Cavalier Corner Digital

111412 - Wake Forest Preview

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/93567

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 4 of 21

✦ ON PAPER BY DAN MURPHY WAKE FOREST RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Wake Forest's Josh Harris has the tools to be an elite level running back, but has yet to show the consistency needed on the field. The redshirt junior has a team-high 607 yards. Injuries and graduation decimated the Demon Dea- cons' offensive line at the start of the season, which put a damper on Harris' chance for a breakout year. The team ranks 111th in the country in rushing offense (102.7 yards per game) and had only 44 rushing attempts in its last two games combined. Notre Dame's front seven showed its first leaks of the strength on defense. Redshirt sophomore Kevin Johnson broke up a team-high 11 passes in his first 10 games to go along with three interceptions. Still, opposing teams have found a way to pass for an average of 260.9 yards per game against a defensive backfield full of capable athletes. Advantage: Wake Forest year in its most recent home game. Pittsburgh senior Ray Graham ran for 172 yards and a touchdown to push the Irish to the brink of defeat. Despite Graham's big day, the strength of Notre Dame's team is that it ranks sixth in the country in stopping the run (95.9 yards allowed per game). Advantage: Notre Dame WAKE FOREST PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE Junior Tanner Price is in his third year as the Demon Deacons' starting quarterback. He has done a good job of protecting the football since his first games as a true fresh- man. He has 39 career touchdown passes compared to 20 interceptions. Redshirt junior wide receiver Michael Campanaro missed cessful formula on special teams in its three years in South Bend. The punt return team ranks 116th in the nation with an average of 2.21 yards on the rare occasions that fresh- man Davonte' Neal has attempted a return. Wake Forest has not been stellar in the third phase either SPECIAL TEAMS Notre Dame's coaching staff has yet to figure out a suc- this season. The Demon Deacons have attempted only nine field goals and made just five of them. Advantage: Even two games early in the year with a broken hand and has been less that 100 percent for much of the season. He led his team, nonetheless, with 65 receptions for 604 yards and six scores through nine games. He had an ACC-record 16 catches in a 28-14 win over Boston College Nov. 3. Notre Dame's secondary can't stack up in the experience column to Wake Forest, but that hasn't been a problem for them this year. Campanaro averaged 7.7 yards per catch in that record-setting win over the Eagles. The Irish will he happy to hold him to that number on Saturday. Advantage: Notre Dame little extra shove the team needed in the running game. Golson ran for 230 yards in a four-game stretch that started with the overtime win against Stanford and ended with a one-yard touchdown run in triple overtime against Pitts- burgh. He had a career-high 74 yards in the Pitt game. When added to the trio of talented running backs Notre Dame has in the backfield, Golson creates a lot of options to find the holes in opposing defenses. The Demon Dea- cons have six players on defense with at least 50 tackles. NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. WAKE FOREST RUN DEFENSE Sophomore quarterback Everett Golson has been the Redshirt junior outside linebacker Justin Jackson leads the Demon Deacons with 75 total stops, 8.5 tackles for loss and four sacks through 10 games. PHOTO COURTESY WAKE FOREST Redshirt junior outside linebacker Justin Jackson is first among that group with 75 tackles, including 8.5 for loss and four sacks. Wake Forest's downfall has come against teams that run the ball well, giving up 385 yards in a loss to Florida State, for example, and 429 yards to Army the following week. Advantage: Notre Dame for Notre Dame in wins against Oklahoma and Pittsburgh, but will miss the next two weeks with a broken collarbone. Junior wideout TJ Jones (34 for 422 yards and three TD), NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. WAKE FOREST PASS DEFENSE Sophomore DaVaris Daniels emerged as a regular target senior tight end Tyler Eifert (34 for 470 yards and three TD) and senior running back Theo Riddick (29 for 273 yards and one TD) still provide a balanced corps of weapons for Golson. Sophomore cornerback Merrill Noel is one of the top defensive backs in the ACC this season, giving Wake Forest a shutdown defender on one half of the field. The second- ary in general was supposed to be the Demon Deacons' ✦ PAGE 5 COACHING Jim Grobe, now in his 12th year as the Demon Deacons' head coach, consistently manages to put together a team that outperforms its athletic bounds. He is, however, in jeopardy of posting his fourth straight losing season in Winston-Salem, N.C., which would be the longest drought of his career there. Brian Kelly's most impressive feat as Notre Dame head coach so far has been getting his team to believe they will win in close games. He and an upbeat group of assistants helped pull Notre Dame through a number of close calls in its 10-0 start. Advantage: Notre Dame burgh. The Irish have won their five homes games so far this season by an average margin of 4.6 points and none by more than a touchdown against lesser competition. Senior Day will bring even more distractions than normal INTANGIBLES Notre Dame's woes at home continued against Pitts- for a group of veterans that have played a major role in turning around the Irish program. Emotions could lead to a slow start and give Wake Forest a chance to build its confidence. Advantage: Wake Forest PREDICTIONS Lou Somogyi: Notre Dame 30, Wake Forest 0 Jason Sapp: Notre Dame 34, Wake Forest 10 Wes Morgan: Notre Dame 38, Wake Forest 17 Dan Murphy: Notre Dame 28, Wake Forest 13

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Cavalier Corner Digital - 111412 - Wake Forest Preview