2011 Wake Forest Football Predictions
Written by Steve Janus
2010 wasn’t a good year at all for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. After scoring 107 points in a 2-0 start to the season, Wake Forest went just 1-9 the rest of the way to finish up the year 3-9. Their only win in conference play came against Duke, and they needed 54 points to top the Blue Devils. The Demon Deacons figure to be much more competitive in 2011 with 17 starters back, but the schedule doesn’t look like it will give them much of a chance to improve on their win total in the ACC. Their four home games come against NC State, Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Maryland, and their only real winnable game on the road is at Duke.
To get a better idea of what the Demon Deacons will look like this season, lets see just who they are expected to send onto the field on both sides of the ball. I will also give my prediction on where I think they will finish the year in the ACC.
Offense:
The Demon Deacons return sophomore quarterback Tanner Price, but it isn’t a lock that he will be the starting quarterback this fall. Price really struggled in his freshman season. He threw for just 1,349 yards with seven touchdowns to nine interceptions. Highly touted freshman quarterback Kevin Sousa could end up stealing his job. Sousa chose Wake Forest over Michigan and Miami.
Wake Forest also returns sophomore running back Josh Harris, who really had a fine freshman season. Harris led the team with 720 yards with 7 touchdowns. Harris has the potential to be even more of a factor in 2011, and will really benefit if the Demon Deacons can get improved play at the quarterback position.
Junior wide out Chris Givens finished second on the team with 35 catches, but was the team leader with 514 yards and four touchdowns. Givens has the talent to be a big time playmaker, but his success will also be determined by what they get out of the quarterback spot. Sophomore Michael Campanaro is expected to make his way into the starting lineup this year opposite of Givens, while senior Andrew Parker returns at tight end.
The only spot up for grabs on the offensive line comes at the center position. Seniors Dennis Godfrey and Doug Weaver return at the two tackle spots, while fellow seniors Michael Hoag and Joe Looney are back at the two guard spots. Junior Garrick Williams is the frontrunner to take over at center. He started three games last year between guard and center. Even with all the senior starters this unit isn’t anything special when it comes to overall talent.
Defense:
There isn’t a lot of holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball with 9 starters back. The only spot up for grabs in Wake Forest 3-4 defensive front is at one of the end spots. Junior Kevin Smith returns at the other end spot, while promising sophomore Nikita Whitlock returns at nose tackle. Sophomore Zach Thompson appears to be the best option to take over opposite of Smith at end.
Three of the four starting linebackers are back from last year, and the best of this bunch is senior outside linebacker Kyle Wilber, who easily led the team with six sacks last year. Also back are senior inside linebacker Tristan Dorty and junior outside linebacker Joey Ehrmann. Look for junior Scott Betros to join this group in the middle.
All four starters return in the secondary, but that might not necessarily be a good thing. The Demon Deacons allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 61% of their passes and gave up an average of 238 yards a game. Seniors Josh Bush and Cyhl Quarles return at the two safety positions, along with the starting corner duo of junior Kenny Okoro and sophomore Kevin Johnson. If this unit improves, the Demon Deacons will surprise some people on this side of the ball.
ACC Predictions: 6th ACC Atlantic - I don’t think there is any doubt that Wake Forest will be a better team than they were in 2010, but I don’t think it will be enough to make them a threat in the ACC. The schedule is just brutal both in and out of conference. Anything more than four wins would be a surprise.
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