Wake Forest Football: OC Warren Ruggiero on Louisville's Defense

The Demon Deacons won't change their identity against a vaunted Louisville group

The Wake Forest offense has been among the nation’s best this year, averaging 41.4 points and 438.7 yards of total offense per game. The Deacs are set to face off against a stout Louisville defense on Saturday. Led by sixth year senior LB Momo Sanogo (20 solo tackles, 1.5 sacks) and senior DL YaYa Diaby (4.5 sacks), the Cardinals are allowing just 20 points per game this season. It’ll take a collective effort from OC Warren Ruggiero’s unit to find success in Kentucky on Saturday.

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“They have good players that are playing hard and running their defense well,” Ruggiero said. “They’ve been able to contain people and they’re a very talented football team. We’re going to have to win our one-on-one matchups up front and on the perimeter and play very well at quarterback, no doubt.”

The Cardinals defense has a reputation for attacking the ball well. Over their last two contests against Pitt and Virginia, they’ve totaled seven sacks and seven turnovers. Ball security will be an area of focus for the offense, but that’s nothing new.

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“That’s always a focus for us,” Ruggiero said. “Our number one goal on offense is to have no turnovers. Certainly, they are exceptional at it, so it’s going to be more important than ever that we do a great job this week.”

Part of what makes Louisville’s defense so challenging is that they throw out a lot of different looks at you. For Wake Forest, part of the key to success will be exploiting the gaps in whatever package Louisville brings to the table.

“They do all kinds of things on defense,” Ruggiero said. “They play a multitude of coverages. The way our offense works, if they’re playing back or tight or zone, we have to execute and take advantage of it. Those things should happen naturally through the course of the game.”

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However, even against a daunting defense like Louisville’s, don’t expect the Deacs to change their identity. They’ll keep working with the formula that’s yielded so much success this season.

“We don’t really change anything week to week at all,” Ruggiero said. “Our offense will just naturally adjust to whatever they’re doing. Our guys know how to handle different defenses. It’s just a matter of executing on gameday.”

QB Sam Hartman is having an exceptional season so far — he’s thrown for 1,755 yards, 21 TDs and only three interceptions through seven games. Hartman’s veteran presence within the unique Wake Forest system is part of why it’s been such a powerhouse in recent years.

“Anytime you have a player that’s been in the system and has gotten that many reps, they’re going to continue to get better, especially when they’re as focused on being great as he is,” Ruggiero said of Hartman. “I certainly think that makes him special, as he’s constantly trying to get better and he’s never comfortable. He keeps pushing himself. All the reps he gets are valuable and he’s taken advantage of them.”

The entire offense speaks highly of Ruggiero. On several occasions, players have addressed the media saying they’re fully confident in whatever he draws up for that week. That foundation of trust has been one of the keys to Wake’s success on offense this season.

“As a staff, we’re always working hard to try and teach them and get them to do their job as well as possible while still establishing a strong relationship off the field,” Ruggiero said. “That’s our job, and we love what we do. We love our team. That makes it pretty easy.”

Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

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