Wake Forest Demon Deacons
2011 Record: 6-7 overall, 5-3 ACC Atlantic
2011 Bowl Result: Lost Music City Bowl 23-17 to Mississippi St
Head Coach: Jim Grobe
Odds to win ACC and ACC Atlantic: 35/1 ACC, 16/1 Atlantic
Odds Courtesy of Bovada

It was a roller coaster season for Wake Forest last year, under coach Jim Grobe. It started off with an overtime loss at Syracuse 36-29. The Demon Deacons then won 4 games in a row, including upsets over NC State and Florida St. From that point on Wake Forest went 2-5 with the only wins coming over Duke and Maryland. Despite a season ending 41-7 home loss against Vanderbilt, Wake Forest still qualified for a bowl at 6-6. The Demon Deacons lost to Mississippi St 23-17 in the Music City Bowl.

Despite the record, Wake Forest finished tied for second in the ACC Atlantic Division. Had the Deacons beaten Clemson late in the season, Wake would have gone to the ACC Championship game. Clemson escaped with a 31-28 win at home to clinch the title.

Wake Forest has gone to bowls 5 of the last 7 years, but it could be a rebuilding year in Winston-Salem.

Offense

Last year, under offensive coordinator Steed Lobotzke, Wake Forest had a top 40 passing game, but the running game was 99th out of 120 teams with 114.6 yards per game on the ground. The Deacons averaged  26 points a game.

Junior Tanner Price returns at quarterback. He had a good sophomore year, completing 60% of his passes, for 3,017 yards, with 20 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Actually,three of his picks came in one game against North Carolina. He got almost no protection from the offensive line, and was sacked 34 times. The inept running game also didn’t help. Teams could line up in the nickel, knowing that the Demon Deacons would be throwing most of the time.

The Demon Deacons must replace their top rusher from a year ago in Brandon Pendergrass, who rushed for over 800 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also caught 19 passes and a touchdown. Josh Harris does return though. He missed some time last season with a hamstring injury. Harris had 101 carries, 432 yards, and 3 touchdowns. He was supposed to be the feature back before the injury. Orville Reynolds will be the back-up. He was supposed to redshirt but had to play with 3 games left in the season. He had 29 carries last year, but he does have explosive speed. Fullback Tommy Bohanon had 2 rushing touchdowns, and also caught 9 passes including a touchdown.

Wake must replace top receiver Chris Givens, who had 83 receptions, 1,330 yards, and 9 touchdowns. Givens left early for the NFL. The top returning receiver is Michael Campanaro, who had 73 catches, 833 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Terence Davis had only 20 catches but 5 of them went for touchdowns. Lovell Jackson and Quan Rucker only caught a total of 5 passes last year but will get more targets without Givens. Redshirt freshman Sherman Ragland III could be the speed receiver, as he showed a lot of potential in spring practice. They have no experience at tight end, so Bohanon could be used as an H-Back.

The line must replace all five starters, but honestly, it really can’t get any worse than it was last year. Only two players with starting experience return, and they only have 15 games worth of experience. Left tackle Dylan Heartsill returns after battling back injuries the last two seasons.

Defense

Wake Forest uses a 3-4 defense under coordinator Brian Knorr. Last season the defense was 118th in pass rushing with just 11 sacks. However, they were 38’th in red zone defense. Overall the defense ranked 65th out of 120 teams giving up 27 points a game.

Nose guard Nikita Whitlock had 14 tackles for loss last year, an impressive feat when you consider his position is usually associated with blocking. Whitlock also only weighs 260 pounds. He was really the only member of the line that did anything statistically, and he is the only one that returns this season. Redshirt freshman Desmond Floyd has tons of potential as a pass rusher.

The linebackers will be led by Mike Olson and Justin Jackson. They join a group of talented youngsters like Joey Ehrmann, Derricus Ellis and Zachary Allen to form a deep unit. The hope is they can improve the dreadful pass rush.

The secondary must replace safeties Cyhl Quarles and Josh Bush, but Wake still has a lot of talent. Merrill Noel and Kenny Okoro have the potential to be all-conference corners in the ACC. A.J. Marshall moves from corner to safety.

Special Teams

Kicker Jimmy Newman returns for his senior year. He made 17 of 22 field goals last year.

Junior punter Alex Wulfeck also comes back, but he averaged less than 14 yards a punt. Of his 70 punts, only 13 were inside the 20. Alex Kinal is a former Australian rugby player, and he could challenge for the punting job.

Campanero returned a punt for a touchdown last year, and Noel will also be on the return unit. Ragland has the speed to be a great returner if Wake Forest chose to use him. The return unit has been at the bottom of the ACC for the last 4 years.

Schedule

Wake Forest opens with 4 of their first 5 games at home. They open with Liberty and North Carolina at home, before a trip to Florida St. The Demon Deacons then host Duke and Army. Wake then travels to Maryland and Virginia, before hosting Clemson and Boston College. The Deacons travel to NC State, and Notre Dame before closing at home against Vanderbilt.

Outlook

If the line and the running game can improve, then Wake Forest will do better on offense. The defense also has a lot of question marks, especially on the line, but they should be better. still, I don’t see wake winning more than 6 games tops. Of course,  under Grobe Wake Forest has always overachieved, and they could certainly shock a lot of teams.

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