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Last week, the staff all predicted that Wake Forest would defeat Presbyterian, let's see what this week holds.
Thoughts on last week:
John- With PC putting 9 in the box, it was pretty obvious that Wake Forest could pass with impunity and win 49-7. Especially since the wraps came off of one Jonathan Williams, a redshirt freshman speedster who apparently can flat go get the ball. Trouble is, a passing exhibition for a fancy final score wouldn't do the Deacs or their new ground attack any good. Nine in the box, ten in the box, the Deacs simply had to run. And run again. And then run some more, if you were quarterback Tanner Price. It wasn't the Oregon Duck offense, but I'd refrain from panicking just yet.
Bart-I thought last week was discouraging (see my article for more thoughts) but all in all were 1-0 so it doesn't really matter. We need to get the offense on track and help the defense out.
Samurai- Well, we kind of already went over this in my Samurai Snippets for the week, but I think most of my thoughts can be summed up in just four words. Defense yay, offense boo. Of course, like I said, Tanner was pretty great when he was just asked to, you know, throw the football in the pocket. In light of this, I expect 95% of drives to be dominated by option runs, of course.
Rob- Outside of a 66 yard run on Presbyterian's first play from scrimmage, the Deacs held Presbyterian to less than 90 yards of total offense. The defense also forced six turnovers and allowed a mere two first downs all evening. The offense is clearly a work in progress, but I won't judge them to critically from what I saw them do against an FCS team. I really don't know how much we were trying to show. I will say that have probably found our second wideout in Jonathan Williams. He was a monster with 143 receiving yards and could be a huge (unexpected by me) bonus for us this season.
Riley- I think most fans would agree that the offense was awesome and the defense and the defense was horrible...wait that isn't right. I'm happy that Jonathan Williams had a breakout game and emerged as a deep threat. If he can complement Camp this season it would make for a nice tandem to defend. The running game has to get better. I don't care how many guys Presbyterian was putting in the box, 3.5 YPC is just awful.
Views on the game tonight with predictions:
John- To parrot coach Grobe and Nikita Whitlock, Boston College will be what they always are: big and physical. Even when they are bad, they present loads of problems due to the sheer size of their offensive and defensive fronts. The Demon Deacon defense now has something it's been lacking over the past couple of seasons, namely depth. I would be surprised if Wake Forest can't stop the Eagle passing attack, especially if they lock down Alex Amidon. If the Deacs can get to quarterback Chase Rettig, it could be a good day for the Deacs.
I'll admit that I swooned while talking to new coach Steve Addazio at the ACC Kickoff, so his mere presence makes me believe that Boston College is miles better than they probably are. However, we will see the debut of Michael Campanaro and if the D can create 2 turnovers Wake Forest will win, 20-17.
Bart- I think the defense comes up big this week in the ACC opener and Wake sneaks away with a 21-17 win. Look for Tanner to be the game MVP and Wake to have a substantial advantage as far as time of possession goes.
Samurai- I want to laugh at the fact that BC had some trouble with Villanova, but Nova is a top 5 FCS squad, which frankly probably puts them on par with some FBS squads, and maybe better than some (App State in The Big House, anyone?) That said, I hardly think we're worse than Villanova, and frankly BC got all they could handle at times from the Wildcats. I do think that it will be a close game, but if the defense shows up like last week and/or the offense improves, BC could be in some major trouble. If we can snag turnovers and let Tanner throw the football more while limiting big plays like last week, I think Wake could win big.
My heart tells me Wake wins big, but my head is less sure. I'm going to guess 24-14 Deacs when a late TD drive seals it for Wake, though I certainly hope it's not that close.
Rob- Our defense continues shine and prove they are one of the better defenses in the country. Camp comes back healthy and helps us move the chains against BC's defense which struggled mightily to defend him last season. I believe Lobo will call a good game and that the option/misdirection could be very effective against this defense which doesn't always seem to know where the ball is (http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Riley- I like the Deacs in this one, but the lack of a good offense scares me tremendously. I think the defense has a chance to be one of the best in school history if they get some help staying off of the field. It will be very interesting to see how the D plays against a team in the FBS, so that will be exciting. If Wake can put together a good game plan and protect the ball then I think the defense will enough to get the win. I'll take Wake 17-10. Look for Josh Harris to have a big day running the ball. I don't know why, but I think he wil.
What does the #TheRivalry mean to you?
John- I believe it was the late Bear Bryant who lamented in the book, "The Junction Boys" how, if he had it to over again, he would have taken the Wake Forest job so he could beat the snot out of Boston College. I understand it's a sore spot in the Bryant family legacy how Dad never could coach in a top-tier football rivalry.
Bart- To me #therivalry means that I can put my kids to bed at night knowing they won't grow up to be Boston College fans.
Samurai- You hear about your Alabama/Auburn, your Michigan/Ohio State, your Cal/Stanford, but I say they all pale in comparison to #TheRivalry. Hell, I remember one time the game was even for something called the Atlantic Division Championship! That sounds super important! How many big rivalry games can say they've ever been for something like that? Yeah, that's what I thought.
Rob- #TheRivalry all started with a game of Bingo (http://assets.sbnation.com/
Riley- To quote the honorable Kanye West "it's what y'all been waiting for a'int it"? The "it" obviously referencing the pot of gold we have all struck as fans and media members in the Wake Forest vs. Boston College rivalry. This rivalry goes back tens of days and is as deeply entrenched in the lore of both colleges as the college diploma itself. Fans at The Heights tonight will get to see Chapter 1 of a book so great that J.K Rowling would swoon. The time is now folks, and it's time to either get busy livin' or get busy dyin' with #TheRivalry. Go Deacs.