Wake Forest Prepared For “Dogfight” Against Army
Following a heartbreaking loss to Clemson, Wake Forest got their season right back on track with a 31-21 victory over Florida State in Tallahassee Saturday afternoon.
“Anytime you get an ACC win on the road, it's great,” center Michael Jurgens said yesterday. “We’ve put so much work into this, and to see how this team bounced back after the Clemson game was definitely a really good feeling.”
With a familiar foe coming to town, the Deacs are hungry to shed the struggles from last year’s chaotic 70-56 game and keep the momentum rolling.
“We’re ready for a dogfight on Saturday,” linebacker Ryan Smenda said. “We're excited to get out there and continue to prove ourselves.”
READ: Wake Forest Football vs Army 2021 Flashback
Leading into their sixth game, the Deacs are beginning to define their season with their unity as a team. Behind a fantastic offensive line performance, the Deacs rushed for 171 yards in Saturday’s win. Defensively, Wake Forest stopped the Seminoles five-straight times, allowing the offense to build a critical lead. The way they came together and played in the face of adversity developed an identity. Now, it’s just time to build upon it.
“Last week, we showed how we can handle defeat,” Jurgens said. “One of the last pieces is proving how we can handle a big win.”
Repeating the team’s success from Tallahassee won’t come easy for Wake Forest; in last year’s win over Army, the defense gave up 595 yards of offense and 56 points. Without a pick-six by Traveon Redd on a trick play, the game likely would’ve come down to the team that ended the game with the ball.
“Coach Clawson had a great line after the game,” Jurgens remembered. “He said, ‘our offense was 14 points better than their offense, and our defense was 14 points better than their defense.’ That's football. Our defense never quit. That play at the end of the game by Treveon Redd won us the game. If we don’t make that, who knows what happens? It's a team sport.”
READ: Dave Clawson Talks Florida State Win, Previews Army
“When I get on the sideline, I’m fully confident in our defense,” Jurgens continued. “I’ve never questioned that they can get a stop or get a turnover when needed.”
Since the close call in West Point last season, things have changed for the Wake Forest defense. While the Deacs have begun to define who they are as a team, the defense is developing a whole new character.
“We understand last year’s [performance] wasn't it,” Smenda said. “Our offense had to put up 70 points. We understand the only reason it was close was because of us.”
With that in mind, the defense is using the previous year’s game as fuel for this one. Having a new defensive coordinator in Brad Lambert has significantly helped in the process of being ready.
“There's a new standard, a new mindset here,” Smenda added. “Coach Lambert set that precedent on Saturday. We’re working together, we’re communicating. Lambert does a really good job of assessing an offense and understanding our skill sets. He puts us in the right positions. We put FSU to bed quickly. I think it's starting to all come together for everybody. And I don’t think we’ve tapped our fullest potential.”
READ: Wake Forest Football - Army Team Overview
Having a defense that is vastly improved from past years is crucial for Wake Forest. The expectation cannot be a repeat of the offensive show that Hartman and Co. put on against the Black Knights. The way Army runs the clock and shortens the game, the defense is going to have to perform too.
“We have to get the ball back to the offense so they can put more points on the scoreboard,” Smenda said. “The offense is only going to get five or six possessions the whole game, so they have to make those count. But, if we can give them one or two more, it would be big for us.”
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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.