The next four weeks will do more to define the 2023 Wake Forest football season than the previous eight weeks have. Sure, there was the head-scratching loss to Georgia Tech. But guess what? GA Tech is not as horrible as they historically have been. And Wake turned out to just be a step in Virginia Tech’s in-season rebuilding process. We knew Florida State was going to boat race the Demon Deacons, and they did. It turns out the loss at Clemson was the hardest to get our heads around. But then we get to what is left for Wake Forest.
The Final Stretch Begins
There are four games left. Win two and you can squeak into a third-tier, pre-Christmas bowl game, take the couple hundred thousand dollars payout, and wax poetic about making the eighth bowl game in a row. Fans and insiders alike can then spend some of the off-season thanking their fate on a soft out-of-conference schedule in the first three weeks. Go 1-3 or 0-4, and the off-season will be spent talking about the rise of the Wake basketball and baseball programs. Seemingly, poor football seasons at Wake Forest have been and can be swept aside.
But as Wake heads into a Thursday night game in Durham against the Duke Blue Devils, the fact that there is disgruntlement over a 4-4 record (and a 1-4 conference record that puts them next to last in the ACC) is clear. At a couple of points in Saturday’s blowout loss to Florida State, there was a discernible smattering of boos from the home crowd faithful.
Expectations
It did not escape head coach Dave Clawson, who was asked about it Tuesday. Clawson said he’ll take the booing. “The only thing worse than booing is a fan base that is apathetic, that doesn’t care. I like that they care. I like that they are passionate, and I get it.”
Clawson added that if the players want the fans clapping in support, they have to provide an on-field performance worthy of that. “And we didn’t on Saturday.” He added tongue in cheek, (sort of), “When you’re losing and not playing well, the two most popular guys are the backup quarterback and the next head coach. And I get that.”
But that comes with a twist. Clawson said while he appreciates the fan base, he has to make decisions that he believes put his team in the best position to win each week. We have always known this was going to be a transition year with the personnel losses from 2022. However the depth of transition can be considered a cause for concern.
An Unresolved Quarterback Dilemma
In his fourth year in the program, albeit almost entirely as a backup until this season, Mitch Griffis has yet to show the internal clock that a quarterback needs in the pocket. Not all the sacks he takes are on him. A seasoned offensive line has been sporadic in its pass blocking. But even Clawson acknowledged Tuesday that there were a couple of instances Saturday when Griffis’ decision-making was just too slow. The problem going into the Duke game on Thursday night is that there is no quick remedy for that. That is a skill set that takes months and months to acquire. The fact that the game moves at a much quicker pace than practice is not going to be solved by Griffis this week.
In a planned-out world, Michael Kern would have taken over the quarterback duties. But he got knocked out with a shoulder injury in the VA Tech game. He is not physically cleared to return yet.
Working With What You Have
That gets us to the next “popular guy,” the next backup, Santino Marucci. He certainly won some hearts with the thrilling last-second touchdown pass against Pitt two weeks ago. But it would be a mischaracterization to say he was the perfect answer to the quarterback quandary. He was 12 of 21 passing with two interceptions and of course the now-legendary touchdown pass. He saw some limited action last week against FSU when the game had already been long decided. But going from third-team reps at practice all through camp and the first half of the season, to starter, is a large leap.
Clawson gave an assessment of Griffis’ play that anyone who saw the game would expect. He was encouraged by some of the play, but thought it was, “Uneven.” Clawson added, “We’re continuing to get him reps, and we’re also giving Santino reps. Every week that Santino gets the backup reps, he’s able to run more of the offense, and it’s not as limited with him out there.”
The Defense and Duke
Therein lies the crux of the quarterback issue. One guy is having to have the playbook shrunk for him because he has been unable to consistently get the expanded version right in a game. And the other guy came into the season with such a limited practice load that he has not worked on the pages further back in the book well enough to execute them all.
That leaves an offense that as Clawson put it Tuesday, did not stay on the field long enough. Wake was three of 14 in third-down conversions last week. That becomes a concern for the defense, which has kept the Deacs in many games this season. Wearing down a group that has held it together started to become evident last week. The defense gave up more explosive plays, against a very good offense, than it had been doing in previous weeks. “Absolutely. Yeah. I’m very worried about that,” Clawson said Tuesday.
A month ago, the game against Duke could be projected, by those who do such things, as a loss. But the Blue Devils are playing with a very hobbled quarterback in Riley Leonard. He has spent the last two weeks trying to play through an ankle sprain that happened against Notre Dame last month. He is not close to the running threat he usually is. Maybe that helps a Wake defense that got worn out last week. Now the Deacs just need an offense that can step up enough to execute at a moderate level over the next four weeks.
