Wake HC Dave Clawson discusses upcoming game against Boston College
Coming off a 45-10 win over Army, No. 13 Wake Forest took advantage of something they usually have the week before they play the Black Knights — a well-earned bye.
“It's funny, I've always wanted the bye week before the Army game,” head coach Dave Clawson said in today’s press conference. “After last year, I'm almost glad we got the bye week after the game. When you come out of the Army game, you're never healthy. We had more [players] miss games to injury after [that] week than any other.”
With the break from action coinciding with the school’s fall break, the Deacs were able to spend some time away from the practice field. While the break was a good time for the team to rest, Wake Forest must now knock off the rust.
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“I felt like the last three weeks, we've played really good football,” Clawson said. “You don't necessarily want the break [then], but I think it was good. Our guys were [also] able to get out of here for a couple of days and see family. You need that break, and I think mentally they're all in a much better place because they got it.”
The Deacs now turn to Boston College, a team they defeated 41-10 last season to secure the Atlantic Division Championship. However, the team understands this is a different BC squad than they faced a year ago.
“We caught them at a good time last year,” Clawson said. “A year ago, half their team had the flu. Quarterback [Phil Jurkovec] had the flu, and he was gutsy just to play. We didn't get the best version of him a year ago; he was also coming off that hand injury. He’s getting much closer to full strength. He’s a different quarterback now.”
Despite their 2-4 record, which includes 30 and 28-point losses to Florida State and Clemson, the Eagles have weapons that can challenge Wake Forest on defense.
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“The collection of offensive skill they have is one of the very top in the ACC,” Clawson said. “[Wide receiver] Zay Flowers might be as good of a skill player will play all year. He could start for anybody in the country. They’ve got a big tight end transfer from Notre Dame that’s 6’6”, 250 pounds. [Pat] Garwo is a really good tailback.”
Specifically with how they structure their receiving game, Boston College can cause some trouble for the Deacons’ secondary.
“You have these three really good receivers, and when they're in 11 personnel [one RB and one TE], they have a tight end who can line up as a receiver and is an excellent pass catcher,” Clawson said. “It presents matchup issues. You can't double everybody, so they can beat you up.”
Defensively, the Eagles also present a challenge with their single safety coverage, something Wake Forest normally doesn’t see.
“We've had a little more time to get ready for it, which helps, but it's a challenge,” Clawson said. “They're in their third year with it and really know what they're doing. They play multiple coverages. The blitz package is very complementary to their base looks. What you see isn't always what you get. They're very good at disguise.”
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With Wake ranked in the Top 15 in the country and currently projected to make their first New Year’s Six Bowl since 2006, they can’t afford to get complacent against Boston College.
“We were projected all this in 2019,” Clawson said. “Then, we didn’t finish strong. The reason we've been successful [over the past two seasons] is those guys have worked so hard to practice and get prepared. We've been a prepared football team on Saturdays because of their mindset and their focus. None of that can change. The only way to get where they want to go is to go 1-0. All that other stuff takes care of itself.”
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Essex is the lead football writer and a managing editor for Deacons Daily. Essex served as the Sports Editor for the Old Gold & Black for two years, in addition to roles as a beat and feature writer.