Clawson Ready For Challenge Of No. 8 Notre Dame
Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson spoke to the media on Wednesday afternoon as his Demon Deacons prepare for Saturday’s game against No. 8 Notre Dame.
2018 marks Clawson’s fifth season as the head man at Wake Forest, and he’s still looking for his first victory against the Irish.
“They're undefeated,” Clawson said of the 3-0 Irish. “They’re playing really well on defense. They have yet to give up over 17 points. Offensively they've got a great O-line, an experienced quarterback, and really good skill players.
“We're excited to be home again on a nationally televised game, but it'll be a great challenge against a very well-coached and good football team.”
Wake Forest will get a boost to the offense in some capacity as quarterback Kendall Hinton returns from a three-game suspension.
Hinton figured to be the Demon Deacons starter this fall after throwing for 1,502 yards and eight scores over his first three seasons but plans changed with the suspension.
The Demon Deacons will ride the hot hand of true freshman quarterback Sam Hartman, who has thrown for 823 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions in 2018, but Clawson believes Hinton will make his way on the field at some point.
“There's a lot of different things Kendall can do,” stated Clawson. “He’s a very talented athlete. He's a very explosive player, and we've got to find different ways to get him involved. There's a number of different ways we can do it. He can play quarterback or receiver or get involved in special teams, but we've got to get him involved, and it's obviously a big plus for us to get him back.
“He's got the freshest legs on the team right now. He’s in good shape, and he's been practicing. He hasn't got hit at all in three weeks, so he feels like the kids at the beginning of the season when they're relatively fresh.”
When it comes to Notre Dame, Clawson highlight quarterback Brandon Wimbush as the guy Wake Forest has to stop.
A year ago, Wimbush torched the Demon Deacons for 280 passing yards, 110 rushing yards and three touchdowns as Notre Dame won 48-37.
“He had a career game against us a year ago,” recalled Clawson. “He’s an extremely dynamic athlete. He's probably one of the best running backs we've faced this year as a running quarterback. He can make people miss. He can run through people. He can run around people. He can go from a horizontal to a vertical cut. He's very elusive, and he throws a really great deep ball, and they've got five or six receivers that can go up and get it.
“This is one of the most talented and skilled quarterbacks that we'll play all season.”
The good news for Notre Dame is kickoff is slated for Noon, but Clawson hopes the Demon Deacon faithful pack BB&T Field and present the Irish with a tough atmosphere.
“We're either at a sellout or close to a sellout, and we just want it to be a lot of black and gold,” said Clawson. “That's our deal.”