Deacons Daily

Wake Forest Football: Three Stars in the Loss vs Clemson

The three most impactful Demon Deacon performances from Week 4

Ben Conroy

Wake Forest Football: Three Stars in the Loss vs Clemson
Wake Forest Football: Three Stars in the Loss vs Clemson /

Wake Forest fell to Clemson in dramatic fashion on Saturday, losing 51-45 in double overtime. Despite the loss, there were plenty of memorable performances from the Deacs that kept the team in the game. Here are the three players who shined the brightest.

READ MORE: Clemson Defeats Wake Forest 51-45 in Double Overtime

WR Jahmal Banks:

Banks claimed one of our stars last week, but there’s no denying he earned the honor again against Clemson with six catches, 141 yards and two big touchdowns. Banks helped kick the Wake Forest offense into gear on Saturday, catching the first two TD passes of the day from Sam Hartman. In the fourth quarter, he hauled in a 46-yard catch to set up a vital Matthew Dennis field goal that would put the Deacs ahead 38-35. The sophomore has come up big week in and week out, and it shows on the stat sheet — Banks leads the team touchdowns (5) and is second in yards and catches through four games.

Saturday showed just how deep and talented this Wake Forest receiver room truly is. For Hartman, though, their ability to be effective came as no surprise.

“I think we knew that coming in,” he said. “When you have some of the best receivers in the country, that’s expected.”

QB Sam Hartman:

Hartman had a career day yesterday, going 20/29 for 337 yards and six touchdowns. The redshirt junior now holds the Wake Forest record for most passing touchdowns in a single game. Hartman spread the wealth yesterday, completing passes to seven different receivers and throwing touchdowns to three. His third quarter performance was nearly flawless — he went 8/9 for 152 yards and three touchdowns to bring the Deacons storming back. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention what a dime this touchdown pass to Donavon Greene is:

Hartman may have been unhappy with the game’s outcome, but he did everything that was asked of him in crunch time and came through with an exceptional performance against the Deacs’ toughest opponent so far.

“He’s had a lot of really good games here,” head coach Clawson said. “To throw for as many touchdowns and as yards as he has. Certainly given the opponent, this was another strong performance.”

READ: Wake Forest Comes up Short in Thrilling 2OT Shootout vs Clemson

DT Kobie Turner:

The Richmond transfer has been a great addition to the defense this season, and Clawson has spoken highly of him on several occasions. His solid play continued yesterday, as he netted six tackles — including one for loss — and deflected D.J. Uiagalelei’s pass on a 2-point conversion in double overtime to break up the play. Even in the loss, Turner and the defense made a lot of big plays against a top-five team with some truly exceptional skill players.

“We’re not going to be out of any game,” Turner said after the game. “We’re not going to be out of it mentally. We’re going to be right there in the present moment — we’re going to fight.”

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Ben Conroy
BEN CONROY

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.

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