Comments

If your articles are always this heplful, “I’ll be back.”

Maliyah on 11/05/2011 (7:19 am)

I thought I could see the play after which Harris came up looking stung.  A hamstring is difficult to diagnose if there’s no sign of blood or a definite bruise.  It could be among the easiest “injuries” with which to play pretend.  My “blown” hamstrings took ten days to be completely healed. It was required, however, that I spend more time than usual stretching and warming up after an injury.  Guys with short hamstrings, like myself, are prone to those injuries, but they are rare if care is taken always to stretch them out fully.  Do Harris’s injuries show hemorrhages and bruising?

Lee Anglin on 11/01/2011 (6:38 pm)

Boy, its about time someone wrote and noted our ridiculous approach to the run game - all these DEEP handoffs.. with the rb at a standstill in this so-called “read” play (which is negated since Price rarely runs).. forcing the OL, which although large, is hardly physical, to hold their “blocks” longer than they would in say an I-formation quick hit attack style.  Which, by the way, was the formation WF opened with - did anyone notice that?  By series 3, it went away.  How long has it been since we had a true pass catching option at TE? Its killing us.  We have NO mid-range, middle of the field pass package.  Think back - when was the last time you saw Price even attempt that throw?  Against UNC, it was all short hitches to the edges, - even the analyst on tv kept pleading with WF to throw the deep ball… NEVER, EVER happened!  Why? Only time we tried was the flanker pass.  In fact, I think Tanner’s deepest throw was his first.. a scramble left and a 24-yard sideline dart.. never seen again. #22 - 13 carries, 99 yards.  Anyone see any possibilities here?  The kid sees an opening and GOES. No dancing, he HITS it.  #25?  I think we know the answer to the lingering question.  But what REALLY steams me, was the defensive game plan. 
How many times do we send lb’s on the blitz, who never get a SNIFF of the qb?
Not a SNIFF!  Leaving #s 4,5,6,7 and 17 hung out.  How many times, Dan, on third and long, did WF waste pass defenders on a blitz, while UNC simply flipped the ball into the gaping holes.. and ran for 20-30-one time 35 yards after the catch? How many time do you have to get burned before you STOP doing something that doesnt work?  I thought that was what halftime was for. Oh, while on the topic of defense…  teams are killing us on the edges now. For some reason, our outside backers crash down on any hint of a run, and are sooo easily sealed or hooked inside. It was clearly part of the UNC game plan.  They had a good one. We didnt. We never adjusted. It was painfully obvious. And the 2, 12-man on the field penalties?  A disgrace.  No excuse. I have to tell you I have never, ever, heard a coach say it was because “the kids put themselves in.”  I’m sure Coach is protecting something, and that’s fine. Sometimes a terse “no comment” might be better. This does go back to VT… I thought the Duke miracle escape would wake everyone up. It didnt. Will this?  I now have my doubts. And man, you better be ready Saturday night, or it will be ugly.

glenn williams on 10/31/2011 (7:43 pm)

Ever since I started following Wake in the early 2000s 3 negative things have always been haunting:

1. Grobe’s lack of OUTWARD passion on the sidelines during games (both good and bad). As a fan it’s an awful feeling to have something stupid happen and see the coach always looking glum and helpless; seemingly content with the situation, especially when we are getting hammered in all aspects of the game. Anyone else have an issue with this?

2. Our cornerbacks playing at least 10 yards off the line of most wide receivers. Lack of confidence/skill I don’t know but it’s never worked and apparently we’ll never learn. On 2nd and 3rd downs with short yardage to go we play for the long ball instead of a 5-6yard pass which gets the first down. What is going on?

3. LOBO should have been fired 7 years ago. His shotgun draw in 2003 against Purdue was the opening wound and his play calling has been painfully awful ever since. He’s been blessed to have some good players over the years who have let him off the hook. It’s time for him to go as he really seems to have no idea what he’s doing.

Getting negative might not help us in but maybe getting the higher ups in the program to feel some heat will bring our team together for a couple crucial games as opposed to the “ho-hum we’re okay with a 5 win season” attitude that seems to resonate after every game. Since we can’t depend on the coaching week in and week out hopefully the team will get themselves up for ND and kick some ass on their own.

DP on 10/31/2011 (2:39 pm)

Tanner had a bad game….it happens…Riley had a couple as I recall. Normally dependable recievers had some drops while the run game actually was fair compared to normal. The gadget play that has worked so well was a total stinker from the get go.

The area of most concern in my opinion however was defense (we did give up 49 points somehow). It appeared that we basically left all of the defensive backs (not a strong point since you know at least one particular guy will never be remotely close to his man…..see UNC’s first touchdown pass…piece of cake) on islands and created huge open spaces in the middle because we “sold out” to create pressure and stop the run.

You can’t do that unless you play tight, jamming man to man defense and the pressure has to get there. All that jumping around and “creative pressure” is suppose to make it hard for the QB to know where it’s coming from…but it was interesting to watch them throw the ball continuosly into spaces where we pressured from.

In 2006 when we had a bad offensive game (and scored 24 points) we had a chance to win because the defense and special team were also scoring points. Evidently in 2006, the defense (and coaches) could also count.

Whatever the defensive game plan was, let’s assume that Notre Dame will look at the film and let’s try something else….if it didn’t work against Carolina it sure as heck isn’t going to boggle anybody’s mind in South Bend.

Deacon23 on 10/31/2011 (11:17 am)

I agree with TopsailTerry. I would also give special teams an A for the day. Wulfeck was on his game.  The 59 yard punt pinning them at the 4 gave us a huge oppurtunity to change the momentum and possibly go into the half with the lead. I hope, at least the ACC recognizes him for his special play on Saturday.

SamSung on 10/31/2011 (11:07 am)

The Carolina performance was the worst of the year for sure. The point for everyone to focus on, is that the opportunity is stll there to win the division. We can beat Clemson if we have as many positive things happen in Death Valley as we had negative happen Saturday. We have seen their worst—now it is time to see their best. Go Deacs!

steveh on 10/31/2011 (8:16 am)

The early line is the Deacs are 13.5 point underdogs to the Fighting Irish.  Hopefully getting back to the underdog status will help the Deacs to come around and play focused football on every snap.

Matt on 10/31/2011 (8:06 am)

Great post…hopefully the team sees this as a wake up call to get refocused for the stretch run.  Our guys should use this game for motivation plus they should be extra pumped for Notre Dame (like they were for FSU). Let’s go beat the Irish and grab some momentum heading into Death Valley…The players need to remember that despite the struggles lately they still have a great opportunity to make this a very special season…

Andy Y on 10/31/2011 (7:47 am)

There seems to be an emotional hangover from the second half of the VT game that continues to linger.  Last night I was delighted to see the Notre Dame game move to 8 pm.  My excitement was more in hope that the opportunity to play before a national audience will be catalyst for a more focused Wake football team. 

Little shifts in attention has a way of lifting a teams sense of cohesion.  Lets hope that happens this week and we see a return to a smooth running vehicle.

hal on 10/31/2011 (5:28 am)

This was about as bad a poorly defensively coached game I’ve seen since last season. 2 illegal subs (and 1 was after a timeout);the defense was not ready when UNC snapped the ball on several occasions; who’s calling the shots on this team, players or coaches? Carolina played great, we stank! Why do we hand the ball off 6 yds deep in our backfield when we need to gain only 1 yd? Our running plays are very slow in developing and easily defended.
  Our players are better that than this and our coaches are more capable, but all parties concerned better get their heads, hearts and the lower rear part of their bodies into the remainder of the season. There is no bowl game in the picture as long as we continue to demonstrate this ineptitude. Tanner threw like a girl and Okoro stayed away from his man as if the UNC team had the flu. Kenny’s man had him beat at least 5 yards on every deep route. Was he going for the int again rather than playing his assignment?
Come on guys….you’ve got talent and desire…..now start putting 4 quarters of heart into it.
This team and coaching staff are a heck of a lot better than what’s been displayed so far.
This team can beat Notre Dame and Clemson and Maryland and Vandy….but not if they display lapses of intelligence that were displayed this past Saturday in Chapel Hill. There is talent aplenty on this Deacon team…now show us the “smarts” and the “hearts”.
Go Deacs…...never ever give up!

TopsailTerry on 10/30/2011 (8:42 pm)

I was at the game. worst effort of the year. coaches weren’t prepared, and the players seemed like they weren’t focused either. the colder weather seemed to effect them—a lot of injuries, and missed assignments. coaches couldn’t even get the right players in the game at crucial times—even after a timeout. Tanner has to learn to step into his passes..Too many arm passes falling away..carolina d-backs are too athletic for soft passes. Offensive play calling was questionable..After very good long runs, 1st down passes that ill advised—one intercepted..Also, the flanker pass that was intercepted at the goal line was unneccesary—we had momentum, then the poor throw and iinterception. need to stick to the basics..Almost every throw over the middle was an accident waiting to happen..Special teams were the best performers of the day..I give the offense a D rating, defense a D rating, and the coaches (except special teams who get an A) an F for preparation, motivation, and play calling. It was a long, cold day at Keenan for Wake fans..It was definitely a step backwards in what has been a good season..Get focused, and let’s get ready for the Irish and then Clemson..Still have a chance to play for ACC title. Go Deacs!

beach deac on 10/30/2011 (6:56 pm)

My guess is they won’t beat Notre Dame, and death valley is a tough place to play, so no they won’t beat Clemson either. I think they will beat Maryland, and Vanderbilt and finish 2nd in the leagh with no worse than 3rd. And 7-5 overall. That is about what I predicted before the season.

David Lawson on 10/30/2011 (5:46 pm)