The end of the season is never easy, particularly when it falls significantly short of the program’s hopes and own expectations. But end it shall for Wake Forest Saturday afternoon at home against Duke.
To look back at the media picks from July for the ACC order of finish, there are many who had low expectations for the Demon Deacons in 2024. And whether Wake finishes with a 5-7 or 4-8 record, those pre-season prognostications will come off as pretty accurate.
What Could Have Been
But if you are head coach Dave Clawson, the season is going to be marked by the what-ifs. Losses at home to Virginia and Louisiana by a combined four points. A 10-point loss at home to Cal, in a game that was a one-score contest most of the way. And a seven-point loss at North Carolina. Even with the expected blowout losses to Ole Miss, Clemson, and Miami, turn around two or three of those close games and you are making December plans for a bowl game.
Instead, this is going to be the second consecutive losing season for the Demon Deacons. It’s the first time the school has had to endure that since Clawson’s first two seasons in Winston-Salem in 2014 and 2015. It will also be the second straight year without a bowl game, after a stretch of seven consecutive post-season appearances.
Clawson’s overall record at Wake is 67-68 with one game left to play to get to .500. His ACC record at Wake is 32-54.
Duke
Going out of the 2024 season on a winning note will not be easy. Duke, under first-year head coach Manny Diaz, is 8-3 on the season and 4-3 in conference play. Former head coach Mike Elko laid the groundwork for a good Blue Devils defense and Diaz has kept that in place.
Duke is 36th in the country in pass defense and in the top 50 in total defense and red zone defense. The Blue Devils are tied for third in the country with 25 opponent turnovers. Clawson called Duke “Disruptive at three levels of the defense.” He pointed out that the Duke defense is 10th in the country on third down defense, allowing their opponents only a 30% conversion rate to first down.
Maalik Murphy has been hit or miss, literally, as Duke’s quarterback. The transfer from Texas is just shy of 2,700 yards passing. But he has thrown 11 interceptions to go with his 25 touchdowns for a 59% completion rate.
The Morin Factor
With it being Senior Day at Wake, there will be the traditional farewells to dozens of players, including some who could actually be coming back with eligibility still intact.
One of the players who is leaving because after six years his eligibility is exhausted is receiver Taylor Morin. At wide receiver, a position that has been beset by injuries, early departures, and transfers over the year, Morin has been the model of stability. With 23 receiving yards, Morin will pass Ricky Proehl as the all-time leader in receiving yards at Wake Forest, (Proehl got to 2,949 yards in four seasons). If he can get at least 73 yards in receptions on Saturday, he will go over the 3,000-yard mark for his career. The 2024 season is his best yet in terms of yardage with 709.
While primarily a slot receiver, he has also filled in on the outside over the years because of injuries to other players. Clawson pointed to the 2021 season when Donavon Greene was out for the season and Morin converted to an outside receiver for the entire season. Clawson said Morin was taking a lesson in leadership. “He’s had a great career,” Clawson said Tuesday. “He’s the same person every day.”
Offensive Woes
The Wake Forest offense was shaky last week against Miami. Much like the close losses during the season, it was a game marked by missed opportunities. Wake was on the Miami side of the 50-yard line four times in the second half and got no points out of it. Symbolic of the lack of ability to generate points, Wake had the ball with first down at the Miami 20-yard line. Two false starts and two quarterback sacks later and the Deacs were punting from midfield. Wake Forest has dropped to 80th in the country in total offense at 375.5 yards per game.
The lineup on both sides of the ball is going to look dramatically different next year with graduations, early departures, and the probability of losses to the transfer portal.
Senior Day
Because of the Covid exemption rule and redshirting, there are seniors, at every program, who still have eligibility left. Clawson has a history of encouraging players to go through the Senior Day ceremony if there is even as much as 1% that they will not return. The philosophy has been that they deserve their time in the limelight with their family. He joked Tuesday that with the number of players at Wake committed to going through the ceremony before the game, he could be out there for a half-hour shaking people’s hands.
These are the players who are confirmed with no eligibility left.
Michael Kern, Hank Bachmeier, Will Towns, Zach Igwebe, Taylor Morin, Cameron Hite, Gavin Ellis, Jake Pascual, DeVonte Gordon, Justin Cody, Bryce Gainous, Kevin Pointer, Kendron Wayman, Branson Combs, Evan Slocum, C’Darius Kelley. Bachmeier is not confirmed on the list of players who have said they will be going through Senior Day. He participated last year at Louisiana. It is believed that since he has been here the one year, he is leaving the moment for those who have been here longer.
The list of players provided by the athletic department who are believed to be participating in Senior Day events, but could return with one more year is as follows.
Horatio Fields, Nick Ragano, Christian Greene, Michael Frogge, Ryan Dupont, Zach Vaughn, Nick Sharpe, George Sell, Eric Russell, Hank Lucas, Eldrick Robinson II, Demarcus Rankin, Trent Nicholson, Walker Ferguson, Anthony Borriello.
