Game Five: Wake Forest Preview
July 14, 2014 | Football
July 14, 2014
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
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2013 record: 4-8 overall, 2-6 ACC
Returning starters: Offense - Three (LG Tyler Hayworth, C Cory Helms, RT Dylan Intemann) Defense - Five (LB Brandon Chubb, LB Hunter Williams, CB Kevin Johnson, CB Merrill Noel, S Ryan Janvion)
Returning lettermen: Key players: Ryan Janvion, S: Janvion led the Demon Deacons in tackles as a redshirt freshman in 2013, with a total of 95, earning him an honorable mention All-ACC nod.
Brandon Chubb, LB: Chubb was the Deacon's second-leading tackler last season, totaling 88 stops in his 12 starts. Chubb, a rising junior, also registered an interception, which he returned 29 yards for a touchdown in the team's season-opening win over Presbyterian.
Kevin Johnson, CB: Now entering his senior season, Johnson has been one of the most productive Deacon defensive players in his two seasons as a starter. He led his tied-for-team-best three interceptions with 58 tackles in 2013.
Overall outlook: The 2014 season will be one of new faces for the Wake Forest football program. After 13 seasons and five bowl appearances, the school has parted ways with former head coach Jim Grobe, and has hired Dave Clawson to head the program moving forward. Before accepting the job in Winston-Salem, Clawson served as head coach at Bowling Green from 2009-13, and before that as offensive coordinator at Tennessee. Clawson, who led Bowling Green to a Mid-American Conference title last season, has a career record of 90-80.
The coaching staff will not be the only area in which the team will be experiencing overhaul in 2014, though. Wake returns just eight starters from last season's 4-8 squad. The losses hurt them most on offense, where quarterback Tanner Price (2,233 yards passing, 18 total touchdowns), running back Joshua Harris (470 yards, four touchdowns), and receiver Michael Campanaro (67 receptions, 803 yards, six touchdowns) have each departed. As usual, a tough trek through the ACC Atlantic division lies before the Deacons. A schedule that includes their annual meetings with divisional foes Florida State, Clemson, and newcomer Louisville, also pits them against Virginia Tech and Duke in cross-divisional November meetings.
Offense: Dawson's first job as new head coach will be retooling and reshaping the Deacon offense. Returning just three starters from last season, and having lost the team's leading passer, rusher, and receiver, Dawson has quite the task in front of him.
At quarterback, the Deacons lose four-year starter Tanner Price, who accounted for a huge chunk of Wake's offense a season ago. In addition to his 2,233 passing yards, Price's 240 rushing yards were enough to rank him second on the team, and his 18 total touchdowns were the team's best (no other player scored more than six times). As for who will be the team's starter come fall, the Deacons return just two passers with game experience- sophomore Tyler Cameron (24 pass attempts in 2013) and senior Patrick Thompson (six attempts). Junior Kevin Sousa, who sat out last season, saw a high number of reps through spring practice and could be a challenger to the returnees.
In the backfield, the team loses leading rusher Josh Harris (125 carries, 470 yards, four touchdowns), making the area difficult to forecast. Dominique Gibson, a converted defensive back, is the only returning running back with significant experience, having carried 53 times for 138 yards in 2013. Behind Gibson is senior Orville Reynolds (nine carries in 2013), junior James Ward (sat out last season) a redshirt freshman, and two true freshmen. The Deacons suffer a big loss in their receiving corps as well, with the departure of Michael Campanaro, Wake's all-time leading receiver. The team is not short on depth, however, as seven players who caught a pass last season return. Sophomore Tyree Harris, who caught 23 passes for 225 yards, is the team's leading returning receiver, while Jonathan Williams (17 receptions, 221 yards) and Jared Crump (16 receptions, 176 yards) also bring experienced depth. E.J. Scott, a graduate transfer from Virginia could offer production as well. As a junior with the Cavaliers in 2012, Scott caught 29 passes and scored three times. The offensive line struggled in 2013, as the Deacon's averaged just 94.1 rushing yards per game (No. 116 in the country), but could see improvement in 2014 with the return of three starters. Sophomores Corey Helms (center) and Tyler Hayworth (left guard), join junior Dylan Intemann (right tackle) as returnees to the Wake Forest offensive front.
Defense: Despite their offensive woes, the Wake Forest defense preformed quite well in 2013. Their scoring, rushing, and total defense outputs were all good enough for top-40 finishes nationally, and several players were named All-ACC. But with five starters returning, the defense has plenty of replacements to make. Possibly the biggest loss is along the defensive line, where no starters return and four-year starter Nikita Whitlock departs from his nose tackle spot. Upperclassmen Desmond Floyd, a junior, and Zachary Allen, a senior, will start opposite each other at the defensive end slots. Josh Banks (sophomore) and Johnny Garcia (senior) will likely fill the tackle spots inside, as the Deacons switch from a 3-4 scheme to a 4-3. Brandon Chubb heads the linebacking corps. Chubb's 88 tackles finished second on the team in 2013. Hunter Williams started as an outside linebacker last season, racking up 39 tackles and a sack. Sophomore Marquel Lee played sparingly last season, but the 6-3, 215-pounder made waves this spring. Three of four starters return in the Deacon secondary, making it one of the team's stronger units. Seniors Kevin Johnson and Merrill Noel hold the corner spots. The duo combined to make 111 tackles and force ten turnovers last season. All-ACC safety Ryan Janvion returns for his redshirt sophomore season having led the team in tackles a season ago. Once a starter at Air Force before transferring, senior Anthony Wooding will likely be the starter at strong safety.
