Wake Forest exited last year with questions about its offense.
Through four games, now the questions are about the Demon Deacons' defense and in particular the secondary. Wake Forest lost 41-38 to Louisiana-Lafayette last Saturday to fall to 1-3 on the season.
Wake Forest travels to play NC State (3-2) at 12 p.m. Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium on the CW Network.
Five Wake Forest players to watch
Senior quarterback Hank Bachmeier
Bachmeier previously played four years at Boise State and one Louisiana Tech, but has seamlessly transitioned in taking over the quarterback position. The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder is 96-of-144 passing for 1,159 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. He’s been sacked 10 times and has 28 carries for 75 yards. He has thrown for 9,822 yards, 56 touchdowns and 25 interception in his six-year career.
Junior running back Demond Claiborne
The speedy 5-10, 200-pound Claiborne has 61 carries for 335 yards and four touchdowns, plus seven receptions for 63 yards. He got dinged up a bit against Louisiana, but came back and finished with 12 carries for 94 yards and one touchdown. He rushed 137 times for 586 yards and five touchdowns last year, and NC State held him to eight carries for 12 yards Nov. 11, 2023.
Senior defensive end Jasheen Davis
The physical 6-3, 270-pound Davis anchors the Wake Forest Forest defense. He has five tackles and one sack in two games played this season. Davis has 124 career tackle, 21 sacks, 42 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles in 41 games played. He had 7.5 sacks last year, including one against NC State to go along with four tackles and three tackles for loss.
Redshirt junior wide receiver Horatio Fields
The 6-3, 205-pound Fields is part of four receivers who are the nucleus of the Wake Forest offense. He had the hot hand against Louisiana with six catches for 81 yards, but also had a key drop. Fields has 18 career catches for 228 yards and a touchdown in 19 games played.
Senior defensive tackle Kevin Pointer
The 6-1, 285-pounder has the highest Pro Football Focus grade on the defense with 83.3, edging out Jasheen Davis. He started his career at Louisiana-Monroe in 2020 and then transferred to Wake Forest in 202. He has 15 tackles this season, with two sacks, five tackles for loss and an interception against Virginia on Sept. 7. Pointer had seven tackles against Louisiana. He has 107 career tackles, five sacks and 27 tackles for loss in 47 career games.
What to watch for from Wake Forest
1. Balanced offense. Wake Forest has been able to pass the ball 157 times and has 141 carries on the ground this season.
The run-pass balance is a change from last year, where then quarterback Mitch Griffis threw the ball 207 times and rushed the football 106. Griffis was eventually replaced, transferred and then gave up the sport.
Wake Forest ended up rushing the football 468 times for 1,565 yards and 13 touchdowns last year, and went 194-of-321 passing for 2,368 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The arrival of sixth-year senior quarterback Hank Bachmeier, combined with junior running back Demond Claiborne has sparked the offense and the Demon Deacons should far exceed last year’s numbers.
Wake Forest scored 45 points in a win over North Carolina A&T, and combined for 68 points in losses against Virginia and Louisiana.
The lone game where the offense didn’t get going was scoring just six points in the 40-6 loss against Mississippi. The Demon Deacons could only manage 32 times for 46 yards with a long run of 14 yards.
2. Spread the ball around. Bachmeier has been like a point guard who spreads the ball around at quarterback.
Bachmeier has good arm strength, poise in the pocket and a good feel for the game. He has completed at least seven passes to six different players.
Senior slot receiver Taylor Morin leads the way with 24 receptions for 325 yards, but did take a big hit late in the Louisiana loss. Redshirt junior wide receiver Donovan Greene missed the 2021 season and 2023 season due to serious injuries. The Mount Airy, N.C., product has 16 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns, and he has always been a deep threat at 6-2 and 210 yards. The bulk of his numbers came with 11 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown in a 31-30 loss vs. Virginia.
Junior Horatio Fields and freshman Deuce Alexander are becoming quality threats. Fields has 13 receptions for 174 yards and one touchdown, and Alexander has 15 catches for 177 yards and two scores.
3. Defense has been suspect. Wake Forest had zero sacks, two tackles for loss and allowed 257 passing yards and three touchdowns in the 41-38 loss against Louisiana.
The Ragin’ Cajuns got completely comfortable and in a rhythm, complementing the passing numbers with 33 carries for 209 yards and two scores on the ground.
Ole Miss star quarterback Jaxson Dart shredded Wake Forest, going 26-of-34 passing for 377 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the 40-6 win. The Rebels also rushed 45 times for 272 yards and three scores.
Virginia sophomore quarterback Anthony Colandrea threw for 357 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in the 31-30 win. The Cavaliers scored twice in the fourth quarter to rally from a 30-17 deficit. UVa didn’t run well with 28 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown, and Wake Forest’s defensive is the strength of the defense.
Wake Forest is allowing 29.8 points, 149.5 rushing yards and 310.5 passing yards per game this season, and only has five sacks. Wake Forest has caused three interceptions and two forced fumbles.
Three keys to the game for NC State football
1. NC State has struggled to find an identity this season through five games, but coach Dave Doeren hinted at what it could be moving forward.
Doeren said the Wolfpack need to not turn the ball over on offense, play good defense and have quality special teams. That was essentially the formula in the 24-17 win over Northern Illinois last Saturday to improve to 3-2.
NC State was able to cause four turnovers, aggressively blitzed NIU and more aggressive against the run. The offense was no frills, especially in the second half, but the defense helped lead to 14 of the 24 points.
The other secret weapon in the formula is redshirt junior punter Caden Noonkester, who had seven of his eight punts land inside the 20-yard line. With Northern Illinois’ offense backed up toward the goal line, it allowed the Wolfpack defense to tee off.
2. NC State has to improve its offense in multiple ways against a team like Wake Forest.
Opposing teams have gotten comfortable and moved the chains with ease against Wake Forest this season. It would be a poor look if NC State struggles offensively against the Demon Deacons. NCSU rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown, and threw for 109 yards and a score against Northern Illinois. Conversely, opponents have averaged 29.8 points, 149.5 rushing yards and 310.5 passing yards per game.
In particular, this needs to be a game where the offensive line starts to move people and senior running back Jordan Waters and sophomore running back Kendrick Raphael should get loose. Raphael had a good second half with 10 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown against Clemson, but got bottled up against Northern Illinois with 21 rushing yards.
3. NC State defensive ends Davin Vann and Isaiah Shirley should have good matchups against Wake Forest’s tackles.
Senior Keagen Trost is an Indiana State transfer who has solidified the right tackle spot, and is 6-4 and 305 pounds. Senior DeVonte Gordon is at left tackle and 6-5 and 315 pounds. Everyone but the center is over 305 pounds. Gordon has the top grade among offensive lineman with 74.2, and Trost is not far behind with 73.4.
Vann has been a force his senior year and has 19 tackles, 2.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. Shirley, a redshirt freshman, got his first start against Northern Illinois, and shared snaps with redshirt junior Travali Price.
Three numbers of note
2 Players on Wake Forest's previous depth chart who NC State heavily recruited — redshirt junior wide receiver Donovan Greene and redshirt freshman wide receiver Micah Mayes.
10 Bowl games that Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson has reached between Wake Forest (seven) and Bowling Green (three) since 2009.
13 Former Wake Forest players who are active on NFL rosters this season, with three others on practice squads and two on injured reserve.
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