Wake Forest tight end Blake Whiteheart: “It’s important that we finish strong”
Over the course of their three-game losing streak, the Wake Forest offense has failed to start fast. In the loss vs Louisville, the Deacs did not score until their third drive. Against NC State, a touchdown didn’t come until their fourth. Last week, Wake Forest allowed North Carolina to jump out to a 14-0 lead after squandering their first two drives.
“We definitely know where we’re failing at,” tight end Blake Whiteheart said. “[The] last three weeks, we were spotting teams points before we even woke up on both sides of the ball. The emphasis this week is trusting that same process that … [we’re] ready to play at the first snap on both sides of the ball. We have to jump on guys fast.”
Throughout the week, head coach Dave Clawson has drilled that mindset into his team. According to Whiteheart, steps have been taken on the practice field to get Wake Forest in the zone.
READ: Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson on end of season, living up to a new standard
At the end of the day, Whiteheart sees a clear answer to getting Wake Forest back on track — getting the job done on the field.
“Execution is what it comes down to,” Whiteheart said. “We know that we have a really good team, and we have really good players. When we don't execute at the level we're capable of, we're disappointed in ourselves.”
“I feel like once we start playing — get into the second quarter and the second half — we start executing better and playing better,” Whiteheart continued. “It was in our nature last year and the beginning of this year that we jumped out on teams. We showed up ready to play at the very beginning.”
For Whiteheart, the goal is to return to that style of play Wake Forest once had. Despite just two regular season games remaining on the schedule, Whiteheart believes it can happen based on what he’s seen from the team.
READ: Syracuse head coach Dino Babers on season, upcoming game against Wake Forest
“We have to get back to that,” he said. “I thought practice this morning was great. Our guys had energy. No heads down or feeling bad for ourselves. We're full speed ahead. That's what I expect out of our team, because we have guys who have great character.”
Turning the tide of the season is especially important to players like Whiteheart. Saturday will be his final game at Truist Field.
“I just try not to have that thought,” Whiteheart said of the realization that this was his final home game. “Coach saying, ‘this is our last home game, and we should sell out for these seniors.’ I'm like, oh wait, that's me. It's definitely a weird feeling, and definitely flew by. The last three, four years, I was selling out for the seniors ahead of me. Being that old dude in the room [now], it feels weird.”
Whiteheart has spent a lot of time reflecting on the little moments from his career.
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“Before it was winning games,” he said. “Now, it's just the process of waking up. I love what I do. That's something I feel few people can say in their lives, [that] they love every aspect of what they do. [I] love waking up early and going to meetings and practice. These are things that I enjoy every single day. I'm just so grateful that I'm able to have the opportunity to do them.”
With that final home game on the horizon, Whiteheart has enjoyed looking back on how far he and the program have come. It’s important to him that the seniors leave it better than they found it.
“We want to leave a good legacy here and be proud of what we accomplished,” Whiteheart said. “It's important that we finish strong. There's no reason to hold anything back. If we sell out, you know, we'll have no regrets for our time after here.”
Kick off for Senior Day between Wake Forest and Syracuse is set for 8 ET.
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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.