Wake Forest has a hill to climb in the last two weeks of the regular season. It begins with goodbyes prior to the home game against Syracuse Saturday night. And then it is on to the first of two must-win games.<\/p>\n
It may sound like a bit much to say a team that is already bowl qualified has must-win games. But this is not the old Wake Forest where six wins and a lower-tier bowl that keeps the annual streak alive is good enough. Dave Clawson<\/strong> said as much Tuesday when he talked about the new standard in Winston-Salem.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I got here in \u201914, if we were 6-4, people would have been thrilled,\u201d he said Tuesday. \u201cI think the thing I am most proud of is we are 6-4 and people are disappointed. I\u2019m proud of that. I think that\u2019s good. We\u2019ve elevated the standard of what a good season is here.\u201d Clawson said he is disappointed in the 6-4 because he had visions of being 10-0 at this point in the season.<\/p>\n With the home season finale against the Orange on Saturday, followed by a road game at Duke, the Demon Deacons can finish the regular at 8-4 going into a bowl game. Current projections<\/a> have them going anywhere from the Duke\u2019s Mayo Bowl to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, depending on how they finish.<\/p>\n The process of those next steps starts this weekend as Wake says \u201cgoodbye\u201d to 22 seniors. It\u2019s likely that not all of them will be leaving. Some have remaining eligibility and could choose to come back for another season. Those decisions will likely come between the end of the regular season and the opening of the transfer portal on December 5th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n Whether coaches are preparing their team for post-season play, or not, they also have to keep an eye on the open flea market that is the new transfer portal window from December 5th<\/sup>-January 18th<\/sup>. \u00a0Knowing what holes he has to fill on a roster in and around December\u2019s early signing is a priority for Clawson. In the meantime, Wake wants to ensure that everyone who is a senior gets their moment in the lights before the home crowd one last time this season.<\/p>\n One position he knows is getting a makeover is the quarterback spot. Sam Hartman<\/a> confirmed Tuesday that he will not be returning for his final year of eligibility and will be trying to make an NFL roster. When reminded that he had one more year of eligibility, Hartman chuckled and said, \u201cNo shot.\u201d He said it was time for a change\u2026for everyone. \u201cI think people are just sick and tired of me, I\u2019ll be totally honest, I think media included. I think we\u2019re ready to talk to somebody new and get some new phrases. You know, wash out my \u2018one week seasons,\u2019 and definitely clich\u00e9 answers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Over the next two games, Hartman will move into second on the ACC all-time passing yards list behind only Philip Rivers<\/strong>. He is seven touchdowns behind Tajh Boyd<\/strong> on the all-time touchdown pass list. If he can tie or pass that 107 figure over the next two weeks, he will have at least a share of the record in the same amount of games Boyd played at Clemson.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to test my luck and see what happens,\u201d he said, referring to entering his name for the NFL draft. \u201cI have an opportunity to do it. But obviously, we\u2019ve still got some football left to play here.\u201d<\/p>\n It was the first time Hartman has met with the media since October 22nd<\/sup>, after the win over Boston College. He opted not to take part in the post-game press conferences after the last three losses.<\/p>\n Independent of Clawson\u2019s later comments, Hartman agreed that there is a new standard for Wake Forest football. \u201cIf we talk about 2018 and I\u2019m sitting here at 6-3, or 6-4, looking back, you\u2019d be kicking yourself because holy cow, you\u2019d be having a great year,\u201d he said. \u201cObviously the standard is raised. We\u2019re not happy with where we\u2019re at. But, if we can do what we want to do [over the final three games], it\u2019s still a solid season.\u201d<\/p>\n Hartman also reflected on how one of the bigger changes during his time at Wake Forest has been fan participation in the program. \u201cIn 2018, we\u2019re playing these games, and there\u2019s a hundred students and the bleachers are half full. To where we are now, where we\u2019re an overflow student section and our stadium\u2019s full.\u201d<\/p>\nClawson’s New Standard<\/h3>\n
The Goodbyes<\/h3>\n
Hartman<\/h3>\n
What’s Left<\/h3>\n