Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1510995
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 18, 2023 33 GAME PREVIEW: WAKE FOREST image and likeness (NIL) money. Clawson told reporters Dec. 6 that if that was the outcome, Hartman had earned it. "If there's some incredible offer for him to go to another school and get life- changing money, how can we fault him for that?" Clawson said. "Sam's been nothing but a stand-up person for us and has performed at a high level and done everything right." Hartman, of course, took his shot with the Fighting Irish. He did it for several factors, including NIL, but one of them was Wake Forest's slow-mesh run-pass option (RPO) offense. Es- sentially, the quarterback puts the ball in the running back's gut — the "mesh point" — and the two of them walk up toward the line of scrimmage while the signal-caller scans the field. Once a read is made, which can take a few seconds, the quarterback can choose to hand off or throw (hence the RPO part, which stands for run-pass option). Often, the targets are deep downfield, which helped Hartman op- erate a prolific Demon Deacons offense and put himself on the national radar. While the slow-mesh RPO system works for Wake Forest, and Notre Dame will have to defend it Nov. 18, NFL evaluators wanted to see Hartman in a pro-style offense like the one run by the Irish. Hartman left behind a Wake Forest team that hasn't gone down quietly. It gave Clemson a scare, losing 17-12 Oct. 7. But, by Clawson's admission, it is not ready to compete with the top dogs of the ACC. That was evident in Week 9, when No. 4 Florida State en- tered Winston-Salem and clobbered the Demon Deacons 41-16. The Seminoles built a 34-7 halftime lead behind 4 total touchdowns from FSU graduate student quarterback Jor- dan Travis. Wake Forest cut it to 10-7 early in the second quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run by junior running back Ke'Shawn Williams, but Florida State pulled away with a 24-0 run. "It's the most complete football team that we've played all season," Wake For- est head coach Dave Clawson said after the game, according to the Associated Press. "They made explosive plays, they were very stout on defense, they're re- ally good in the kicking game. That's kind of where they are right now, and this is where we are right now." Hartman's successor at quarterback is redshirt sophomore Mitch Griffis, who sat behind the Irish signal-caller for three years. He was the assumed starter as soon as Hartman left, having paid his dues behind the veteran and started the 2022 season opener with Hartman injured. Griffis struggled early in the season, though, prompting questions about his job status in late September. Clawson stood by Griffis on his radio show Sept. 27. "Mitch has definitely had some ups and downs, which is not atypical of a new starter," Clawson said. "[Pre-Hart- man starter] John Wolford had some growing pains, [former Wake Forest quarterback] Jamie Newman and Sam Hartman [did as well]. And Mitch is definitely going through some growing pains. "When you're struggling on offense, people are always going to point to the quarterback." Griffis — throwing primarily to for- mer Hartman targets Taylor Morin and Jahmal Banks — has completed 122 of 204 passes for 1,534 yards (7.5 yards per attempt) with 9 touchdowns and 7 in- terceptions through Week 10. In most games, though, the Demon Deacons are competing. With Griffis and backup Michael Kern injured, third- string quarterback Santino Marucci pulled off an improbable comeback against Pittsburgh Oct. 21. Facts & Figures NOTRE DAME VS. WAKE FOREST Date: Nov. 18, 2023 Site: Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET Television/streaming: NBC/Peacock Radio: This game can be heard on Notre Dame IMG affiliates. Series facts: Notre Dame is 4-0 all time against Wake Forest, not including a vacated 38-0 Fighting Irish win in 2012. The first meet- ing between the two programs was in 2011, when Notre Dame won 24-17. The most re- cent one was in 2018, when the Irish beat the Demon Deacons 56-27. Head coaches: Wake Forest — Dave Clawson (63-58, 10th season); Marcus Freeman (16-8, second season). Noting Wake Forest: Smallest Power Five school by student population at 8,950, includ- ing 5,400 undergraduates … Entered Week 10 at No. 102 in the country in offensive scoring with 22.2 points per game … Defense has been better, allowing 24.5 points per game (56th in the Football Bowl Subdivision or FBS). … Fighting to stay bowl eligible for the eighth consecutive season, going back to 2016 … Two players selected in the 2023 NFL Draft: Defensive tackle Kobie Turner (Third round, 89th overall to the Rams) and wide receiver A.T. Perry (Sixth round, 195th overall to the Saints … Tied for 112th in the nation with a turnover margin of -0.62 … Converting only 35.4 percent of third downs, No. 101 in college football … Tied for second-to-last in ACC with 3.4 yards per carry … Defense has been better against the run than the pass, relative to the conference (No. 7 vs. run, No. 11 vs. pass). Hartman has embraced Notre Dame, which in turn has embraced him. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER