Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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GAME PREVIEW: WAKE FOREST tied for 82nd nationally. Gone is corner- back Kevin Johnson, who was drafted No. 16 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Houston Texas after allowing only 24 completions all last season according to NFL.com. Junior Brad Watson has helped suc- cessfully take on some of the load — it's on the opposite side of the field where the Deacons have really strug- gled. "Watson is having a tremendous sea- son," Johns said. "Wisconsin transfer Devin Gaulden was on the opposite side, but he was getting burned quite a bit, so the last couple of games they've moved true freshman DeAnte Austin into that spot. "Obviously it's not an ideal matchup for Wake against some of Notre Dame's talented wide receivers to have a true freshman corner out there." In the end, Johns doesn't foresee much suspense playing out in South Bend. This is a contest Notre Dame should be heavily favored in, and the Irish have a lot to fight for in the playoff hunt — es- pecially compared to the Deacons, who are staring down a daunting schedule to end their season. "The remainder of this season can go one of two ways for Wake down the stretch," Johns said. "In order to have a chance at a bowl they probably need to sweep, and if you look at the schedule there's not too many people that can see that. "So the mindset of the team is ques- tionable right now. They've got the extra week to rest, but where are they men- tally after a tough one-point home loss to Louisville in a game many thought they should have won. Do they have what it takes to mentally get up and go to South Bend and compete against one of the nation's top teams? "I'm not sure. I could see Wake hang- ing around for maybe a quarter, and the Irish win by 20 or more. Then again, anything can happen in college football. My gut tells me it will be a long day for Wake, but you just never know." ✦ 2015 WAKE FOREST SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 3 Elon W, 41-3 Sept. 12 at Syracuse L, 30-17 Sept. 19 at Army W, 17-14 Sept. 26 Indiana L, 31-24 Oct. 3 Florida State L, 24-16 Oct. 10 at Boston College W, 3-0 Oct. 17 at North Carolina L, 50-14 Oct. 24 NC State L, 35-17 Oct. 30 Louisville L, 20-19 Nov. 14 at Notre Dame (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 21 at Clemson TBA Nov. 28 Duke TBA 2015 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 5 Texas W, 38-3 Sept. 12 at Virginia W, 34-27 Sept. 19 Georgia Tech W, 30-22 Sept. 26 Massachusetts W, 62-27 Oct. 3 at Clemson L, 24-22 Oct. 10 Navy W, 41-24 Oct. 17 USC W, 41-31 Oct. 31 at Temple W, 24-20 Nov. 7 at Pittsburgh W, 42-30 Nov. 14 Wake Forest (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 21 vs. Boston College (NBCSN)* 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28 at Stanford TBA * Shamrock Series at Fenway Park in Boston