GAME OVERVIEW
The three keys to the win were 1) EXPLOSIVE PLAYS - Wake had six to Duke’s three, 2) TURNOVERS - Wake forced 3 compared with 2 for Duke with one of Duke’s turnovers being completely inconsequential given that it came on 4th down, and 3) FIELD GOAL ACCURACY - Wake made their attempt while Duke missed two.
Those three factors helped Wake get the win despite managing just 13 first downs (compared to Duke’s 21) and converting only 6 of 17 third down attempts.
OFFENSE - STATS
Total Yards: 389 (compared to 175 against Tulane)
Explosive (20+ yard) Plays: 6
# of Drives > 40 Yards: 4
% of RB carries 3 yards or greater: 59% (compared to 44% against Tulane)
DEFENSE - STATS
Total Yards Against: 369
Explosive Plays Against: 3
# of Drives > 40 Yards Against: 5
Disruptive Plays by the DL: 8.5 (including 6 from Duke Ejiofor)
Turnovers Forced: 3
SPECIAL TEAMS – STATS
“Special” Plays: 0
% of Kickoff Returns 25 yards or more: 0 for 1
WAKE’S EXPLOSIVE PLAYS (6 plays produced 61% of total offense)
23 yard pass completion from Kendall Hinton to Cam Serigne (1Q)
32 yard run by Kendall Hinton (part of Wake’s 2Q TD drive that tied the game 7-7)
37 yard pass completion from Kendall Hinton to Cortez Lewis (part of Wake’s 2Q TD drive that tied the game 7-7)
55 yard run by Cade Carney (4Q TD that gave Wake a 21-14 lead)
29 yard run by Matt Colburn (4Q)
62 yard pass completion from Kendall Hinton to Alex Bachman (4Q drive that led to the FG that made the score 24-14)
OFFENSE OVERVIEW
On this day, Wake would find success with a 75/25 run-pass mix. Ironically, Wake’s bread and butter play was the read option that had become so widely disdained by the fanbase. It’s worth noting that Hinton and Carney/Colburn are executing it much better than we saw anytime last year.
Wake struggled again to connect with the outside WRs, completing just 2 of 7 targets. But oh what a difference it made to connect on those two passes (the explosive plays by Cortez Lewis and Alex Bachman).
In addition to the two explosive plays, it’s worth noting that Wake’s RB contributed seven other runs of 6 yards or more.
The concern going forward is whether Wake’s offense is too one dimensional. The two long pass plays will help alleviate that concern (somewhat). To get to six wins, Wake will need to show that they can do more things consistently well, especially in the passing game. More playmakers will need to step up. I think that they will.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Those who have been begging to see our OL open up some holes and push some DLs off the line of scrimmage were likely pleased to see some of that in this game.
Ty Hayworth’s blocking played a key role in both the 32 yard run by Hinton and the 55 yard TD run by Carney. Carney’s long TD run also benefited from solid run blocks from Phil Haynes, Ryan Anderson and Cam Serigne. Interestingly, Hayworth was a pulling guard on the long runs from both Carney and Colburn. Colburn’s long run found a hole between Josh Harris and Phil Haynes. Haynes absolutely destroyed the Duke DL on that play.
It’s a small sample size, but Jake Benzinger seemed to do OK after he replaced the injured Justin Herron (knee). Also worth noting that Cam Serigne seems to be blocking more effectively so far this season.
I counted only 5 obvious individual breakdowns:
Ryan Anderson (2) – Conceded 1Q pass pressure, 3Q false start penalty
Justin Herron (3) – 1Q holding penalty, 1Q knocked to the ground on a 3rd down pass play, 2Q unable to pick up DB who blitzed from very wide (admittedly a tougher looking play for an OT) and ended up stripping the ball from Wolford
Through 2 games, I haven’t noted any obvious individual breakdowns from our three starting interior linemen.
DEFENSE – THREE STARS OF THE GAME
#1 STAR – DUKE EJIOFOR – It would be hard to understate the impact that he had on the game. He packed the stat sheet. 4 tackles for loss, including 3 sacks. 2 forced fumbles. 2 QB hurries. But none of that really does his performance justice. He impacted a number of other plays. Also remind yourself that he is still slowed by a muscle injury. Both turnovers that he forced had significant impacts on the game, especially the forced fumble on Duke’s first possession of the second half. That turnover basically led directly to 7 points. It’s worthy of discussing the last time one of Wake’s defensive players had such a significant impact on a game. Certainly Brandon Chubb had at least one massive game last year from a stat sheet perspective, but I wonder whether he influenced the outcome of the game as much as Ejiofor did yesterday. Nothing short of a brilliant afternoon.
#2 STAR – MARQUEL LEE – Didn’t have as big of an impact in the Tulane game, but he made a number of stops during the Duke game and again showed off his ability to time the inside pass rush with his 3Q sack of Daniel Jones.
I couldn’t really find a third star. Instead I’ll mention 4 guys. Thomas Brown some impact plays after Demetrius Kemp left with an injury. Josh Banks was solid on Saturday after missing the Tulane game. Banks was also asked to play a large number of snaps which is a tough assignment for an inside player. Shelldon Lewinson was having a nice game before his ankle injury. Jessie Bates also had a nice day.
Two rFR DLs Worthy of Mention: Paris Black and Elontae Bateman. Black got more playing time this week and shows up on film. He’s making good progress and I’ll think he’ll impact some games before the season is over. He’s a guy that I’m excited to follow. Bateman wasn’t expected to be a contributor this year but has done a good job holding his own inside when his number is called.
DEFENSE - PLAYING TIME NOTES
Willie Yarbary (ankle) and Jaboree Williams (ankle) missed the game. Demetrius Kemp left with a lower leg injury and did not appear to return. Shelldon Lewinson had been playing A LOT before he left with an injury with 10:55 left in the third quarter. Elontae Bateman played extensively the rest of the way. Lewinson appeared to return after the injury for some limited duty in the 3rd down subpackage.
Surprisingly it was Amari Henderson who split time with Dionte Austin at field corner. Henderson played a fair amount.
Justin Strnad and Nate Mays saw the first snaps of their careers on defense in relief of Grant Dawson (who started because of the Jaboree Williams injury).
THE NOT-SO-GREAT MOMENTS
Brad Watson’s 1Q pass interference penalty on third down gave Duke a fresh set of downs in the red zone. Watson was then beaten badly in 2Q when he gave up a 59 completion from Daniel Jones to Chris Taylor.
Dionte Austin went for a strip on a short completion and ended up missing a tackle that led to a 56 yard catch and run from Anthony Nash.
Duke’s read option plays also has success, including some redzone plays where Wake's defender responsible for setting the edge chose to dive inside and demolish the running back…when the QB had the ball. That led to a couple of easy TD scores.
Like last year, some aspects of special teams continue to look shaky. Punt coverage looked bad, including a 30 yard return that Duke had in the first quarter. On the other side of the ball, the punt return unit had a block in the back penalty that negated a short Tabari Hines return. It seems like the penalty flags have been flying often on our special teams in the first two games.
A holding call on Justin Herron negated a 20-yard run from Cade Carney and cost Wake its chance at capitalizing on the big 1Q turnover. There was clearly a takedown on the play, but personally I wish TV had shown a better angle to see how flagrant (or not flagrant) the hold really was.
ONE LAST THOUGHT…
F*** Duke! GO DEACS!
The three keys to the win were 1) EXPLOSIVE PLAYS - Wake had six to Duke’s three, 2) TURNOVERS - Wake forced 3 compared with 2 for Duke with one of Duke’s turnovers being completely inconsequential given that it came on 4th down, and 3) FIELD GOAL ACCURACY - Wake made their attempt while Duke missed two.
Those three factors helped Wake get the win despite managing just 13 first downs (compared to Duke’s 21) and converting only 6 of 17 third down attempts.
OFFENSE - STATS
Total Yards: 389 (compared to 175 against Tulane)
Explosive (20+ yard) Plays: 6
# of Drives > 40 Yards: 4
% of RB carries 3 yards or greater: 59% (compared to 44% against Tulane)
DEFENSE - STATS
Total Yards Against: 369
Explosive Plays Against: 3
# of Drives > 40 Yards Against: 5
Disruptive Plays by the DL: 8.5 (including 6 from Duke Ejiofor)
Turnovers Forced: 3
SPECIAL TEAMS – STATS
“Special” Plays: 0
% of Kickoff Returns 25 yards or more: 0 for 1
WAKE’S EXPLOSIVE PLAYS (6 plays produced 61% of total offense)
23 yard pass completion from Kendall Hinton to Cam Serigne (1Q)
32 yard run by Kendall Hinton (part of Wake’s 2Q TD drive that tied the game 7-7)
37 yard pass completion from Kendall Hinton to Cortez Lewis (part of Wake’s 2Q TD drive that tied the game 7-7)
55 yard run by Cade Carney (4Q TD that gave Wake a 21-14 lead)
29 yard run by Matt Colburn (4Q)
62 yard pass completion from Kendall Hinton to Alex Bachman (4Q drive that led to the FG that made the score 24-14)
OFFENSE OVERVIEW
On this day, Wake would find success with a 75/25 run-pass mix. Ironically, Wake’s bread and butter play was the read option that had become so widely disdained by the fanbase. It’s worth noting that Hinton and Carney/Colburn are executing it much better than we saw anytime last year.
Wake struggled again to connect with the outside WRs, completing just 2 of 7 targets. But oh what a difference it made to connect on those two passes (the explosive plays by Cortez Lewis and Alex Bachman).
In addition to the two explosive plays, it’s worth noting that Wake’s RB contributed seven other runs of 6 yards or more.
The concern going forward is whether Wake’s offense is too one dimensional. The two long pass plays will help alleviate that concern (somewhat). To get to six wins, Wake will need to show that they can do more things consistently well, especially in the passing game. More playmakers will need to step up. I think that they will.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Those who have been begging to see our OL open up some holes and push some DLs off the line of scrimmage were likely pleased to see some of that in this game.
Ty Hayworth’s blocking played a key role in both the 32 yard run by Hinton and the 55 yard TD run by Carney. Carney’s long TD run also benefited from solid run blocks from Phil Haynes, Ryan Anderson and Cam Serigne. Interestingly, Hayworth was a pulling guard on the long runs from both Carney and Colburn. Colburn’s long run found a hole between Josh Harris and Phil Haynes. Haynes absolutely destroyed the Duke DL on that play.
It’s a small sample size, but Jake Benzinger seemed to do OK after he replaced the injured Justin Herron (knee). Also worth noting that Cam Serigne seems to be blocking more effectively so far this season.
I counted only 5 obvious individual breakdowns:
Ryan Anderson (2) – Conceded 1Q pass pressure, 3Q false start penalty
Justin Herron (3) – 1Q holding penalty, 1Q knocked to the ground on a 3rd down pass play, 2Q unable to pick up DB who blitzed from very wide (admittedly a tougher looking play for an OT) and ended up stripping the ball from Wolford
Through 2 games, I haven’t noted any obvious individual breakdowns from our three starting interior linemen.
DEFENSE – THREE STARS OF THE GAME
#1 STAR – DUKE EJIOFOR – It would be hard to understate the impact that he had on the game. He packed the stat sheet. 4 tackles for loss, including 3 sacks. 2 forced fumbles. 2 QB hurries. But none of that really does his performance justice. He impacted a number of other plays. Also remind yourself that he is still slowed by a muscle injury. Both turnovers that he forced had significant impacts on the game, especially the forced fumble on Duke’s first possession of the second half. That turnover basically led directly to 7 points. It’s worthy of discussing the last time one of Wake’s defensive players had such a significant impact on a game. Certainly Brandon Chubb had at least one massive game last year from a stat sheet perspective, but I wonder whether he influenced the outcome of the game as much as Ejiofor did yesterday. Nothing short of a brilliant afternoon.
#2 STAR – MARQUEL LEE – Didn’t have as big of an impact in the Tulane game, but he made a number of stops during the Duke game and again showed off his ability to time the inside pass rush with his 3Q sack of Daniel Jones.
I couldn’t really find a third star. Instead I’ll mention 4 guys. Thomas Brown some impact plays after Demetrius Kemp left with an injury. Josh Banks was solid on Saturday after missing the Tulane game. Banks was also asked to play a large number of snaps which is a tough assignment for an inside player. Shelldon Lewinson was having a nice game before his ankle injury. Jessie Bates also had a nice day.
Two rFR DLs Worthy of Mention: Paris Black and Elontae Bateman. Black got more playing time this week and shows up on film. He’s making good progress and I’ll think he’ll impact some games before the season is over. He’s a guy that I’m excited to follow. Bateman wasn’t expected to be a contributor this year but has done a good job holding his own inside when his number is called.
DEFENSE - PLAYING TIME NOTES
Willie Yarbary (ankle) and Jaboree Williams (ankle) missed the game. Demetrius Kemp left with a lower leg injury and did not appear to return. Shelldon Lewinson had been playing A LOT before he left with an injury with 10:55 left in the third quarter. Elontae Bateman played extensively the rest of the way. Lewinson appeared to return after the injury for some limited duty in the 3rd down subpackage.
Surprisingly it was Amari Henderson who split time with Dionte Austin at field corner. Henderson played a fair amount.
Justin Strnad and Nate Mays saw the first snaps of their careers on defense in relief of Grant Dawson (who started because of the Jaboree Williams injury).
THE NOT-SO-GREAT MOMENTS
Brad Watson’s 1Q pass interference penalty on third down gave Duke a fresh set of downs in the red zone. Watson was then beaten badly in 2Q when he gave up a 59 completion from Daniel Jones to Chris Taylor.
Dionte Austin went for a strip on a short completion and ended up missing a tackle that led to a 56 yard catch and run from Anthony Nash.
Duke’s read option plays also has success, including some redzone plays where Wake's defender responsible for setting the edge chose to dive inside and demolish the running back…when the QB had the ball. That led to a couple of easy TD scores.
Like last year, some aspects of special teams continue to look shaky. Punt coverage looked bad, including a 30 yard return that Duke had in the first quarter. On the other side of the ball, the punt return unit had a block in the back penalty that negated a short Tabari Hines return. It seems like the penalty flags have been flying often on our special teams in the first two games.
A holding call on Justin Herron negated a 20-yard run from Cade Carney and cost Wake its chance at capitalizing on the big 1Q turnover. There was clearly a takedown on the play, but personally I wish TV had shown a better angle to see how flagrant (or not flagrant) the hold really was.
ONE LAST THOUGHT…
F*** Duke! GO DEACS!
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