With the Virginia Cavaliers game against Wake Forest tomorrow, we chatted with SamuraiFoochs from Blogger So Dear to get the inside scoop on the Demon Deacons

It seems like the two squads are pretty evenly matched, so we asked some questions to learn what could be the decisive factors in the game on Saturday.

What are your expectations for Wake Forest football this year (Record-wise, bowl game, improvement, etc.)?

Honestly, this is a little hard for me to answer, partly because the new look ACC (side note: is ACC going to become an orphan acronym now? Because if not, that’s a generous interpretation of “Atlantic Coast”) is so different.

I’m not sure what to make of Cal or Stanford, both of whom are on our schedule, and the schedule itself is pretty brutal, including a late-season game at Miami, whom I think we can all agree made a definitive opening statement.

I’d be really disappointed with another season without a bowl, but unless we only win three games or something like that, I don’t see the fanbase getting too restless with the regime. I do really hope that the offense clicks into place again (more on that later) after something of an anomaly last year, and specifically pressure from the defense needs to be better if we want to improve.

My guess would be anywhere from five to seven wins, which is honestly fairly typical for Wake Football now, and most people would agree within the fanbase that “bowl = okay season”, especially given this year’s schedule and many player changes (as is typical in college football now, really).

What is Wake’s biggest positional strength?

I’d say wide receivers. and it’s not particularly close. Taylor Morin and Donavon Greene are a pretty devastating top-two, and then you add in additional pieces like Deuce Alexander, Horatio Fields, and a solid tight end room, and yeah, it’s by far Wake’s best asset. Honestly as much as Wake ever is a pipeline to the NFL, linemen and receivers are pretty much Wake’s bread and butter when it comes to any Sunday talent generally speaking.

What about their greatest positional weakness?

I’d go either defensive line or secondary here.

I realize that’s a bit of a loose answer, but at least for me, it’s really difficult to parse defensive breakdowns (a coach I am not), and the defensive line was enough of an issue that there was an interview with Wake defensive lineman Kevin Pointer in the offseason in the local paper wherein he was literally asked about last year’s defensive line struggles (that’s how bad it was).

Meanwhile, two key members of Wake’s secondary from last year were drafted (Malik Mustapha and Caelen Carson).

Which Demon Deacons should UVA fans look out for on Saturday?

Taylor Morin and Kevin Pointer, respectively.

Taylor has always been good, but he and new starter Hank Bachmeier appear to have fantastic chemistry, and Taylor had 100 yards on 6 catches and a 73-yard punt return touchdown against A&T.

Kevin Pointer, on the other hand, seemed instrumental in getting the defense rolling after a deeply concerning first half, and has shown an ability to wreak havoc from the line as well as finish plays himself. There’s probably a reason he was the person on the team the paper decided to ask about defensive improvements. He’s probably a leader on that side of the ball, and the first game bears that out.

What did you learn about Wake in week one?

The offense is quite possibly back. Admittedly, it was against NC A&T, but I’m not joking when I say the opener was better than any of the games last year. For context, last year’s FCS game against Elon provided 8 fewer points, and about 100 fewer yards of offense.

Now admittedly, A&T was utterly woeful last season and Elon ended up 6-5 in FCS, so it’s probably even weaker competition. But the seemingly significant upgrade in the quarterback room in the form of new starter Hank Bachmeier really made the offense feel like it was dangerous once it got humming, as has been SOP under Clawson and OC Warren Ruggiero during Wake’s comparatively successful past decade or so.

We’re no Clemson, but per Wake standards, Clawson and co. have been pretty reliably very good to great, and dangerous offense has always been key to that. Wake fans have gotten used to winning explosive shootouts, especially in bowls. My non-Deac friends have joked with me that when Wake gets there, whatever bowl they’ve gotten to under Clawson is almost guaranteed to be a super entertaining game if you have no rooting interest.

What’s your prediction for the game on Saturday?

ESPN gives Wake about 66% odds to win, and the line as of this writing is literally Wake -1, so that’s as close to a pick ‘em as you’re probably gonna get. Given that it’s a home game, I’m just gonna barely give Wake the edge and say the Deacs pull it out in, shockingly, a bit of an instant classic with both teams playing well.

If I’m comically wrong, don’t blame me. Trying to figure out Wake week to week has kind of been an exercise in madness for several years, even during overall strong seasons. Here’s hoping for a clean, well-played game with no injuries.

Side note, both my uncle and grandfather are UVA grads, so I’ve always had a bit of a secondary soft spot for the ‘Hoos. I hope Wake wins this game, but I’d love to see UVA have a strong season otherwise. It’d be fun to see more programs rising in the ACC.

Wake Forest 27, Virginia 23