Deacon Sports Xtra: Despite Record-Setting Season, Offense Continuing to Evolve
8/9/2022 10:52:00 AM | Football, Les Johns
“The guys have been working hard and it’s a mature team. If we do our job day-in and day-out, we’ll have success.” - Sam Hartman
The last five seasons have been the most prolific offensively in Wake Forest Football history, with the Demon Deacons setting program records in points per game each of the last two seasons.
All the pieces were there in 2021 for offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero to engineer an offense that scored a staggering 41.0 points a game — good for fourth best in all of college football.
On paper, it's hard to imagine the Wake Forest offensive machine slowing down in 2022, which returns somewhere between seven and 11 starters, depending on how you decide to count.
With turning the page from the 2021 mantra of 'Good to Great,' to the 'Mindset' focus on 2022, it's complacency that the Deacs will need to fend off in the coming months in effort to score at the same clip this season as last.
"When you have the year we had, we won a lot of high-scoring games, people are going to spend time studying our offense," Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said. "When there are expectations to maintain, you have to be better. You have to hope there's no complacency."
Returning quarterback Sam Hartman accounted for 50 touchdowns last season, 39 passing and 11 rushing. That's a number that's only been achieved by three ACC quarterbacks: Hartman, Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson (the year he won the Heisman Trophy).
"Complacency can be found anywhere when you've found some success," Hartman said. "For myself, it's making sure to avoid chasing the big, highlight-reel play. You can get caught up in that, or trying to win the game by yourself. It's just about doing your own job.
"The guys have been working hard and it's a mature team. If we do our job day-in and day-out, we'll have success."
Perhaps just as important is the offensive line returning tasked with protecting Hartman and providing gaps for the stable of running backs. Although Zach Tom was gobbled up in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers, the return of 2020 starter Je'Vionte' Nash means the Demon Deacons essentially have five starters returning. The presumed starting offensive line of Nash, Loic Ngassam Nya, Michael Jurgens, Sean Maginn and DeVonte Gordon is composed of three redshirt seniors, a redshirt junior and a redshirt sophomore. They enter the 2022 season with a combined 102 career starts.
"We have to treat it as a one-week season," Jurgens said. "It's that mindset we played with all last year. We didn't go out to any of those games automatically expecting to score all of those points. It's just a part of all the work we put in last season, with film study and the coaches helping us out. This offseason we've done much the same, so hopefully the stars align and everything works out.
"It can always get better. We weren't perfect and we certainly left points on the field. There's that constant pursuit of perfection."
The three-headed running back monster from 2021 has two returners, Christian Turner and Justice Ellison, who combined for 1,047 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
"As always, we want to be a balanced offense, so we have to be able to run the ball," Wake Forest running back coach John Hunter said. "We hang our hat on that. If all you can get on the play is what is blocked for, you might as well hand it to me. You don't want to see that. We're looking for guys who can extend plays and get more than what is blocked for. Those expectations never change here."
At tight end, Brandon Chapman has departed, but Blake Whiteheart was in a nearly 50/50 time split in 2021 and has established himself as a top-five Wake Forest player in terms of pure strength.
"We always talk about the one-week mentality," Whiteheart said. "It really comes down to a decision every day when you wake up. Are you going to get better or are you going to get worse? Keep stacking those days and you will find success.
"But as captains, we have to get 120-130 guys all on that same wavelength. This is the most prepared we've been, and the most guys we've had on board and ready to go."
Then at receiver, although Jaquarii Roberson is currently in a camp with the Dallas Cowboys, returning are All-ACC preseason selection A.T. Perry along with Taylor Morin, Ke'Shawn Williams and Jahmal Banks. On the opposite side of Perry will be Donavon Greene, returning from missing last season due to an ACL tear.
Needless to say, there are weapons aplenty for Hartman this season, but even that won't be enough without the proper focus from the offense.
"There are times in my career where you think you have all the parts, but just something is missing," Clawson said. "We have to stay competitive and hungry. We're not just going to show up and score 40 points again. It's going to be hard."
All the pieces were there in 2021 for offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero to engineer an offense that scored a staggering 41.0 points a game — good for fourth best in all of college football.
On paper, it's hard to imagine the Wake Forest offensive machine slowing down in 2022, which returns somewhere between seven and 11 starters, depending on how you decide to count.
With turning the page from the 2021 mantra of 'Good to Great,' to the 'Mindset' focus on 2022, it's complacency that the Deacs will need to fend off in the coming months in effort to score at the same clip this season as last.
"When you have the year we had, we won a lot of high-scoring games, people are going to spend time studying our offense," Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said. "When there are expectations to maintain, you have to be better. You have to hope there's no complacency."
Returning quarterback Sam Hartman accounted for 50 touchdowns last season, 39 passing and 11 rushing. That's a number that's only been achieved by three ACC quarterbacks: Hartman, Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson (the year he won the Heisman Trophy).
"Complacency can be found anywhere when you've found some success," Hartman said. "For myself, it's making sure to avoid chasing the big, highlight-reel play. You can get caught up in that, or trying to win the game by yourself. It's just about doing your own job.
"The guys have been working hard and it's a mature team. If we do our job day-in and day-out, we'll have success."
Perhaps just as important is the offensive line returning tasked with protecting Hartman and providing gaps for the stable of running backs. Although Zach Tom was gobbled up in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers, the return of 2020 starter Je'Vionte' Nash means the Demon Deacons essentially have five starters returning. The presumed starting offensive line of Nash, Loic Ngassam Nya, Michael Jurgens, Sean Maginn and DeVonte Gordon is composed of three redshirt seniors, a redshirt junior and a redshirt sophomore. They enter the 2022 season with a combined 102 career starts.
"We have to treat it as a one-week season," Jurgens said. "It's that mindset we played with all last year. We didn't go out to any of those games automatically expecting to score all of those points. It's just a part of all the work we put in last season, with film study and the coaches helping us out. This offseason we've done much the same, so hopefully the stars align and everything works out.
"It can always get better. We weren't perfect and we certainly left points on the field. There's that constant pursuit of perfection."
The three-headed running back monster from 2021 has two returners, Christian Turner and Justice Ellison, who combined for 1,047 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
"As always, we want to be a balanced offense, so we have to be able to run the ball," Wake Forest running back coach John Hunter said. "We hang our hat on that. If all you can get on the play is what is blocked for, you might as well hand it to me. You don't want to see that. We're looking for guys who can extend plays and get more than what is blocked for. Those expectations never change here."
At tight end, Brandon Chapman has departed, but Blake Whiteheart was in a nearly 50/50 time split in 2021 and has established himself as a top-five Wake Forest player in terms of pure strength.
"We always talk about the one-week mentality," Whiteheart said. "It really comes down to a decision every day when you wake up. Are you going to get better or are you going to get worse? Keep stacking those days and you will find success.
"But as captains, we have to get 120-130 guys all on that same wavelength. This is the most prepared we've been, and the most guys we've had on board and ready to go."
Then at receiver, although Jaquarii Roberson is currently in a camp with the Dallas Cowboys, returning are All-ACC preseason selection A.T. Perry along with Taylor Morin, Ke'Shawn Williams and Jahmal Banks. On the opposite side of Perry will be Donavon Greene, returning from missing last season due to an ACL tear.
Needless to say, there are weapons aplenty for Hartman this season, but even that won't be enough without the proper focus from the offense.
"There are times in my career where you think you have all the parts, but just something is missing," Clawson said. "We have to stay competitive and hungry. We're not just going to show up and score 40 points again. It's going to be hard."
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