Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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40 NOV. 6, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED are very good at run support and can move up when necessary. Corners Essang Bassey and Amari Henderson have also held their own, especially when put on islands throughout the year." Last season, the Wake Forest offense struggled mightily to run the ball ac- cumulating just 479 rushing yards while averaging 1.25 yards per carry. It's been quite the turnaround in 2017, with the Demon Deacons producing 172.0 yards per game on the ground. "The running game in the first year under Dave Clawson is probably the worst rushing offense in Power Five history," Johnston said. "The offen- sive line was woefully under where it needed to be from a strength stand- point, and the running backs were simply unable to get anything going. While the run game still is not where it needs to be, the offensive line is getting there. "Once again the line of scrimmage is where games are won and lost, and the development of talent there has helped a lot. The three-headed running back team of Cade Carney, Matt Col- burn and freshman Arkeem Byrd also boasts more talent than the Deacs have seen in quite some time. A difference of styles and steady rotation keeps the defense on its heels and doesn't allow for familiarity with a running style." Clawson and his offense boast a dual-threat quarterback at the helm in John Wolford. Through the team's first seven games, the senior completed 61.9 percent of his throws for 1,199 yards with 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. Wolford was also the team's leading rusher, carrying the ball 70 times for 327 yards and five scores. "Wolford has been fantastic this season in doing what the coaching staff has asked him to do," Johnston said. "He limits mistakes and knows when to get the ball out of his hands to avoid taking unnecessary sacks. He also doesn't force a lot of throws and that is very important for Wake because it relies heavily on a strong defense and field position. "His throwing strength is evident in his ability to get the ball quickly to deep out routes, but he very rarely at- tacks the middle of the field. It is un- clear whether that is by design or he doesn't feel comfortable doing so. His legs are also an underrated weapon, and he has pretty good top-end speed when he gets out of the pocket." The favorite target for Wolford by far is wide receiver Greg Dortch. The redshirt freshman hauled in 43 catches for 555 yards and five touchdowns in the team's first seven games, while the rest of the offensive playmakers accounted for 75 total catches. "He's a do-everything type guy for the Deacs," Johnston said. "Eventu- ally I think he will get the ball more on the ground as his career develops and he turns into a Nyheim Hines [a versatile NC State running back] type guy. Dortch has been targeted 64 times by Wolford. That is 34 percent of all throws from the QBs this season." For Wake Forest to pull off an up- set win in South Bend, Clawson and the Demon Deacons will try to de- cipher a strong Irish offensive and defensive attack. "These types of balanced teams usu- ally present a big issue for Wake For- est, as the offense tends to struggle against top-tier defenses," Johnston explained. "The Notre Dame defense does a really good job of keeping op- posing offenses off schedule, but also doesn't give up the big play a lot. It does seem to allow some sustained drives that result in less than stellar field positioning, so that could be an opportunity for the Deacs to hit some medium-length plays and use a tempo offense to produce some points. "If Wake is going to have a chance to win this game it will need to force pressure that will lead to sacks and/ or turnovers out of Brandon Wim- bush. Notre Dame has the nation's best rushing attack behind Josh Ad- ams, according to S&P, while Wake ranks 55th defending the run. This makes the passing downs critical for a defense that likes to be aggressive." ✦ GAME PREVIEW: WAKE FOREST 2017 WAKE FOREST SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Aug. 31 Presbyterian W, 51-7 Sept. 9 at Boston College W, 34-10 Sept. 16 Utah State W, 46-10 Sept. 23 at Appalachian State W, 20-19 Sept. 30 Florida State L, 26-19 Oct. 7 at Clemson L, 28-14 Oct. 21 at Georgia Tech L, 38-24 Oct. 28 Louisville W, 42-32 Nov. 4 at Notre Dame (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at Syracuse TBA Nov. 18 North Carolina State TBA Nov. 25 Duke TBA Senior quarterback John Wolford will try to use his arm and legs to navigate former Wake Forest coordinator Mike Elko's Irish defense. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA 2017 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 2 Temple W, 49-16 Sept. 9 Georgia L, 20-19 Sept. 16 at Boston College W, 49-20 Sept. 23 at Michigan State W, 38-18 Sept. 30 Miami (Ohio) W, 52-17 Oct. 7 North Carolina W, 33-10 Oct. 21 USC W, 49-14 Oct. 28 North Carolina State W, 35-14 Nov. 4 Wake Forest (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at Miami (Fla.) TBA Nov. 18 Navy (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 25 at Stanford TBA