Wake Forest Athletics
Senior Class Helps Raise the Standard for Wake Forest
12/29/2019 1:24:00 PM | Football, Les Johns
"I think we're past the point of just being happy to get to a bowl. I think these guys have changed the culture and expectation level of our program.” - Coach Dave Clawson
Jack Freudenthal was first to the postgame press conference, and his comments were the most striking.
"It was the time of my life," the senior captain said reflecting on both the Pinstripe Bowl and his entire career with Wake Forest, choking back tears and emotion as he spoke.
"We had a huge crowd and it was so much fun. I didn't expect it to be that awesome. It was such an electric environment. We had opportunities, but it just didn't turn out the way we wanted."
That tone was nearly universal as the Wake Forest staff and senior leaders took stock of the 27-21 loss Friday evening to Michigan State in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium — disappointment, gratitude, grief and optimism for the future of Demon Deacon football.
"All these guys picked Wake Forest when we were 3-9, 3-9," Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said. "I think they changed the culture of our program, that we now have a locker room and a team that expects to win football games."
The Wake Forest senior class that played its final game Friday won 30 games in the last four years, ranking it as the third-best behind only the 2008 and 2009 senior classes.
"We've been to four consecutive bowl games for the first time in the history of the school," Clawson said. "We've had four consecutive seven-or-more-win seasons for the first time since World War II.
"I think the telltale sign of our program is we're not happy. We're disappointed we didn't get double-digit wins, that we didn't win our fourth bowl game in a year. I think we're past the point of just being happy to get to a bowl. I think these guys have changed the culture and expectation level of our program."
Quarterback-turned-receiver Kendall Hinton took advantage of a fifth year granted due to an injury sustained in his sophomore year. With his three catches Friday, Hinton joined Sage Surratt with more than 1,000 yards receiving on the season.
"They really changed the trajectory of the program," Hinton said about the senior class he's now going out with. "I'm really going to miss these guys — these seniors. The culture they've built and what they've done for the program both on and off the field has been amazing."
Two five-year senior offensive linemen, Jake Benzinger and Nate Gilliam, had their careers end Friday. Gilliam missed the game with an injury.
"We all committed to a 3-9 program when we came in," Benzinger said. "We came into the idea of a successful future and we built that."
Justin Herron, a sixth-year senior, set a Wake Forest program record with his 51st start, breaking the mark formerly owned by defensive end Wendell Dunn.
"I'm so proud of where we came from, where we started and where we're heading," he said. "This program has a lot of potential. I definitely see Wake Forest being a great team in the future. I'm the happiest a six-year senior could ever be."
It'll likely take time for the 13-member 2019 Wake Forest senior class to be able to fully reflect on what they accomplished during their time wearing the Old Gold & Black.
"It was bittersweet," senior cornerback Essang Bassey said. "I wish we could have come out with a win, but I know me and my teammates gave it everything we had.
"I'll probably feel it more down the years, when I'm looking back at what we did. We accomplished a lot. I'm really proud of the guys I came in with and the group of guys I'm leaving with. We gave it our all everytime we were on the field."
Despite the effort, the Deacs didn't make that one big play down the stretch to grab the signature win against the Spartans.
"We didn't make enough plays," Clawson said. "I'm proud of the way our players competed, battled. We got really thin. That was a little bit the story of our season. I think when we were a healthy football team, we could play with pretty much anybody in the country.
"As we thinned out here, got a lot of injuries, that's our next challenge as a program, is to develop the depth so, number one, we can play more guys, and number two, that when we do lose players the caliber of a Nate Gilliam or Sage Sarrat or Justin Strnad, we don't fall off as we have. That's our next step, our next challenge."
