Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson on Louisville
Last year, right around this time, Wake Forest faced a similar test to the one they have on Saturday. The Deacs were 8-0 and ranked No. 10 in the nation with a chance to rise even higher against North Carolina. By the third quarter, Wake had an 18-point advantage on the Heels. Then, they blew the lead and lost the game. This year, head coach Dave Clawson is intent on not letting history repeat itself in Louisville.
“We've been in this position,” he said. “You can never ever relax. It takes so much work to just be in this position, to get to November and play in big games and be nationally ranked. When you play a talented football team — which these guys always are — you make those mistakes, you're gonna get beat.”
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The Cardinals’ talent begins with dynamic quarterback Malik Cunningham. The redshirt senior has thrown for over 1,000 yards and five touchdowns. His real threat, though, is on the ground; Cunningham leads the team with over 500 rushing yards and nine scores.
“He is one of the most gifted, talented players in the league,” Clawson said. “He has really improved reading plays and his accuracy on throws. When he sets his feet and is able to get through a progression, this guy puts the ball on the money. Every single year he has gotten better.”
With Cunningham’s improved throwing ability, the defense must further focus on their pass coverage. If they get too locked in on that, though, the Deacs could leave themselves vulnerable in other areas.
“The plays that scare you the most is when you cover people and you give him any type of seam,” Clawson said. “He's a very smart football player.”
Defensively, the Cardinals are allowing 20 points per game. That, along with a rowdy crowd that could fill their stadium’s 60,000-seat capacity, will create a tough environment for Wake Forest’s offense.
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“It starts with those two defensive ends — [Yaya] Diabi and [Yasir] Abdullah. Those guys are both all ACC caliber players. If you watch the Pitt game, those two really took over. They’re extremely disruptive. [Louisville is] always a hard place to play. They get great crowd support up there. The people up there really love their Cardinals.”
This week, Clawson wants to ensure that his team is prepared for Louisville.
“With our football program, I just wanted to have a good Tuesday practice,” Clawson said. “If we can do that, that gives us a better chance to win on Saturday. We'll find out Saturday if we’re [prepared]. These guys have been here for a while and they're older. They have learned the hard way what having any type of mental lapse will do.”
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Leading into Saturday, Wake Forest has earned their success from the beginning of the season. Now, the key is to keep that momentum rolling.
“When you're not handed something and you truly have to work for it — and you've truly earned it — you probably appreciate the success more,” Clawson said. “We’ve really worked hard to be in this position. It wasn’t handed to us. We don’t want to lose it.”
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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.