Let’s face it, even the most ardent of Wake Forest fans did not see this coming. After back-to-back 4-8 seasons, after the retirement of arguably the most successful coaches in school history, and after a transition to a new coach, the Demon Deacons are 7-3. Saturday night’s 28-12 win over North Carolina improved the Decas’ postseason prospects. So let’s see what Wake Forest said after the UNC win.
What Wake Forest Said
Jake Dickert
The architect of the turnaround continues to say the season is player-led and that he gets too much credit. He will get the blame if things go south, so he will have plenty of blame. So, some credit he shall have. He was asked if, when he took the job, he could envision this kind of first season. He paused and then said with certainty, “Yes.” After a few chuckles in the press room, he explained. “I knew it was going to be hard. I knew it was going to be difficult. But when you have the right people, a lot of things are possible.” He rattled off a list of those he got support from when he took the job back in mid-December from the athletic director to the board of trustees at the school. “We’re changing the bar. We’re changing the expectations. I think that’s awesome.”
Dickert called the win over North Carolina a growth moment, saying it now has to be about sustaining success. “After SMU, we came out and just flopped [against Florida State]. We had a great game last week against Virginia, and then we came out here and played the way we’re capable of playing,” he said. “That’s another huge step for our team. And then you guys are going to say we should just beat Delaware and all this stuff. I can talk about rat poison. All that’s coming too. I’m just excited where we’re at.”
Dickert had said from the beginning that he did not consider this a typical transition from outgoing coach to the new guy, where you just sort of see how it goes in year one. At 7-3 overall, it clearly isn’t typical. He said the commitment to a non-transition year was for the seniors who opted to stay with the program. “I respect those guys,” he said. “Those guys are experienced players, and we’re going to build around them. They’re going to be part of setting the foundation. I think that set the tone right away for their approach to it.”
Carlos Hernandez
The receiver had a big, if not typical, game. He had a 50-yard touchdown run after picking up a Robby Ashford fumble, and he was on the receiving end of a 70-yard flea-flicker score. He was asked if he had ever had 50 rushing yards in a game. “Probably high school. It’s been a while,” he said. “I wish that went to receiving yards, but it was a fumble.”
He got a path-clearing block on the fumble recovery run from running back Demond Claiborne. On the flea-flicker touchdown, he had a bevy of defenders cleared out, all by receiver Sawyer Racanelli. “I scored because of Sawyer Racanelli. He took out five guys, so all props to him. If he wasn’t there, I probably wouldn’t have scored.”
Wake Forest lost earlier in the season to North Carolina State. But now they have a win over one of the other Big Four rivals, UNC. He talked about the locker chatter before the game. “It’s pretty much that we don’t like them.”
Robby Ashford
The offense is finding its rhythm in spurts this season. Dickert had been vocal about not having explosive plays. The 70-yard flea flicker changed that quickly. And the quarterback also gave credit to Racanelli for the blocking on the play. Although the number of players the receiver blocked is on its way to becoming an urban legend.
“It’s fun when you see it come to fruition. We work on it in practice all the time,” he said. “Sawyer Racanelli basically covered up six guys to let Carlos score.” On the number of defenders Racanelli took out growing as the night went on, “It was a lot. It was more than one, I can tell you that.”
On his fumble in the first quarter, where Hernandez picked up the ball and ran 50 yards for the touchdown, Ashford said he tried to recover his own ball. “I was trying to jump on it and I seen it go to the left. And I seen everybody go on over there. And then I heard everybody screaming. I thought it was UNC fans, and then I looked over and Carlos has got the ball and he’s just running down the field for a touchdown.”
The fumble came as a result of Ashford lowering his shoulders to take on the tackler. For a guy who has been banged up a lot this season, there is some risk in that. Dickert said he wanted his quarterback to just be the player he is. For Ashford, that means not avoiding the hit. “I don’t run away from contact. You’ve got to come see me in the hole,” he said. “I want to be the punisher when I’m running the ball.”
Nick Anderson
The sixth-year defensive back talked about Dickert’s philosophy that this was not going to be a typical transition year. “It was present in the first conversation I ever had with him,” Anderson said. “I’m really, really lucky to have this year with him, the whole staff, and such a great group that came back, especially the senior class.”
The defense has become the bedrock of the team as the offense has had a roller coaster season. Anderson said there is more to the offense than what shows up in the game stats. “I think we’re a really well-rounded team,” he said. “One thing that no one really talks about is the sustained drives, the long drives that our offense has gone on. That’s like putting points on the board. It gives our defense a chance to rest.”
Anderson is one of a handful of regulars who came back despite back-to-back 4-8 seasons. “I think you know, you just have to learn from the past. “I say I’m fortunate enough to learn from the previous defenses.”
And his thoughts on getting a win over one of the Big Four? “I don’t think I would have had many friends here at Wake if I left my career without any wins over UNC. So it was good to get this one.”
Main Image: Wake Forest Athletics via Imagn Images
