• Welcome to OGBoards 10.0, keep in mind that we will be making LOTS of changes to smooth out the experience here and make it as close as possible functionally to the old software, but feel free to drop suggestions or requests in the Tech Support subforum!

The Now Official Wake Forest v. NC State Game Thread

PhDeac said:
Yep. We let State margin down the field to score 7 in 5 plays then only took 1:17 off the clock in 4 plays before giving the ball right back.

The obsession with tempo just doesn’t work with our defense.
Click to expand...

True - But what tempo other than an option attack or going to heavy sets with multiple TE's complements a defense that allows 4.8 ypc and 228 rushing yards per game?
 
Encouraging that the OC and Clawson finally realized that the RPO doesn’t work well inside the opponent’s ten yard line. The wildcat with Walker worked perfectly twice and we went to a Bill Dooley power I formation for Walker’s third TD.
 
I like wrinkles. They should install one that prevents the running back from getting 20 yards downfield before being touched.
 
wfu22fan said:
Encouraging that the OC and Clawson finally realized that the RPO doesn’t work well inside the opponent’s ten yard line. The wildcat with Walker worked perfectly twice and we went to a Bill Dooley power I formation for Walker’s third TD.
Click to expand...

I had forgotten about this - and I was screaming about Clawson never changing the O - this was a great new wrinkle and display of creativity in the red zone where the Deacs just suck. I will walk back that hysteria (for now).
 
Got to love a fanbase that consistently bitches about an offense that has broken every school record over the last 3 years, and just scored TDs in all 5 red-zone trips on Saturday. Tempo didn't kill the defense on Saturday.

The defense could not have been more rested when the game started, and the Pack scored in 5 plays on the opening drive (after losing 7 yards on the opening play). On the Pack's 2nd drive (at that point the defense had only been on the field for 1:56 of clock time, and had the benefit of a kickoff, a WF possession with a first down and two TV timeouts), the defense promptly gave up a 9 play 82 yard drive. At that point, WF is down 14 and has to do whatever it can to score, including going up tempo.

To start the 3rd quarter (after a 20 minute half-time, and a WF opening possession), a rested WF defense gave up 55 yard TD drive in 5 plays in 2:15, and then surrendered another 50 yard drive in 4 plays in 1:34 on the very next possession. FWIW, the WF defense "only" gave up two more TDs on State's other 9 possessions when the defense should've been the most tired.

That's 28 points in 4 drives where State faced one 3rd down when the defense should be the most rested and ready to play. Tempo does not explain just an atrocious defensive effort; that was just so embarrassing that a lack of talent doesn't even explain it either; Campbell wouldn't give up 4 TDs in the first 7 minutes of each half to the Pack. WF could have milked clock and used all of its TOs to start the 1st and 3rd quarters, and WF's defense wasn't stopping anyone coming out of the locker room. Also, when a team falls behind, they need to.... yes, score quickly so they can get the ball back again.
 
Last edited:
I love how Pilch is going hard at other people to distract from his declaration that this would be the best Wake defense ever.
 
PhDeac said:
I love how Pilch is going hard at other people to distract from his declaration that this would be the best Wake defense ever.
Click to expand...

Yep. About as right as he was when he said MBB would be better than Ohio State a few years ago, who then had a #1 ranking at midseason.

ETA: Those who are smarter than I am regarding football and defensive schemes, please answer this...on 3rd and long plays, Wake consistently drops their LBs to cover a slant route or an underneath pass for 10-15 yards. However, we almost ALWAYS drop back too far for what would require a 1st down for the opposing team's O. So if it's 3rd and 12 or whatever, we drop ~2 LBs back 15+ yards. The opposing O hits a little slant or runs their QB up the gut (shades of Louisville from last year) and there's nobody around to stop the pass or carry for a first down because we're too far back on D and our LBs are way too slow to close the gap.

In a situation like this, is it the rover's responsibility to come through and blow that up, are we just playing the odds, is it a bad/too soft zone D scheme? I've never understood this and it seemed like it happened a few times Saturday night at critical points in the game.
 
Last edited:
Nice try.

Not sure how defending the offense and identifying the defense as atrocious does anything, but underscore how wrong my feeling was that this would be the best WF defense under Clawson. Totally own that statement about the WF defense, and completely admit that the performance of the defense against State should be EXHIBIT A to disprove it.
 
SkyDivingDeacon said:
Yep. About as right as he was when he said MBB would be better than Ohio State a few years ago, who then had a #1 ranking at midseason.
Click to expand...

Wow. We are going back to 2018 now. You mean the same tOSU team that went 8-14 to finish the season after starting 12-1? Yes, WF sucked hard that year, but tOSU completely crumbled after being over-hyped and over-ranked.
 
Last edited:
Pilchard said:
Wow. We are going back to 2018 now. You mean the same tOSU team that went 8-14 to finish the season after starting 12-1? Yes, WF sucked hard that year, but tOSU completely crumbled after being over-ranked.
Click to expand...

WF finished 4-15 that same year once conference play started. It was a silly comment then and so was your proclamation that our Defense would be MUCH IMPROVED this year vs. last year's FB team. I don't really care, but I do think it's funny that you make comments like these pretty often and conveniently forget about them when you're wrong...

Anyway, it doesn't matter. Why do our LBs drop back in coverage on longer yardage situations and leave the middle of the field totally uncovered?
 
both of these statements can be (and are) true:

1. the WF defense was horrible all by itself last Saturday
2. there have been times during Clawson's tenure when his up-tempo offense has hurt the defense and arguably the overall result
 
Pilchard said:
Nice try.

Not sure how defending the offense and identifying the defense as atrocious does anything, but underscore how wrong my feeling was that this would be the best WF defense under Clawson. Totally own that statement about the WF defense, and completely admit that the performance of the defense against State should be EXHIBIT A to disprove it.
Click to expand...

Pitch is not alone. Other than CB, most of us thought our defense would be solid.
 
PhDeac said:
#40? He's listed as a TE but he seemed to be playing as a FB.
Click to expand...

Connor Hebbeler, former D-lineman turned ... well, he's a TE but he's probably the closest thing on the roster to an H-back.

The creation of the jumbo package last year was a good step. Borne out of necessity (which innovation isn't, really?) because they couldn't score from 1-2 yards out, I'd say it was encouraging to see it reappear this season.

Now, as to whether they're ever going to put more than one slot receiver on the field at the same time ... [:confused:]
 
Perry and Stewart were solid on Saturday, but yeah, Greene, Morin, and Roberson are our best 3 WR and all three of them should be on the field at the same time.
 
SkyDivingDeacon said:
WF finished 4-15 that same year once conference play started. It was a silly comment then and so was your proclamation that our Defense would be MUCH IMPROVED this year vs. last year's FB team. I don't really care, but I do think it's funny that you make comments like these pretty often and conveniently forget about them when you're wrong...

Anyway, it doesn't matter. Why do our LBs drop back in coverage on longer yardage situations and leave the middle of the field totally uncovered?
Click to expand...


Message boards are for taking positions. I'm often completely wrong, but can't agree that I conveniently forget about them. Don't mind getting called out. That's also what message boards are for. Didn't see State hanging 45 on the WF defense. If you did, congrats.

FWIW, the one comment here that was prescient heading into the game was by Col Angus. He identified that State's run game was actually decent last year, but was easy to miss because the rest of their team was so pathetic . He specifically pointed out that they had their OL and their RBs back. No question that those two position groups dominated. Kudos.
 
Last edited:
Pilchard said:
Message boards are for taking positions. I'm often completely wrong, but can't agree that I conveniently forget about them. Don't mind getting called out. That's also what message boards are for. Didn't see State hanging 45 on the WF defense. If you did, congrats.

FWIW, the one comment here that was prescient heading into the game was by Col Angus. He identified that State's run game was actually decent last year, but was easy to miss because the rest of their team was so pathetic . He specifically pointed out that they had their OL and their RBs back. No question that those two position groups dominated. Kudos.
Click to expand...

The people ragging on Pilchard for thinking the defense would be good, are wrong.

Clawson himself thought the defense would be the bright spot of our team, and so far that has been completely wrong.

He’s admitting he was wrong, but also stating the fact that the reason the defense has sucked is not “being tired”, it’s that they just aren’t very good.

Too slow, too care free, and no cohesiveness. Just a disappointing group in general. Makes me wonder if the new linebacker coach and Hemphill are the right people for the job. I thought the defense was going in the right direction last year, and now looks like it went completely backwards. And really, for how young the secondary is, they really haven’t been the main problem. The main problem has been the putrid play from the linebackers and the one main rush coming from the defensive line.
 
SDDeac said:
The people ragging on Pilchard for thinking the defense would be good, are wrong.

Clawson himself thought the defense would be the bright spot of our team, and so far that has been completely wrong.

He’s admitting he was wrong, but also stating the fact that the reason the defense has sucked is not “being tired”, it’s that they just aren’t very good.

Too slow, too care free, and no cohesiveness. Just a disappointing group in general. Makes me wonder if the new linebacker coach and Hemphill are the right people for the job. I thought the defense was going in the right direction last year, and now looks like it went completely backwards. And really, for how young the secondary is, they really haven’t been the main problem. The main problem has been the putrid play from the linebackers and the one main rush coming from the defensive line.
Click to expand...

Fair enough, but I don't understand how Clawson thought we'd be good on defense. We are literally not good at any aspect of defense. I can't imagine these guys looking like they knew what they were doing at any point in practice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top