What They Are Saying: Miami

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – After a difficult conference loss at North Carolina, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons look to bounce back on the road against the ninth-ranked Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 23. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN.

Ahead of their matchup, the Deacs met with the media to discuss the matchup and the other news around the Wake Forest program.

Head Coach Dave Clawson
Opening statement
"Wrapping up the Carolina game, I want to say how much I love the effort our players give. I love the fight they show consistently, week after week, but effort alone isn't enough to win football games against good teams. As I told the team on Monday, I appreciate their hard work and commitment, and I never want to take those things for granted. But to beat good teams, we need a level of detail and execution that we didn't demonstrate against Carolina. We had three turnovers in the second half that directly led to 14 points. In a seven-point game, that's the difference. While we did get seven points back on a turnover, we also committed four pre-snap penalties—two false starts, a center flinch, and an illegal formation. In three of those cases, the pre-snap penalties killed our drives. Even with all that, we opened the second half with a drive that tied the game at 10–10, giving us a chance to seize momentum. But two plays later, we missed tackles, and it was 17–10. Even after that, our defense came up with four or five key stops in the third and fourth quarters, giving the offense chances to tie the game, but we couldn't capitalize. An illegal formation penalty and a face mask on their side of the field made it first-and-25, and that was a killer. North Carolina is a good football team. They've improved on defense, and their running back is exceptional. Allowing 250–260 rushing yards isn't acceptable, but credit to him—he's a really good back. I thought our guys tried to tackle him hard, and we had some big hits, but he broke too many tackles. At the end of the day, they outplayed us. Moving on to Miami, the challenge doesn't get any easier. Their head coach, Mario Cristobal, is someone I've known for over 20 years. I first met him when he was a GA and tight ends coach at Rutgers, and I was very impressed with him even back then. He's had a great career as a head coach, doing an incredible job at Oregon and really getting that program going. Now, at Miami, which is near and dear to his heart—having grown up there, played there, and now coaching there—he's done a phenomenal job. This is his third year at Miami, and they're 9–1, the highest-ranked team in the ACC. Their offense is number one in the country in scoring, total offense, passing offense, and third-down conversions. They also have the number one defense in the ACC. They've embraced college football in 2024 with 22 transfers in their two-deep roster. Similar to Florida State last year, they've done an excellent job evaluating and selecting transfers. They've hit on the right players while also recruiting well out of high schools. Their star running back, Restrepo, is a homegrown talent who's been with them the whole time, but the real difference-maker is their quarterback. It's amazing how college football journeys play out. Their quarterback started at Incarnate Word for two years, then spent two years at Washington State. A lot of programs wanted him in the portal last year, and Miami did an outstanding job recruiting him. Whatever they did to get him has been well worth it. He's completing two-thirds of his passes, with 3,500 yards, 32 touchdowns, and only six interceptions. Their running back, Martinez, was a first-team All-Pac-12 player at Oregon State before transferring. The receiver group is extremely skilled—Restrepo is their go-to guy, but any of those receivers could start for almost any ACC team. Their tight end, Arroyo, is exceptional too. He runs like a wide receiver and has made plays outrunning defensive backs. Their offensive line is very experienced, with 114 career starts. Defensively, they've been just as impressive. It starts up front. This is a defensive front that I'd rank right up there with Ole Miss and Clemson. It's an elite group, and because of that, they're able to jump routes in the secondary and play aggressively at linebacker. They force you to throw the ball. They run a lot of what we call "bear" or "double-eagle" defense with frequent five-man pressures and a lot of press cover-one. Their linebacker, [Wesley] Bissainthe, is really impressive. His closing speed, body control, and ability as a space tackler are outstanding. They've also got a freshman corner who is going to be special. He's only started a few games, but the film already shows they've got a great one there. This will be a tough team to face. It's amazing—this is my 11th year at Wake Forest, and it's the first time I've coached against Miami. I think about all those years when they were struggling, and now we get them when they're 9–1. We play Florida State every year, but the one year they struggled, we didn't face them. This year, Miami—whether it's them, SMU, or Clemson—might end up as our league champion. Clearly, Miami is one of the elite teams in our league. It'll be a great challenge, but also a great opportunity for us."

On fixing mental errors like penalties and turnovers…
"When your sixth-year guys and fifth-year guys are making those mistakes, you have to take a hard look in the mirror. For example, the false start on the 19-yard line was by a sixth-year player. Two penalties were on a fifth-year senior captain. Part of the value of experience is that those are the players who shouldn't be making those errors. As I told the team, every single player in that room is someone I recruited. Every college practice they've had has been with me as their head coach, so ultimately, I'm responsible for that. Sometimes, things happen that you don't see coming. That's why I keep emphasizing the effort and how hard we play—I love that about our team. But when you look at this season, we've won three one-score games and lost four one-score games. The Cal game didn't end as a one-score game, but in my mind, it was essentially one. It's always the little details that make the difference. For instance, we had a sixth-year receiver who stopped running on a post route. If he keeps running, maybe it's a touchdown. Instead, the very next play is a pick-six. If you finish the previous play, who knows how the game turns out? When it's a one-score game, you always go back to those individual plays and penalties. It's not about a lack of effort, caring, or desire, but in those critical times, we have to be more disciplined. What's frustrating is that the penalties came from players who are usually our most disciplined. When that happens, you have to look at yourself first."

On energy and focus in the locker room…
"I would say this team is different from last year's team in that regard. It's the same group every day, and even when things don't go well, you always worry about losing guys. But that hasn't happened. Our practices are good—they're lively, and the guys are into it. We have a bunch of players in their last year of football who are, in the words of Warren Zevon, trying to 'enjoy every sandwich.' Then we've got some young players, like Davaughn Patterson, Rushaun Tongue, Micah Mays, and Deuce [Alexander], who are just excited to be playing for the first time. If you love football, you love football. Our leaders and captains have been as united as any group we've had. It helps that all six captains are playing well. Devonte Gordon is performing at a high level, Luke Petitbon is doing great, Taylor Morin is stepping up, Jasheen Davis probably had his best game of the year, Kevin Pointer is playing well, and Nick Andersen has had a really good season. They're engaged, they're good leaders, and they're setting the tone. The challenge of Miami is real—they're a really good football team—but I believe our guys will prepare well, go down there, and play hard. The key for us is executing for 60 minutes. Our issue this year hasn't been effort. Last year, after the Florida State and NC State games, I couldn't watch the film and say, 'Our guys gave everything they had.' That's not the case this year. They're playing really hard, but as head coach, I need to get them to play with more detail and execute at a higher level."

On improving pressure rate and confidence…
"Jasheen Davis got off to a slow start this year. During the last bye week, we challenged him. We said, 'You're not having the season we hoped for, and you've got three weeks to change that.' He's responded well. I thought he played his best game on Saturday. Kevin Pointer has been consistent all year, and Zach Lohavichan has also been playing great football. Branson Combs has really stepped up, too. If you look at the last two weeks, the final scores—30, 40 points—can be misleading. We've given up 35 points off turnovers. When you look solely at what the defense gave up against North Carolina, it was 17 points. If you hold North Carolina to 17 points, you should win the game. The offense scored 24 points, but when you subtract the 14 points lost to a pick-six and a fumble, we netted just 10 points offensively. That's not enough to win a game. I don't care about yards or points; I care about winning. When you don't take care of the football, you won't win. Looking back at the numbers, from 2016 to 2022, the worst our offense ranked in the ACC during that stretch was fourth. But only once in those years—2018—did we have a negative turnover margin. If you look at the years we struggled, like 2014 and 2015, we were a bad football team with a negative turnover margin. In 2016, we weren't much better in terms of talent, but we were plus-eight in turnover margin, and that allowed us to get to a bowl game and win it. As we got more talented and kept taking care of the football, that's when we became really good. Right now, we're not taking care of the football, and we're not playing with enough detail. That's why we've given up 35 points off turnovers. Ultimately, as the head coach, that falls on me. I don't run our offensive or defensive system—I oversee everything. But the one thing I'm adamant about is turnovers. When the main thing you emphasize is that "the ball is the program" and you're not taking care of it, it's extremely frustrating. Part of the issue comes when you fall behind in games. Third-and-long situations are where a lot of turnovers happen. We can't afford to fall behind; we've got to stay ahead of the sticks and avoid being down by multiple scores. When we're in trouble, it's because we've become pass-heavy."

On fixing mistakes headed into the final few weeks…
"I'm certainly going to try. That's my job. I can't stand up here and say, 'No, it's not possible.' We emphasize it every day. I'd bet if you went to practices at all the schools in the ACC, I'd bet we spend as much time emphasizing ball security as anyone. For six or seven years, the message got through. But part of the issue now is when you're not as talented or you play from behind more often, it creates riskier situations. Better teams don't turn the ball over as much because they play with the lead. In the second half, they run the ball more, play conservatively, and minimize turnover opportunities. We need to take care of the ball better, but we also need to manage game situations better to reduce those chances."

On some of the mistakes coming from seasoned players…
"Some of the mistakes are coming from guys like Devonte Gordon, who's been a great player for us since 2021. He had one false start. He's a really good player and has had a great season, but it's just one here, one there. The same goes for Luke Petitbon—he's had a great year but flinched on a snap once. These guys are playing well; they're not less dedicated or trying any less. Sometimes players are trying too hard. Devonte, for example, was trying to get a jump on the snap to avoid a speed rush. Our center has a lot of responsibility in our offense with calling out fronts. The turnovers, though, have primarily come from one position—the quarterback—and that's just the nature of football. Two of Michael's interceptions were on him. North Carolina ran a coverage we call "one rat," where a linebacker bails out to play the middle. Against man coverage, you have to throw either before the rat gets there or after he clears. Michael threw it directly to the rat, despite us practicing that scenario. That's on him. The other interception was on Horatio [Fields]. He has to keep that route outside. It's a route where we go in and then fade out. One reason we recruit taller receivers—6'2", 6'3", 6'4"—is for back-shoulder throws. Horatio was matched up against a shorter corner, and all week in practice, we worked on staying outside. But in the heat of the moment, he took the path of least resistance and went inside. That turnover was on the route, not the quarterback. What happens is you have all these one-offs, and when you accumulate them, it looks like a mess. Ultimately, though, that always falls on the head coach."

Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Taylor Morin
On the Miami game
"I'm really excited. It's a great opportunity to beat a really good football team. They are ranked 11th in the country. They've played a lot of close games and they're obviously a really good football team, but as a competitor, this is a chance to go down there in a really cool venue and knock those guys off."

On what gives him confidence that the team will play well this weekend
"It's football. As a team in the ACC, you have to show up every week, and they've played in a lot of one score games. They've played a lot of similar opponents that we have faced and played close games with as well. You try not to compare and contrast scores, but at the same time, it's a very competitive league and we know that if we play our best brand of football, whether that's taking care of the ball on offense or not letting the ball get over our heads on defense, and being different in the kicking game and getting momentum, we can be really special."

On grasping the details needed to win
"The first thing that comes to mind is just inexperience. In some ways, we're an old football team at a lot of positions, but at the same time we also do have a lot of young guys that we're counting on. It's across the board. It's not just the young guys. Anytime it seems we're getting momentum, we just end up shooting ourselves in the foot, whether that's costly turnovers, penalties in the red zone, or whatever that might be. It's really frustrating because it's really hard to get that momentum, and in a lot of games we've started slow, so once we do start to capture that momentum, to shoot ourselves in the foot is just killing us. It's across the board, but at the same time, inexperience is one of the factors that plays into that."

On if there is time to fix the mistakes
"I mean, it's do or die. Our backs are against the wall and if we don't get it right now, we're not going to this season. That's just the reality of it to be blunt."

On how he's worked on fixing the mistakes with the wide receiver group
"It starts in practice. Creating those practice habits and trying to do your best to put yourself in the game when we're out on the practice field. It can be hard at times because we're a morning practice team. Some of the guys in our room haven't gone through an entire season where they're being counted on, so just trying to stress the importance of good practice habits, being sharp in the film room, and just those sorts of things and trying to put yourself in the game before you're even it has been my message."

Redshirt Senior Offensive Lineman DeVonte Gordon
On the shift in momentum over the last couple of weeks
"The easy answer is turnovers and penalties. That's kind of plagued us these past couple of weeks. We had a lot of momentum going into the past couple of weeks. We've got two games left and we're working as hard as ever to get that fixed now as we're going down to Miami."

On the turnovers and penalties
"I would just say experience. In those years where we were winning a lot of games, it was a team that was very veteran. It was a team that had a lot of snaps. The offensive line had 100 combined starts in 21 and 22 and things like that. We're not as veteran in the group as we were then. We're an older group, but not as many people have played and we've got new guys rotating in and out, and things like that. It's just a different feel going from practice to the game and it's a long season. It's kind of the thing that things go well in practice and you think that football is easy, but football never gets easy."

On fixing the mistakes to help get two wins down the stretch and make a bowl game
"We've been in a ton of one score games. If you look back at any of our games, we've had turnovers and penalties that have taken points off the board over and over again, whether that be in the red zone or whether that's putting the defense in a situation where it's hard for them to get the stop. Those games would look a lot different without those turnovers or penalties. It's easy to say it's as simple as fixing those mistakes, but that's why we're out at practice and that's the focus."

On maintaining focus against Miami
"It comes naturally because they are such a good team. But, the thing that I've loved about this team is that although we've struggled the past couple of weeks, although we struggled some early in the season, this team has never backed down. This team has never looked like we wanted to quit at any point. It's the same thing every week. We're tuning in on the turnovers right now, but it's the same thing that's been all season. This is a team that every time it gets hard, we put our nose to the ground and get back to work."

On the team's confidence heading into Miami
"We've played a lot of close games. Miami has played a lot of close games as well. They're a really good team and we are a really good team. Like I've said, turnovers and penalties have plagued us. We're a much better team than our record shows. That if we get those things fixed and when we get those things fixed, it'll really pay off. Miami is as good a team as anybody in the conference and the country. The focus is on playing like the Wake Forest team we know we should be."

On being a competitor
"If you're not a competitor, you shouldn't be playing this sport. Miami is the best, so those are the teams that you want to play. Those opportunities that you get to go play in a that stadium and go against maybe the best player in college football and a really good offense and defense, those are the moments you play the sport for."

Redshirt Senior Defensive Lineman Kevin Pointer Jr.
On losing momentum after the last few games…
"That's definitely brought us down a bit during practices, but we know it's all or nothing here through these next games. We're pushing hard in these practices and hoping we can come away with a win. We're focusing on not making mistakes because Miami is beatable, as we saw with Georgia Tech. We have to come out with full detail."

On improving defensive numbers…
"We've built more confidence, especially in the road wins we've had. The defense has been working hard and just becomes more and more confident each week. Seeing the numbers improve has definitely been helping us."

On containing Miami QB Cam Ward…
"We're going to do all that we can. We're going hard after the play and make sure he doesn't make some of the crazy plays that he usually does."

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Players Mentioned

Nick Andersen

Branson Combs

Jasheen Davis

DeVonte Gordon

Zach Lohavichan

Taylor Morin

Davaughn Patterson

Luke Petitbon

Kevin Pointer

Rushaun Tongue

Wake Forest Athletics