DOTW Vote: Wake at Rice

Wake cruised to a 41-21 win over Rice on Friday. Here are your three nominees for Deac of the Week:

QB Jamie Newman

Newman (last week’s Deac of the Week) followed up an impressive performance against Utah State with another excellent showing at Rice. He completed 78% of his passes, going 21/27 for 312 yards and 3 touchdowns (no interceptions). He added 29 yards on 6 rushes as well (almost 5 yards per carry).

RB Kenneth Walker III

The true freshman saw some action backing up Christian Beal-Smith (with Cade Carney sitting out due to a strain). On the first snap after Justin Strnad forced a Rice turnover on downs, Walker took the ball 96 yards for a touchdown and the longest run in program history. He finished with 9 carries for 125 yards (13.9 ypc), leading all rushers in the game.

WR Scotty Washington

The redshirt senior had a few drops in the opener against Utah State (along with a touchdown). It seems that was enough for him to shake the rust off — the Deacs exploited the mismatch presented by the 6’5” Washington to the tune of 7 catches for 158 yards (22.6 yards per catch) and 2 touchdowns (all game highs).

Honorable Mentions

Justin Strnad (7 tackles, 4 solo, 1.5 TFL, 1 pass defended, and a great read to force the turnover on downs), Traveon Redd (8 tackles, 3 solo, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QB hurry), Boogie Basham Jr. (7 tackles, 2 solo, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 pass defended, 1 QB hurry)