Defensive woes have plagued the Deacs
In each of 2021 and 2022, Wake Forest hit a peak ranking of 10th in the country in the AP poll. In 2023, the Demon Deacons went 4-8 with a 1-7 mark in conference, and so far in 2024 the Deacs are 1-3 overall and 0-1 in ACC play. It sure feels like the program has peaked under Dave Clawson.
The offense, for its part, has done an admirable job improving, going from averaging 20.2 points/game last year (115th in FBS) to 29.8 points/game (68th) this year. The issue has been a defense that has displayed a sizeable deterioration, dropping from 74th in opponent points/game in 2023 to 108th in 2024.
Quarterback play has improved with former Boise State and Louisiana Tech signal caller Hank Bachmeier tossing the ball around. Bachmeier is averaging 8.0 yards/attempt with a QB Rating of 144.3 through 4 games with 5 TDs and 1 INT. Wake’s QB group last year averaged 7.4 yards/attempt with a QB Rating of 129.9, with 14 TDs to 11 INTs.
It’s not that the offense has changed that much, it’s a combination of a few things. First, Bachmeier (66.7% completions) is getting the ball in his receivers hands more often (60.4% last year). Second, the offensive line is keeping him upright more often (4.1 sacks/game in 2023; 2.5 sacks/game in 2024). Finally, the line is getting more push for the running game (99th in Line Yards in 2023; 55th in Line Yards in 2024).
Sometimes it really is that simple to improve an offense. Keep the QB more upright, complete more passes, create more running room. Who knew?!
The defensive woes, however, have been a bit more confusing. Six starters returned to the group – the same number that returned to the offense. Giving up 40 points to Ole Miss is one thing, but giving up 31 to Virginia and 41 to Louisiana is a bad sign. It is only four games in, so small sample sizes do apply, and it may just be that the opposing offenses they’ve seen have been that good… although Virginia scored all of 13 points in their only other game against a P4 opponent this year (Maryland).
The Deacs rank 131st in the country in Opponent Success Rate this year after ranking 49th last year. They’ve done a much better job at keeping the explosive plays at bay, but it hasn’t mattered much since opponents have simply dominated Wake on a play-to-play basis.
For a Wolfpack offense that has struggled at both explosive plays and per-play consistency, this Wake defense may be just what the doctor ordered. State’s defense is going to face a much stiffer test than what they saw in NIU a week ago, but if the Pack can find some semblance of offensive efficiency and keep Wake’s offense off the field, they should roll to a win.
That’s a big “if”, though.