Engaging the Enemy: Wake Forest

With Tulane coach Willie Fritz set to make his debut on Thursday at Wake Forest, DeaconsIllustrated.com publisher Mike Singer answered five questions about the Demon Deacons, who are coming off back-to-back 3-9 years and 1-7 finishes in the Atlantic Coast Conference under coach Dave Clawson.

Wave Report: With 16 starters returning, do you expect Wake Forest to contend for a bowl game?

Singer: Yes, 6-6 is arguably the most likely prediction for Wake, although there are of course question marks that could lower or raise the win total. Many people close to the program think a bowl is likely this season for a few reasons. First, the schedule is much more manageable this season, swapping a road game at Notre Dame for a home game against Tulane, and getting some of their best match ups (Syracuse, UVa, BC) at home. Second, although still one of the youngest teams in the country, Wake has a lot more starting experience in their lineup than a year ago. On the offensive line, for example, where Wake is still starting three sophomores, they return every starter from a year ago and they now all have starting experience, which was not the case with 3/5 of the line last year. There are a lot of returning starters, and a lot of positions have been upgraded by younger guys recruited by Clawson.

WR: What can we expect from the two quarterbacks who will play (John Wolford will start, Kendall Hinton will get time, too)? After struggling to score the past two years, what does Wake need to do to develop a decent offense? What type of offense does it run?

Singer: The key to the offense will be the play of the OL. This unit was historically bad in 2014, mostly a product of simply not having FBS quality players. They improved last season, but still were one of the worst in the nation. This season, they are expected to make bigger strides since every lineman is returning. In fall camp, the offensive line finished strong, turning in what Clawson called their best performance he's seen against their first team defense since he's been at Wake. If they can hold up, Wake has a good shot of being a quality team.

At quarterback expect John Wolford to play and see the majority of the snaps. He is a more accurate passer and is deceptively fast, enough to make big plays with his legs. Kendall Hinton has a higher ceiling, though, and needs to play. Nobody except for the coaching staff really knows how they will use both during the course of a game. They should, however, be helped by the fact that Wake's skill positions are more talented and deeper than at any point in the last six years. Cade Carney, a true freshman running back, leads a stable of four backs (Carney, Matt Colburn, Rocky Reid, Tyler Bell) that can all play and be a threat in the running game.

At tight end, Wake's Cam Serigne is one of the best in the nation as evidenced by his great stats and place on the John Mackey preseason watch list. And at wideout, there are a number of guys who can make the big play. Cortez Lewis was the leader of the pack last year along with slot receiver Tabari Hines, and they had good freshmen campaigns. Watch out for redshirt freshman Steven Claude who is the best deep threat Wake has had since Chris Givens (now with the Philadelphia Eagles). The offense is a shotgun spread option.

WR: In Contrast, the Wake defense was pretty good last year. Who are the best players on defense, and what are the potential weaknesses?

Singer: The defense lost its best player last year in Brandon Chubb (featured on this past week's episode of HBO's Hard Knocks), but returns many of the players from last year's unit, which was one of the best in the ACC. Wake has struggled to get much of a pass rush the last couple of seasons, but the Deacs are hoping that will change this year. Duke Ejiofor has emerged as one of the best edge rushers in the country, and youngsters like Chris Calhoun and Paris Black are trending up. Josh Banks, defensive tackle, has the talent to play on Sundays, but he hasn't shown a consistent motor.

The linebackers are led by Marquel Lee, a physically imposing player who also has aspirations of playing in the NFL. The secondary is probably the biggest question mark at this point. Ryan Janvion, who was hampered by an injury last season, returns for his senior year and will try to provide some on field mentorship for newcomer Jessie Bates. The safeties had a poor year preventing big plays, both through the air and on the ground, and are hoping that a healthy Janvion and a more athletic safety in Bates, can turn the tide. At cornerback, Brad Watson is one of the best in the conference and will be paired with a youngster, either Dionte Austin, Amari Henderson, or true freshman Essang Bassey. All in all, it appears to be another formidable Demon Deacon defense.

WR: How much excitement is there for the beginning of football season there? What type of crowd do you anticipate for the Tulane game?

Singer: There always seems to be excitement at the beginning of the season, it's more a matter of how long will it stay that way? With back-to-back 3-9 seasons, it's understandable that enthusiasm has waned. In Dave Clawson's third season, it's important that the squad take a significant leap forward.

As far as the crowd goes, there are a few things to keep in mind. For starters, Wake is a small private liberal arts school whose undergrad enrollment is about 3,300 less than Tulane. Also, BB&T Field has a max capacity of 31,500. That fact alone makes it difficult to build a frenzied game day atmosphere like conference foes Florida State or Clemson. But, the Wake Forest AD has done a lot of good things the last few years to enhance the game day experience. For starters, the Deacon Tower is one of the nicest suites/press boxes around. They have also introduced some things like a party deck in the student section. The biggest news this offseason is that they will now serve beer and wine at BB&T Field. Quite a bold step for a former Baptist university.

WR: What is your score prediction and why?

Singer: Vegas is saying Wake by 17 at this point, so I'll stay in that ballpark. Wake 31, Tulane 17.