What They Are Saying: Duke

11/29/2024 2:15:00 PM | Football

Hear what the Demon Deacons are saying going into the Duke game on Saturday.

By: KJ Smith and Kaitlyn Stocum

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Following a hard-fought battle on the road against Miami, the Wake Forest football team will end their 2024 regular season by hosting their Big Four rival Duke, at Allegacy Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for noon and will be streamed live on ACC Network.

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
"I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving week. Deacon Nation, all of our students, and especially the members of the press: Just to recap the Miami game, I was really proud of how hard we competed. If you had told me that this would be a six-point game in the fourth quarter, I probably would have taken that and liked our odds. Unfortunately, in the fourth quarter, we made some critical mistakes that allowed the game to slip away from us. I believe the game was much more competitive than what the final score indicated. But credit to Miami; they've done that to a lot of teams.They fell behind against Cal, and their performance was very similar to their game with Duke. Miami has a "fourth quarter button" they can hit and they've been really good in the fourth quarter this year. Our defense got a number of stops, and we had excellent field position on several drives in the second half, but we just never capitalized. Looking ahead to Duke, this will be our last home game and an in-state rivalry. It's Senior Day, and there's no better way to finish out our season than with a win against our big-four rival, Duke. I want to say that Manny (Diaz) and his staff have done an amazing job in year one. Mike (Elko) did a good job building the program, and they had a number of players leave when Mike went to A&M. Manny has done a phenomenal job. Sometimes, when you get your second head coaching job, you do it better because you can reflect on what you did right and what you would do differently. I would guess that Rhett Lashlee at SMU will probably be the ACC Coach of the Year, but Manny deserves consideration for that honor as well; he has done a great job. It really starts with their defense. They have generated 25 turnovers this year, which ranks second or third in the country. They are very disruptive at all three levels of the defense. Their defensive ends, Williams and Anthony, are both very effective. They also have a strong secondary, with a variety of schemes they execute well. They have a clear defensive philosophy, and they don't give up a lot of yards or points. They are exceptional on third down and rank as the best in the country in red zone defense, having allowed the fewest red zone touchdowns in the nation. Teams score touchdowns less than half the time against them in the red zone, and that's not an accident. They have an excellent plan down there defensively. Murphy has been a solid quarterback for them, throwing a beautiful deep ball. It helps when you have receivers like Moore and Panol on the outside—both are top-tier players. They are graduate students and have been there for several years; they were recruited by David Cutcliffe. It's impressive that those players have thrived through three different coaching regimes. They also have a running back out of the portal, Star Thomas, who has been a strong performer with 750 yards. They lost a player, Waters, to NC State, which I thought would be a significant loss for them. However, Star Thomas has stepped up as a good player. It seems like anyone who picked up an offensive player from New Mexico State last year is having a good season, which must be exciting for those programs. Everyone is closely analyzing their roster again this year, especially considering what those players have achieved at Vanderbilt and Duke. They obviously had a solid scheme and talent at New Mexico State. Again, it's Senior Day. We'll have a list to recognize our seniors. Between the COVID year and redshirting due to injuries, it's easy to lose track of who qualifies as a senior. Hopefully, in two years we can return to a straightforward approach: these are the seniors in their last year of eligibility. I plan to spend about a half hour before the game recognizing the 36 players who will be honored, but we may need to change our approach in the future. In fairness to the players, if they've spent four years here—even if they have two years of eligibility left—some of them aren't completely sure about returning. The focus remains on this week and this game, striving to finish on a high note against a rival, and then we will address all those other matters next week."

On the impact of WR Taylor Morin
"Taylor has had a really interesting career. His first year here was 2019, and he was part of the team that redshirted that season. He didn't play, but he saw what was possible in this offense. That year is one I look back on and think about what could have been. We were 6-1 and ranked in the country, but then we lost Scotty against NC State and Sage against Virginia Tech, along with Kendall. When you look back at that team, Kenneth Walker was our tailback, Kendall Hinton—now a professional—was our slot receiver, and Scotty Washington and Sage Surratt, both of whom are professionals, were our outside receivers. Zach Tom was our center. I mean, that was a really good team. Throughout the COVID year, Taylor learned about leadership from guys like Luke Masterson and others. In 2021, when we lost Donnie, Taylor jumped to the outside and started for us all year, serving as a very effective outside receiver. He's close to breaking the all-time yardage and reception records. He would need an outstanding game to achieve that, but he has had a phenomenal career. He's been the same person every day. Early in his career, he struggled with injuries, but he has learned what it takes to stay healthy. Jasheen Davis has also had a great career here. He ranks second on the TFL list. Devonte Gordon is another player; after an injury in 2021, he became our starting right tackle and has been a model of consistency for us through 2021, 2022, 2023, and now into 2024. Kendron Wayman has had a really good career. Evan Slocum has also excelled; he's a versatile player and has contributed on special teams. Last year, we didn't have him play corner in the Syracuse game. Cam Hite has performed admirably as well. He has played a lot of football for us over the last three years. I always remember the touchdown he scored against Vanderbilt in 2022 and how upset Blake Whiteheart was that he wasn't in for that play. I told Blake that Cam is from Tennessee, and we wanted to get him a touchdown, and he replied, "I'm kidding." It just so happened that he was in there. We've had a lot of good players from the 2019 team who helped us navigate through the COVID year and were key contributors when we hit our peak in 2021 and 2022. Because they experienced those years, they understand what this program can achieve and the level we want to return to."

On the departure of UNC Head Coach Mack Brown
"I like Mack. I get along well with Dave Doeren, and I always had a good rapport with Cutcliffe. However, we didn't play North Carolina every year, so there were a lot of years when we didn't face them. It seemed easier for the Wake and North Carolina coaches to be friendly, while the Duke and State coaches could be friendly for the same reason. Those teams didn't play each other. In the old days, when you'd go up to ESPN, Cutcliffe and Dave would fly up together while Larry and I flew up together. It was fine; most years, you didn't play them. So, even though it's a rivalry, it doesn't feel as intense when you don't compete against a team every year. Because I've been in the league for such a long time and have coached for an extended period, Mack and I were the two coaches who have coached the most games as head coaches. Due to that, we often approached ACC meetings from similar perspectives. We developed a friendship, and I like him a lot. He's good for college football. It's just unfortunate—nowadays, it seems people never get to leave on their own terms, and that's part of the business. I understand that, but when it's someone you like and respect, you wish it could have ended differently. I don't know everything that goes on there, but I have a lot of respect for Bubba; he's a great athletic director and a friend, and the world of Mack. However, when you've been in this profession as long as I have, and he has even longer, you start to think about what's next. I'm sure we'll remain friends, and it will probably be easier to have conversations now that we're not recruiting the same players or coaching against each other."

On Brown's impact on college football
"I believe there's a new generation of head coaches who have entered this profession primarily for the money and view players in a very transactional manner. In contrast, I genuinely believe Mack cares about his players. Whether he had the right offense or defense isn't as important as his heartfelt commitment to the job. When he talks about loving the job because he enjoys having lunch with a young man and helping him through problems, that resonates deeply. Unfortunately, a certain percentage of head coaches today might say something like that, but everyone knows it's just for show. With Mack, that's really how he is wired. He values his relationships with players and truly cares about them. I know the recent developments in college football, particularly with the rise of a more transactional approach, have frustrated him. Some of the new head coaches who've come up in this environment are likely more aligned with this trend, which has become a much more transactional profession. We understand that reality. Next week we'll learn a lot about it here regarding revenue sharing. But when we got into coaching—whether it was 36 years ago for me or 45 or 50 years ago for him—people need to realize that back then, coaches didn't make significant money. Coaches entered this profession almost like teachers. Many people chose coaching as either a path for education or as a vocation, and they never did it with the goal of making money. Even though we earn more now and none of us have turned down that compensation, our heart and soul for why we entered coaching hasn't changed. That's why my favorite parts of the job are the relationships, the moments, and the memories—those moments become memories because of the relationships you build. You're doing things with people you truly care about and are invested in, developing long-term connections. At Fordham, during our first year, we went 0-11, but four years later, we won 10 games with that same group that had endured those tough times together. That's what makes coaching rewarding. Winning the Military Bowl in 2016 and the Belk Bowl in 2017 against Texas A&M—with a team that had gone 3-9 the previous years—was incredible. John Wolford, Cam Serigne, and all those guys shared that adventure, and going through the whole process with them was special. To me, the memory of the Belk Bowl isn't just about holding the trophy after beating Texas A&M; it's all those moments in the locker room afterward, hugging a player who tells you he loves you, and you telling him you love him back—that's what's meaningful. I mean, John Wolford was on the sidelines with us during the Miami game, and seeing him was just amazing. I said, "Get over here!" He gave me a handshake, and I told him, "We don't handshake, John; we hug!" I love that aspect of the job, and that's what Mack loved about it as well. You can still appreciate that part of coaching, but there won't be as many opportunities for it moving forward. It's just the direction in which things are headed. Many players now, if they don't have the exact role they want by years two or three, are likely to leave. In some cases, that works out for them, and in others, it doesn't. I believe that with a lot of the players who left, if they had just stayed one more year and been patient, their roles here would have probably aligned with what they wanted."

On what Senior Day means to him
"Senior Day is significant. It's more than just the moment of Devonte Gordon walking down the line, shaking hands, and receiving hugs from the president. That's just one part of it. After Senior Day is over, reflecting on players like Kendall Hinton, back to all the challenges we faced together. When he walks down that line with a big smile on his face and says, "I didn't think we'd ever get here. Did you, Coach?" I can honestly say, "No, but I'm really glad we did."After Senior Day, not all players evoke the same emotions in me. While I appreciate the transfers we brought in, and many of them were here for just one year, the depth of relationship isn't the same. I'm grateful to those guys for trusting us with their final year. But for players like Taylor Morin and Devonte Gordon, who gave us six years, or Michael Kern, who is one of the most unselfish players I've ever coached, I do get a little emotional seeing them realize this is it. This is the last time. Even though we stay in touch with many of them, it's never the same; it's forever different."

On retaining players with the portal
"Those are unknowns, right? We've never dealt with a portal situation alongside revenue sharing in the history of college athletics. We'll find out more about these dynamics in the next two, three, or four weeks. College football coaches and athletic directors are facing a brave new frontier, and we'll all be going through this together for the first time. I'm sure it won't be boring."

On managing turnovers against Duke
"We manage every game differently. Miami had the number one offense in the country. To me, if we could make first downs and stay on the field to give ourselves a chance to win, that was the approach. Duke is a different team; they rely more on their defense and winning the turnover battle. Each game presents its own unique situation and strategy. Unless you're clearly better than every opponent—which we were not in 2021—we have to analyze our strengths compared to theirs and identify the path to victory for each game.The path to win this game is different from the one against Miami and will be different again from the one against North Carolina. So, while some elements may remain the same, I'm not going to announce our game plan during a Tuesday press conference. Duke is a good football team; they are 8-3 and extremely well-coached. As I mentioned earlier, Manny and his staff have done a phenomenal job. They win close games, create turnovers, and excel in all those little things that help you win in the margins. This will be a challenging game; they have the opportunity to finish 9-3. When I first arrived, that's where Duke was, but they have transformed into a different team. They have 15 transfers in their two-deep roster on offense and defense. Ten years ago, Duke likely couldn't have acquired transfers like that. Clearly, they have adjusted very well to modern football over the last three years. They have a quarterback who came from Texas, along with several Ivy League players as graduate students on the O-line. They have good players; some of these players were recruited by David Cutcliffe, and they have been very effective. Again, they've done an excellent job of evaluating their base and adding to it intelligently."

On the character of this season
"In some ways, this season feels a bit like 2015 when we faced the elite teams. We've played three top-10 teams this year, and even though the Miami game was more competitive than the score indicates, those top-10 matchups have not been as competitive overall. We dominated our FCS game, and every other game has been a one-score game, which highlights where we are. I believe we are certainly much more competitive than we were last year. Every year, the schedule is unpredictable, but obviously Ole Miss is a really good team. Out of the top three teams in the ACC, we faced two of them. Last year, we were at the bottom of the league, struggling to be competitive. We won just one ACC game and often weren't competitive at all. Looking at this season, though, we've been in many more games. The disappointment lies in not finding ways to win more of them. It feels like every game I've managed this year involved either a score, a lead, or managing the clock in the fourth quarter. In contrast, during last year's games—Florida State, Notre Dame, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech—you could name any of those games, and they were all over with 20 minutes left. So, I do believe we are more competitive and a better team than we were last year. Right now, the record may not reflect that, but our competitiveness in those games has improved. That being said, it's not much consolation; there's a significant difference between being in year 11 versus year two."

On getting back into bowl games
"The thought process, again, is to look at it holistically. What we did is develop an excellent "mousetrap" to win at Wake Forest. Our seven-year run could be argued as the best in the history of Wake Forest football since we joined the ACC in 1953. The last two years have been extremely challenging for reasons I've discussed previously. However, we're going to get back to a more even playing field with revenue sharing. We need to figure out our mousetrap in this new era of college football. I'm excited because we won't be as much behind the eight ball. Whether fans or writers believe this or not, to say that name, image, and likeness (NIL) money doesn't matter in college football right now is simply unrealistic. Look at the teams competing for national championships and playoffs; all of those schools are very well-funded. Starting next year, we will be on a much more level playing field. When I took the job, I always said that as long as we have 85 scholarships and they have 85, all those other little differences don't bother me. As long as we have 85 and they have 85, I truly believe we can be competitive and find a way to compete for championships and consistently go to bowl games. The last two years have made this more challenging, and many people across the country in similar situations have faced the same difficulties. With revenue sharing, it won't be completely even, but the disparities we've seen over the past two years will be reduced. So how do we figure out our mousetrap starting next year in this new environment? There's been more change in college football in the last two years than probably in the previous 50. I accept criticism; as the head coach, people can rightfully say I haven't handled this well or haven't adapted. That criticism is fair. The only thing I would argue is that adapting is really hard without sufficient resources. Thanks to John Currie and our president, I believe we'll be in much better shape moving forward.

On changes going into the offseason
"It's going to have to be wholesale, right? We're going to have a completely different budget than we've had before, which reflects the new nature of college athletics. We want to retain most of our football team, but the retention aspect is only part of it now. It's also about finding players and adding the right people in the right spots while maintaining the integrity of Wake Forest. Our APR score is still going to be important here, and GPA matters to me. Most people don't care about graduation rates, but I still do. This doesn't mean we can't compensate players—players are going to be paid, and they will make a lot of money. However, I believe that our degree and education must factor into the equation; otherwise, there's nothing that distinguishes us from other programs. We still need to emphasize the value of what the institution represents, and alongside that, we must be competitive in the marketplace regarding what we offer in compensation. I always feel like when I delve into this subject, I risk being misquoted or misconstrued, which bothers me. People may say, "The coach said this," but no, I believe we can compete and win. At the same time, the last two years have been incredibly challenging, but I truly believe brighter days are ahead."

On how the personnel affects the offseason approach
"Well, that's always the essence of coaching, right? What you do is dictated by who you do it with. Retaining some of our key players—like Demond Claiborne, Luke Petitbon, and Matt Gublin—is going to be crucial. At the same time, to replace players like Jasheen Davis and Kendron Wayman, we need to be out there looking for talent and be very aggressive and competitive in our offers and recruitment to strengthen that side of the ball. We're fully aware of our issues and know what we need to do to address them. The great unknown, however, is what the marketplace will look like."

Senior Defensive Lineman Jasheen Davis
On what Wake Forest means to him
"First and foremost, I just want to thank Coach Clawson for even giving me the opportunity to come to a university like this. Me being here five years now, I feel like I've faced a lot of adversity, but I feel like it shaped me into who I am today. I'm thankful for the journey that I've been through at Wake. I feel like when it's time to go to the next level, I feel like they prepared me in terms of what the real world is like. Just being able to have a true Wake Forest experience and to become an alumni, it's truly a blessing. I'm thankful that I've even made it this far and just be in the position that I am in today."

On his career at Wake Forest
"When I first got here, it was the first time living out of state and meeting new people and being on my own. The fact that it was Covid, I would say it set me back a little bit only because I didn't get the opportunity to get involved or get used to the Wake Forest culture. I came in a little later than expected. The first couple of years at Wake, despite the circumstances I was in, I feel like I made the most out of it, going from bowl games to the ACC Championship. I'm just thankful that I even got the chance to experience playing in the championship environment. Just throughout the years, I feel like I've grown as a football player and as a teammate. I've been here and I wouldn't change anything for the world."

On Duke
"I'm seeing that they're a pretty simple offense. They run a lot of zones and a lot of counters. They like to take a lot of deep shots. Just being able to stop their run and make them one-dimensional is important, I feel like it'll be in our favor. Their quarterback transferred from Texas and I know he can throw a really good deep ball, so just being able to put pressure on him and play some really good team defense is key. It's something that we need to take into account to be able to win the game."

On what's changed since being at Wake and what he hopes for Wake Forest after he leaves for the next level
"In terms, I wouldn't say that too much has changed other than the coaching staff. When coach came in, the first thing he talked about was brotherhood and playing with and for a purpose. I feel like having that instilled and embedded in my mindset every day is something that I feel like led to growth. I would say that's something that's changed. After my time is up, I would just encourage the guys to still play for each other. I feel like Coach Lambert is a great coach in terms of his philosophy and what he believes in and what he tries to preach to us. So just being able to take that and make it applicable to the way we play football here as a defense and just continue to turn each other into well-rounded human beings."

Senior Defensive Back Evan Slocum
On what's going through his mind headed into his last game
"Going into this game, I'm just really grateful for the career I had here. I'm just really hoping that we can get this win so I'll go out with a bang."

On how he's trying to coach the guys as a leader on the defense
"I just really try to keep them up. I know it's really hard, especially for the freshmen that just came in. They're not really used to having a losing season like last year. That was our first losing season in a while, but I'm just trying to keep the guys up and motivated."

On how the team feels over the last month
"Coach Lambert does a really good job of just keeping us looking forward and having that mentality of rinse and repeat. Really just rinsing the losses away and getting ready for the next challenge so we can execute the game plan and go out and get the win."

Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Taylor Morin
On how he feels going into his last game as a Demon Deacon
"I don't know how to put it into words. I don't think it's really hit me yet. I'm just focused on the process at this point, getting into my routine, and making sure that I'm not treating this game any differently from a routine and preparation standpoint."

On how fast his career has gone by
"It really has flown by, I'd say, especially this season. It's funny because so many former players are like, 'enjoy it, it goes by in the blink of an eye,' and there's a lot of truth to that. I just have to soak it all in and make sure that I cherish every last second."

On when he thinks the emotions will hit him
"That I don't know. It could be when I'm out on the field with my family for senior day. It could be the day of the game, the night before the game, day after, or week after. I couldn't tell you, but I'm just super thankful and blessed to have the opportunity to go out there and do it one more time."

On how to fix the mistakes on offense
"This week, we're just harping on turnovers. No turnovers, right. Duke has done a really good job defensively causing turnovers and it's a big part of the reason why they're 8-3. For us, it's all about taking care of the ball, and if we can do that, we have a good chance."

On what keeps the team going
"This morning, just talking to the team, my message was anytime we're out here, we're going to compete and we're not going to quit. We're going to give everything we've got. It doesn't matter if we're 4-7, 11-0, or 0-11. It's just the way that a lot of us were brought up. We're playing the game that we love and it's another opportunity to go out there and compete at a very high level. Granted, it's not for all the marbles, it's not for a bowl game. But, at the end of the day, we're all playing the game we love. It's a lot of our dreams to get to this point and it's not an opportunity that we can waste, especially for us guys that it's our last opportunity in college at least. That's kind of the mentality going into this game."