Across the Sidelines: Wake Forest looking to improve to 3-0 as they prepare for USU


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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — It is homecoming on the campus of Wake Forest and, as part of the festivities, the Demon Deacons host Utah State on Saturday afternoon at BB&T Field.

Wake Forest is 2-0 on the season after impressive wins over Presbyterian and at Boston College. The Demon Deacons have given up a total of 17 points on the season and are giving up less than 280 yards per game.

"We played them in 2014 out in Logan and they beat us pretty good," Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson said. "They are a very good physical team. They are always going to be an older team.

"In their two-deep, they have 30 juniors and seniors. I don’t know how many of them are junior college transfers or guys that came back from their missions, but they are always an older team. Offensively, they are extremely fast-tempoed. Their quarterback, Myers, is completing 73 percent of his passes. He is accurate and has very good feet. They have a couple of really good receivers and four really good backs. They are an explosive offensive unit."

The Demon Deacons will counter with an explosive offensive unit of their own. Led by senior quarterback John Wolford, Wake Forest averages almost 400 yards of total offense per game and scores 42.5 points per game. Wolford is not just a threat with his arm but with his legs, as he had 92 yards rushing in the win over Boston College on Sept. 9.

“We’re ecstatic to see our offense doing what they’re doing, and I think they’re capable of doing more," Wake Forest lineback Grant Dawson said. "At the end of the day, on each side of the ball, you have to control what you can control. They’re always going to play their best game, and we’re going to play ours, so we have to control what we can control. But it’s great to see them put up points and have the long drives and making plays.”

Dawson leads a defense that has recorded five turnovers on the young season, four interceptions and one fumble recovery. Four of those five turnovers came in the 34-10 win at Boston College.

"It was a great a job by the defense, creating the turnovers, but also a good job by the offense to not have any turnovers," Clawson said. "That has to be part of our plan to win. It is something we emphasize. Defensively, we got good pressure. There were times on defense where we didn’t have guys covered as well as we needed to but, fortunately, we got pressure on the quarterback, so he didn’t have time to set those feet to make those throws."

It should be a fun matchup to watch, with the up-tempo offense that USU and offensive coordinator David Yost bring to the table. The Aggies ran 81 offensive plays and averaged 7.4 yards per play against Idaho State. It is something the Wake Forest defense is aware of.

“They’re a good football team," Dawson said. "Offensively, they like to spread the field and throw the ball. They also show quite a bit of tempo, so we need to have our communication on lock for every play with that kind of tempo.”

Clawson had good things to say about USU head coach Matt Wells.

"Coach Wells has done a good job there and I think they are an improved football team," Clawson said. "We went out there a few years ago, and they kicked our butt all over the field, and this will be a good test for us. It is good to be home for homecoming, and hopefully we will have a good crowd.”

Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. MT and can be seen on the ACC Network. Kyle McDonald is sports fan who loves the Chicago Cubs. Follow him on Twitter at @kylesportsbias

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