for loss and a team- leading 10.5 sacks a season ago. He's back to anchor a defense that also returns senior end Wendell Dunn, who had six tackles for loss in 2016. Wake Forest lost three-year starter Josh Banks to graduation and 2016 starting nose tackle Chris Stewart was dismissed from the team in the spring. The Deacons are poised to replace that pair and continue to provide production up the middle. Getting 2015 starter Zeke Rodney back from a year off was significant. He is joined in the start- ing lineup by 280-pound junior Willie Yarbary, a vital member of last year's rotation. Redshirt freshman Sulaiman Kamara and sophomore Elontae Bateman are young depth players on the inside. Senior linebackers Grant Dawson and Jaboree Williams combined for 71 tackles, eight tackles for loss and two sacks as part of a weakside line- backer rotation. Dawson is moving over to the middle to replace Lee, giving Wake Forest a pair of experienced players inside. CONCERN: Quarterback When head coach Dave Clawson arrived prior to the 2014 season he inherited a roster lacking talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The talent level has steadily improved and the Deacons now have a veteran line, quality skills on the perimeter, one of the best tight ends in the ACC and solid running backs. Improved talent helped Wake Forest go from 216.3 total yards and 39.3 rushing yards per game in 2014 to 311.5 total yards and 145.8 rushing yards per game in 2016. Another positive step forward will require im- proved quarterback play. Senior John Wolford has started since his freshman season. Despite that experience he will compete with junior Kendall Hinton in fall camp to keep the job. Wolford's best statistical season was his first, when he passed for 2,037 yards and 12 touch- downs. He failed to reach the 1,800 yards mark or double digits in passing touchdowns each of the last two seasons. His lack of arm strength has kept him from really pressuring defenses, which is why the dynamic Hinton is being given a chance to compete for the starting spot. Hinton has only completed 52.8 percent of his 197 career pass attempts, but he has rushed for 515 yards and nine touchdowns. If Hinton can improve as a passer, he could provide the spark Wake Forest needs behind the center. WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS NOV. 4 • NOTRE DAME STADIUM • SOUTH BEND RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Matt Colburn (626 yards, 2 TD) Passing: QB John Wolford (1,774 yards, 9 TD) Receiving: WR Tabari Hines (447 yards, 3 TD) Tackles: S Jessie Bates (100) Sacks: DE Duke Ejiofor (10.5) Interceptions: S Jessie Bates (5) X-FACTOR: Junior quarterback Kendall Hinton has the juice in his legs and arm to provide a much- needed boost to an offense that averaged just 20.4 points per game and 4.6 yards per play last year. PHOTO BY BOB HEBERT