2018 Notre Dame Opponent Preview: Wake Forest
Judging a football schedule in the preseason cannot be based too much off of what happened the year prior.
All one has to do is look at the roller-coaster tendencies of Notre Dame the past 20-plus years, from 9-3, 5-7, 9-3, 5-6, 10-3 and 5-7 in the six-year span from 1998-2003, to 10-3 and 3-9 in 2006-07, to 10-3, 4-8, 10-3 the past three campaigns.
When evaluating and ranking Notre Dame’s 2018 opponents, the recent history does factor in, but not as much as:
• Overall personnel/talent.
• Returning experience.
• Timing of the game (after a bye week or following a marquee opponent).
• Where the game is played/intangibles.
At No. 8 in our 12 to 1 countdown is Wake Forest.
At Wake Forest — Sept. 22
Series Record: Notre Dame leads, 4-0.
Most Recent Meeting: Last Nov. 4, Notre Dame improved to 8-1 and remained No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings by defeating Wake Forest, 48-37. The Irish were comfortably coasting 41-16 with 2:04 left in the third quarter before the Demon Deacons made the final respectable with 75- 70- and 90-yard touchdown drives, the latter ending with 51 seconds left in the game.
The Irish rolled up 710 yards total offense while Wake Forest had 587.
Wake Forest’s Rivals Class Rankings 2014-18: No. 51 (2014), No. 60 (2015) No. 54 (2016), tied for No. 57 (2017), No. 64 (2018)
Notre Dame’s Rivals Class Rankings 2014-18: No. 11 (2014), No. 11 (2015), No. 13 (2016), No. 13 (2017), No. 11 (2018)
2017 Record/Summary: 8-5
For the first time since 2008, Wake Forest finished with eight victories and a bowl victory in the same season. The Demon Deacons had eight straight losing campaigns from 2009-16 before breaking through in head coach Dave Clawson’s fourth season in Winston-Salem.
Headlining that turnaround was an offense that set a single season school record in points per game (35.3, including 37 at Notre Dame) and total yards per game (465.8). The shootouts were especially evident in the final month of the season, first at Notre Dame and then followed by a 64-43 win versus Syracuse, a 30-24 upset of North Carolina State and its vaunted defensive line and, above all, a 55-52 triumph against Texas A&M in the Belk Bowl.
2018 Outlook
Despite the graduation of four-year starting quarterback and the highly efficient John Wolford, the offense is expected to remain a strength with the return of all five starting linemen, USA Today Freshman All-American wideout Greg Dortch (53 catches, nine TDs) — who played only eight games before getting injured — and running back Matt Colburn (904 yards, 5.4 yards per carry last season).
Even at quarterback, dual-threat Kendall Hinton won’t be coming in cold. He has passed for 1,502 yards and rushed for 705 during his college career, and completed the scoring at Notre Dame last year with a 90-yard drive in which he carried five times for 39 yards and completed two passes for 17 yards.
Oddly, Wake Forest under Clawson originally was heralded for its sound defense. The operation that brought Notre Dame its two most recent coordinators — Mike Elko in 2017 and now Clark Lea in 2018 — took a step back in 2017, finishing 112th in total defense (457.3) and 76th in scoring defense (28.3, including 37.0 in its last nine). The unit also lost its top two playmakers in second-round cornerback Jessie Bates III and sixth-round choice Duke Ejiofor at end.
Will Notre Dame Be Favored, The Underdog, Or Is It A Toss-Up?
After opening with three home games, this will be Notre Dame’s first road outing of the season, and it has the makings of an intriguing matchup between Wake Forest’s seasoned, productive offense and the veteran Fighting Irish defense that returns nine starters. Putting up 85 total points in last year’s 48-37 outcome might not be duplicated, but both teams possess the arsenal to move the ball.
Depending on the results from the first three games, we would envision the Irish as anywhere from a one- to two-touchdown favorite in this contest as of the first week of June.
Clawson has established himself as a program builder at several schools. Getting to .500 and receiving a third-straight bowl invitation at Wake Forest could result in some major offers.
Our 12 to 1 countdown, from our perceived weakest 2018 foe to toughest, so far has No. 12 Ball State, No. 11 Vanderbilt, No. 10 Syracuse and No. 9 Pittsburgh.
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