DOTW Vote: Wake at Tulane

A win is a win, and while it wasn’t pretty, it sure was a win. The Deacs escaped New Orleans with a 23-17 win in overtime over Tulane to start the season 1-0. We’re bringing back a series from last year: each week I’ll nominate three(ish) players who stood out in that week’s game for your votes on Deac of the Week. My nominating process won’t be very scientific, so feel free to sound off in the comments if I missed someone. Without further ado, here is this year’s first slate of nominees for Deac of the Week:

WR Alex Bachman

Alex Bachman is Wake’s only senior in the receiving corps, and he was a reliable redzone target for the true freshman QB. Bachman hauled in both of the Deacs’ touchdown passes, part of his 5 catch, 62 yard performance.

WR Greg Dortch

Wake football fans were thrilled to see Greg Dortch back on the field for the Deacs, after missing the last five games in 2017 due to a scary injury suffered during his 4 touchdown performance against Louisville. The good news for Wake: Dortch doesn’t seem to have lost a step. He caught a team high 12 passes for 149 yards, and showed his quickness on a few returns as well.

WR Sage Surratt

Redshirt freshman Sage Surratt was a revelation in his debut for the Deacs. He caught 11 passes for a team high 150 yards, including a one-handed sideline grab that was probably the play of the game. It took Surratt less than a quarter to break Wake’s all-time record for most catches by a freshman in his first game (which was 5).

QB Sam Hartman

With presumed starter Kendall Hinton suspended for the first three games of the season, and Jamie Newman straining his quad late in the offseason, true freshman Sam Hartman was named the Week 1 starter at Tulane. Hartman made a few freshman mistakes, but put on an impressive overall performance as Tulane dared him to throw again and again. Hartman ended the night 31/51 for 378 yards, 2 TDs, and 2 INTs. He was also Wake’s leading rusher, with 64 yards on 13 carries. His 378 yards passing was 10th highest in school history, and his 442 yards from scrimmage ranked 9th all-time.

Honorable Mentions

Cade Carney, Essang Bassey, Ja’Sir Taylor, Chris Calhoun, Justin Strnad

Vote below, and let us know in the comments who got your vote and/or who else impressed! We’ll look to announce the winner mid-week each week, with some additional highlight clips.