Wake Forest Athletics
Photo by: Joe Vogan
Hinton Relishes Sweet Moment
8/31/2019 12:28:00 PM | Football
Defense-optional college football on a Friday night? What in the name of Pop Warner was this?
No, traditionalists probably didn't stay up for the only thing that would have appeased them. In an era when former quarterbacks often reserve their fastest running for the dash through the transfer portal, Kendall Hinton stood out when he stuck around. And then, late Friday night, he jumped and delivered a 38-35 victory to Wake Forest. As a receiver.
"Aren't you glad you came back?" coach Dave Clawson asked his one-time starter after their team managed to upend an outstanding Utah State team that probably deserved better.
Hinton used to be in charge of this offense. At least on the field. Injuries and the arrival of two others changed those plans and left him with a choice: play quarterback elsewhere or remain at Wake Forest for a fifth year at a new position. Most people take the first option. Hinton took the road less – and almost never – traveled.
His tenure in the program wasn't even a guarantee that he'd be a frequent target of the guy who replaced him at QB, Jamie Newman. But there he was in the final offensive moments of what was looking like a brutal loss.
What was originally deemed a game-winning 71-yard touchdown catch and run by Sage Surratt with 1:55 to play was overturned on replay. The Deacs would have the ball on the Aggie 1 with four chances to punch it in.
"I thought that was a good thing," Clawson said. "You don't want to give the ball to (Aggies QB) Jordan Love with two minutes and three time outs. After first down, I thought it was a good thing and after second down, I wasn't so sure. And after third, I was like, 'Man, I wish he had gotten in.' "
At that point, the frustration factor was immense. The Deacs had already struggled inside the Utah State 5, having turned three opportunities into a total of three points. One of the failures was almost immediately mitigated by an interception and an offensive touchdown on the first play thereafter, but that was of little consolation as Wake Forest lined up for fourth down. Was all of this – one of the best offensive performances in school history, an electric opening-night crowd, the enthusiasm built up by three straight bowl-winning seasons – about to end with a thud?
Clawson admitted he was about fed up.
"I was getting ready to go to the press conference and say something like, 'If you can't get one yard, you don't deserve to win,'" he said.
Hinton, meanwhile, pondered an opportunity.
"Who doesn't want to be in that position?" he asked, preferring the half-full glass.
Surratt looked at Newman in the huddle and saw the same attitude.
"He was smiling," Surratt said. "Not worried at all."
The pass was probably a bit underthrown, but the two Aggies in the vicinity didn't see it in time to disrupt it. Hinton leaped, reached out and pulled it in.
The NCAA transfer portal, the zone of disappointment-fueled limbo that tends to get crowded in February and August, was truly irrelevant now. Hinton took a look but didn't leave.
"After the game, I did think about that," Hinton said. "And it definitely makes this moment more sweet."
Clawson now looks to next week's game at Rice – the second of three straight for his team on Friday, with a 1-0 record.
"We made a ton of mistakes tonight," he said. "Certainly, a part of me feels we didn't deserve to win that game. We gave up so many big plays on defense and our short-yardage offense was completely ineffective. I felt Utah State outplayed us. That's a really good team that is physical and we weren't moving them. But we beat them and were fortunate to do it."
No, traditionalists probably didn't stay up for the only thing that would have appeased them. In an era when former quarterbacks often reserve their fastest running for the dash through the transfer portal, Kendall Hinton stood out when he stuck around. And then, late Friday night, he jumped and delivered a 38-35 victory to Wake Forest. As a receiver.
"Aren't you glad you came back?" coach Dave Clawson asked his one-time starter after their team managed to upend an outstanding Utah State team that probably deserved better.
Hinton used to be in charge of this offense. At least on the field. Injuries and the arrival of two others changed those plans and left him with a choice: play quarterback elsewhere or remain at Wake Forest for a fifth year at a new position. Most people take the first option. Hinton took the road less – and almost never – traveled.
His tenure in the program wasn't even a guarantee that he'd be a frequent target of the guy who replaced him at QB, Jamie Newman. But there he was in the final offensive moments of what was looking like a brutal loss.
What was originally deemed a game-winning 71-yard touchdown catch and run by Sage Surratt with 1:55 to play was overturned on replay. The Deacs would have the ball on the Aggie 1 with four chances to punch it in.
"I thought that was a good thing," Clawson said. "You don't want to give the ball to (Aggies QB) Jordan Love with two minutes and three time outs. After first down, I thought it was a good thing and after second down, I wasn't so sure. And after third, I was like, 'Man, I wish he had gotten in.' "
At that point, the frustration factor was immense. The Deacs had already struggled inside the Utah State 5, having turned three opportunities into a total of three points. One of the failures was almost immediately mitigated by an interception and an offensive touchdown on the first play thereafter, but that was of little consolation as Wake Forest lined up for fourth down. Was all of this – one of the best offensive performances in school history, an electric opening-night crowd, the enthusiasm built up by three straight bowl-winning seasons – about to end with a thud?
Clawson admitted he was about fed up.
"I was getting ready to go to the press conference and say something like, 'If you can't get one yard, you don't deserve to win,'" he said.
Hinton, meanwhile, pondered an opportunity.
"Who doesn't want to be in that position?" he asked, preferring the half-full glass.
Surratt looked at Newman in the huddle and saw the same attitude.
"He was smiling," Surratt said. "Not worried at all."
The pass was probably a bit underthrown, but the two Aggies in the vicinity didn't see it in time to disrupt it. Hinton leaped, reached out and pulled it in.
The NCAA transfer portal, the zone of disappointment-fueled limbo that tends to get crowded in February and August, was truly irrelevant now. Hinton took a look but didn't leave.
"After the game, I did think about that," Hinton said. "And it definitely makes this moment more sweet."
Clawson now looks to next week's game at Rice – the second of three straight for his team on Friday, with a 1-0 record.
"We made a ton of mistakes tonight," he said. "Certainly, a part of me feels we didn't deserve to win that game. We gave up so many big plays on defense and our short-yardage offense was completely ineffective. I felt Utah State outplayed us. That's a really good team that is physical and we weren't moving them. But we beat them and were fortunate to do it."
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