Miami has the benefit of a bye weekend heading into this one … not that the Canes will need any extra rest to be able to beat a team that’s not expected to be particularly good. Wake Forest is a shell of the program that went 11-3 in 2021, and the team was 4-8 last year and 1-7 in ACC play. There’s not a lot of real good talent on either side of the ball, and the Demon Deacons were No. 113 in scoring offense and No. 70 in scoring defense a year ago. There aren’t many signs the team will be a lot better this time around.
THE PERSONNEL
The offense didn’t do much right in any aspect a year ago, ranking No. 94 in the nation in rushing offense and No. 98 passing. The team hopes a new guy behind center can make a difference, landing Hank Bachmeier out of the transfer portal from Louisiana Tech (he also played for Boise State prior to the Bulldogs). Bachmeier started eight games last year and hit on 182 of 269 passes for 2,058 yards with 10 TDs and 5 INTs. His career stats at both programs? 8,663 passing yards with 51 TDs. It’s expected he will start over Michael Kern, who threw for 647 yards with four TDs and two INTs last season. Neither guy really worries you with his playmaking. At running back Demond Claiborne returns after leading the team with 586 yards and five TDs. Top WR Jamal Banks is gone along with his 653 yards, but the team does have back Taylor Morin (41 catches, 617 yards) and hopes Donavon Greene can be a factor after he missed two of the last three seasons injured (he had 642 yards in 2022). The offensive line has back three starters from a group that allowed 49 sacks and had the run game average just 3.3 yards per carry.
On the other side of the ball the run defense ranked No. 73 in the nation and the team passing efficiency defense was No. 107. So other teams were able to move the ball in pretty much any fashion they wanted. Good news for the Demon Deacons is that DE Jasheen Davis is back, and he had 7.5 sacks last season and has 20 in his career. DT Kevin Pointer is also back after tallying nine tackles for loss. At linebacker the leader is Dylan Hazen, who had a team-high 86 tackles with 8.5 TFL, and the secondary returns CB DeShawn Jones, who had three interceptions, along with safety Evan Slocum (29 tackles, 1 INT). There is questionable depth in the back end, and the team hopes for a boost from Kent State CB transfer Capone Blue, who started 11 games last season and had 35 tackles and 10 PBU.
QUESTION MARK AREAS MIAMI CAN EXPLOIT
This is a team that threw just 14 TD passes and was sacked 49 times last year, so unless Bachmeier is working behind a line that all of a sudden is that much better there are going to be a lot of ways the Canes can get quick pressure into the backfield. While the offense could be better (it can’t be much worse), on defense a weak area is expected to be the secondary. And with Cam Ward throwing to guys like Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George, Sam Brown, etc., watch out.
GAME DIFFICULTY RATING FOR MIAMI
This just is not a very good all-around Wake Forest team. There are a couple of pieces on offense that can do some damage, but the offensive line is probably going to be one of the worst in the ACC and that will make it a bit tough to get anything consistent going. The defense has a solid player or two up front and at linebacker, but the secondary has question marks and there isn’t significantly talented depth at any one spot. So our game difficulty rating, with 10 representing Miami’s most difficult game vs. FSU and 1 the easiest against FAMU, would be a 3.0. That’s tied for third-easiest on the schedule with Duke, trailing only Ball State and Florida A&M.
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