Wake Forest DL Jasheen Davis: "The stakes are high”
In the days following Wake Forest’s 48-21 loss to Louisville, the Deacs had no choice but to turn the page and look forward. With a road matchup against in-state rival NC State looming, this week of preparation would be critical. So far, the team is responding well.
“It’s been intense, just trying to lock in on the game plan,” DE Jasheen Davis said of the team’s practices this week. “Last week, it was a disappointing loss and there are things we could have done better. Going into this week, it’s a big game. [I’m] just ready for this weekend.”
Davis shined last year against the Wolfpack, chipping in two solo tackles and 1.5 sacks in the 45-42 victory. The key to another strong outing from Davis — and the rest of the defense — will be playing hard and relying on his teammates.
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“I just tried to be disruptive and cause havoc,” Davis said. “Individually, you’re not going to make every play. But if you’re around the ball, that’s a good thing. As a defense, that’s what we do best. If one person doesn’t make a play, someone’s there to help them. Defense is family. My main focus is playing as hard as I can. When I play hard, good things happen. I’m just trying to do what it takes to help the team win the game.”
The environment in Raleigh will certainly be high-energy — it’s homecoming weekend at NC State and Saturday’s game has been sold out for a while now. For Davis and the Deacs, though, this is exactly the type of challenge they’re looking for.
“I’m excited,” Davis said. “I like games like this. Hostile. I like experiences like that. At the beginning of the game when they’re talking, just seeing the crowd reaction when we make plays. It feels good.”
There are four games left in Wake Forest’s regular season, all against ACC opponents. After NC State, Syracuse, UNC and Duke await. Entering this crucial stretch of the season, the team’s mindset remains the same as it always has.
“Coach Clawson always has this quote, ‘remember November,’” Davis said. “In this case this season, we do have pretty big games coming up. We’re just trying to take it one week at a time. If you look at the overall view, we just try to lock in on one opponent.”
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Despite the loss to Louisville, the Deacs still have a chance to finish with a 10-win regular season and potentially earn a trip to the Orange Bowl. A win this weekend would move Wake closer to accomplishing those goals — but this game is even bigger than that.
“It’s a rivalry game,” Davis said. “It would be a big win. The stakes are high. We don’t like those guys and they don’t like us. We want to be the best team in the state and prove that.”
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Ben is a managing editor and lead contributing writer for Deacons Daily. Ben has a year of experience as the Sports Editor for the Old Gold & Black, and a year of experience as the publication’s print managing editor. He has a journalistic profile of over 40 published news and sports pieces for the Dayton Daily News.