Disastrous third quarter results in Wake Forest's 48-21 loss to Louisville
In a contest where Wake Forest turned the ball over eight times and allowed 48 points, the team fell apart in all facets of the game.
“They completely outcoached us, they completely outplayed us,” head coach Dave Clawson said after the game. “I thought that was a thorough ass kicking. They deserved to win the game.”
After falling to a 13-0 deficit, Wake Forest clawed back to take a one-point lead going into halftime. For a while, it looked as if the Deacs could pull out a win despite not playing good football.
“I don't think we played well on defense,” Clawson said. “But we played good red zone defense. In the first half, I thought they completely outplayed us. We were lucky that we scored two touchdowns and we held them to two field goals.”
Beginning the third quarter with the ball, Wake Forest had a chance to build a solid lead. Instead, DB Kei’Trel Clark jumped the route on a Sam Hartman pass and returned it for a touchdown. On the next drive, Hartman had the ball stripped from him. Then, he fumbled again. On and on it went. In the third quarter alone, Wake Forest had six turnovers.
“We're always a team that has taken care of the football,” Clawson said. “We started to get loose with it [against] Army, and then we were loose with it [vs] BC and it bit us in the ass today. When you turn the ball over that much, you don't have any chance of winning the football game.”
While the offensive line play was poor — which certainly played a role in the three fumbles — they did not cause the interceptions. One pick was off the hands of Donavon Greene, but the others — the two returned for touchdowns — came off poor throws from Hartman.
That may not be the story that is told of Hartman’s play. There will surely be those who question his ability to play the position. But that doesn't change how his teammates view him.
“That's my brother and I love him,” senior LB and captain Ryan Smenda said. “I don't care what happened today. There's been games where the defense lets up seven touchdowns and Sam bombs eight more. We’ve got to take the good with the bad. That's our brother and we love him at the end of the day.”
Now at 6-2 and 2-2 in the ACC, there is little margin for error if Wake Forest is to achieve their season’s goals. And the road doesn’t get any easier. Next week, the Deacs will travel on I-40 to Raleigh to take on NC State. After that, North Carolina, Syracuse and Duke. To respond to this week’s loss and win against strong competition, good leadership is necessary.
“This is why you have leaders and captains and seniors,” Clawson said. “I think a lot of times after a game like this, the message is we'll see what we're made of. But I know what we're made of. Now we have to prove what we're made of.”
Follow @DeaconsDaily on Twitter and Instagram for more Wake Forest content
