By the Numbers and Notes: NC A&T

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest football team hits the field for the first time in 2024 on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 7:00 p.m. against the NC A&T. Opening Night presented by the Winston-Salem Police has less than 500 tickets remaining. Be sure to claim your spot at Allegacy Stadium

Before the Deacs open their season against the Aggies, below are some numbers and notes on the game:

By the Numbers

18 - The Demon Deacons have won their last 18 games against FCS opponents, dating back to 2000.
53 - Not counting the 2020 COVID season, the Deacs have the third-most overall wins in the ACC since 2016, trailing just Clemson.
29.5 - Dating back to 2022, Jasheen Davis has recorded 29.5 tackles for loss in the last 17 games and 12.5 sacks. He has at least 0.5 tackles for loss in every game this season and in 20 of the last 21 games.
96 - Wake Forest's 96 passing touchdowns since the start of the 2021 season ranks ninth nationally and second in the ACC.
54 - The Deacs 54 All-ACC honors is tied for the sixth most overall in the ACC since the 2019 season. Additionally, the Deacs have had six or more players in the last seven seasons.

Clawson Era Home Openers

DEACS SEASON OPENERS: Over the last 13 years, Wake Forest is 10-3 in season openers including a 8-2 record in head coach Dave Clawson's tenure. Additionally, The Deacs hold a mark of 9-1 in home openers in the Clawson era.
SEPTEMBER STRONG: Since the start of the 2016 season, Wake Forest holds a record of 23-7 in September. This includes nine of 10 seasons in the Dave Clawson era with multiple wins in the month, the most recent coming in 2023 when the Deacs went 3-1 with the lone loss coming to Georgia Tech.

Winning the Third Phase

During the Dave Clawson era, Wake Forest has been the best team in the nation at converting field goals, connecting on 175-of-214 field goal attempts in the last 10 years (81.8 pct.) with the next closest being Utah at 81.4 percent. That margin has been even highest over the last five seasons since the start of the 2018 season:

Rk. Team                    FGM   FGA    FG PCT
1. Wake Forest         107      125      85.6
2. UNLV                   82        97        84.5
3. Miami (OH)           99        118      83.9
4. Boise St.                107      129      82.9
5. NC State                116      140      82.9

This season, Matthew Dennis was tied for 46th in the nation with 1.27 field goals made per game and tied for 63rd with 14 field goals made while also having a 70.0 FG pct.
With the help of punter Ivan Mora, the Demon Deacons were elite this season in punt coverage in 2023, ranking 20th nationally with 4.44 yards allowed on opponent attempts. His 21 punts inside of the 20 also ranked 19th nationally in 2023.

Home Field Advantage

With record-setting crowds, multiple sellouts and the best student attendance in school history, playing at home over the past five seasons has given Wake Forest a huge edge. The Demon Deacons hold a 23-7 (.767) record in home contests since the start of the 2019 season which included a program-record 11-game winning streak spanning from the 2020 to 2022 seasons. The 76.7 percent win rate ranks third in the ACC during that time period:

Rank               School              Wins    Losses Pct.
1                      Clemson           31        2          93.9
2                      NC State           27        7          79.4
3                      Wake               23        7          76.7
T4                    Louisville         23        9          71.9
T4                    N Carolina        23        9          71.9
6                      Florida St          22        10        68.8
7                      Pittsburgh         21        12        63.6
T8                    Virginia            20        12        62.5
T8                    Miami              20        12        62.5
10                    Va. Tech           19        12        61.3

Elite Passing Offense

A key to the Deacs scoring success has been the numbers that they have put up through the air in the last three seasons. Wake Forest is one of 24 schools nationally to throw for more than 10,500 yards in that time and ranks third in the ACC:

Teams                         GP       Passing Yds
1 SMU              39        11,668
2 North Carolina          40        11,535
3 Wake Forest 39        10,743
4 Pitt                            39        10,211
5 Miami                       37        10,076
• Additionally, the Demon Deacons have found the endzone through the air the second-most in the ACC team since the start of the 2021 season and their 96 passing touchdowns are the eighth most in the country:
Teams                        GP       Passing TDs
1 WKU            41        134
2 Ohio State                 39        114
T3 Alabama                 42        108
T3 SMU                       39        108
5 USC                          39        101
T6 Georgia                   44        99
T6 LSU                        40        99
T6 Oregon                    41        99
T9 Wake Forest          39        96
T9 Houston                  39        96

WINNINGEST PROGRAM IN NORTH CAROLINA

Since the turn of the century, the Demon Deacons boast a record of 32-26 against UNC, NC State and Duke. In addition, during that time, Wake Forest is 47-26 against all in-state opponents. The Deacs lead the Big Four in winning percentage against each other during that period.
Since the start of the 2016 season, the Deacs are the third-most wins in the ACC not counting the COVID-shortened 2020 season:
- Clemson -- 85
- NC State- 55
- Wake Forest -- 53
- Miami- 51
- Pitt- 50
Additionally in the Clawson era, the Deacs recorded the first, second, fifth, sixth and seventh highest win totals in a single five-year period and the current five-year period of 27 wins ranks just outside of this list:
- 38 (2017-21)
- 37 (2018-22)
- 36 (2004-08 & 2006-10)
- 35 (2019-23)
- 34 (2016-20)
- 33 (2015-19)
- 31 (1944-48)
- 30 (1940-44)

VETERAN EXPERIENCE

The 2024 Deacs' have a wealth of experience on the roster this season with 18 players entering their fifth year or higher. This includes 10 players either in their sixth or seventh years:
- DB Capone Blue
- OL DeVonte Gordon
- WR Taylor Morin
- QB Michael Kern
- QB Hank Bachmeier
- P Ivan Mora
- DL Justin Cody
- OL Keagan Trost
- DL Kevin Pointer
- TE Cameron Hite
Coming into the season, this group of 10 sixth and seventh-year guys have combined to play in 350 career games.

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE

One of the points of emphasis for the Wake Forest football team is winning the turnover battle. They have been one of the best teams in the country in that category since the start of the 2016 season.
In five of the last eight seasons, the Demon Deacons have finished inside of the top 25 in turnover margin while placing in the top three of ACC in each of those seasons.
Over the course of 2020-22, Wake Forest was +1 or better in turnover margin in 53 percent of games which ranked ninth nationally and fifth in the Power-5.
Over the past eight seasons, Wake Forest has a combined +31 turnover margin. This ranks 21st nationally over that time nationally and second in the ACC:

Rank                           TO Gained      TO Lost           TO Margin
1. Clemson                   193                  154                  +39
2. Wake Forest            167                  136                  +31
3. Cal                           157                   134                  +23
4. SMU                        159                   139                  +20
5. Boston College          164                  148                  +16

JD LIVING IN THE BACKFIELD

According to PFF, Jasheen Davis goes into the season ranked second nationally in career quarterback pressures with 106 in his Wake Forest career, just one off the lead:

Rank                           School              Pressures
1. B.J. Green II             Colorado          107
2. Jasheen Davis          Wake Forest    106
3. Tyler Baron               Miami              105
4. Davin Vann              NC State           103
5. Tyler Batty                BYU                101

Overall for the 2023 season, Jasheen Davis has recorded 49 tackles, ranking 10th nationally with 17.0 tackle-for-loss and ranking 25th nationally with 7.5 sacks.
- According to PFF, Davis was 14th in the nationally with 29 quarterback hurries.
Davis has now recorded at least 0.5 tackles-for-loss in the 20 of his last 21 games.
Over his last 17 games dating back to last season, Davis has collected 29.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks.
With 7.5 sacks in 2023, Davis has now tallied 20.0 sacks in his career and that ranks fifth in program history:

Wake Forest Career Sacks
1. Mike McCrary (1989-92)                   30.0
2. Calvin Pace (1999-02)                       29.0
3. Duke Ejiofor (2014-17)                      23.5
4. Carlos Basham, Jr. (2017-20)             20.5
5. Jasheen Davis (2020-Present)          20.0

Additionally, Davis has 38.5 tackles for loss and needs just 0.5 tackles for loss to move to ninth in program history:

Wake Forest Career Tackles for Loss
1. Calvin Pace (1999-02)                       54
2. Nikita Whitlock (2010-13)                 49
3. Mike McCrary (1989-92)                   46
4. Aaron Curry (2005-08)                      45.5
5. Fred Robbins (1996-98)                     44
6. Duke Ejiofor (2014-17)                      43
7. Marquel Lee (2013-16)                      42
8. Nate Bolling (1998-01)                      40
9. Bryan Ray (1997-00)                         39
10. Jasheen Davis (2019-Pres.) 38.5
11. Kelvin Moses (1994-99)                  37

With 14.0 tackles for loss again in back-to-back seasons, Davis is in the top 10 in program history for a single season and ranked third in the Clawson era.

Tackles for Loss Since 2014
1 Marquel Lee (2016)                20.0
2 Boogie Basham (2019)           18.0
T3 Jasheen Davis (2023)          17.0
T3 Duke Ejiofor (2016)             17.0
5 Duke Ejiofor (2017)               16.5
6 Rondell Bothroyd (2021)        16.5
7 Jasheen Davis (2022)            14.0

CLIMBING THE CHARTS

With the help of a career 2022 season that included a career-high 47 receptions for 575 receiving yards and career-high nine touchdowns, Taylor Morin moved up the career charts in multiple categories as he has a chance to finish his career in the top five in program history in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
After pulling in a career-best nine touchdowns during the 2022 season, which ranked 19th nationally and fourth in the ACC, Morin entered the 2023 season already ranked in the top 10 in school history in receiving touchdowns. He added to his total with a pair of touchdown receptions in the win over Old Dominion:

CAREER RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS
1. A.T. Perry (2018-22)                         28
2. Ricky Proehl (1986-89)                      25
3. Todd Dixon (1990-93)                       22
4. Cam Serigne (2014-17)                      21
    Red O'Quinn (1946-49)                     21
    Chris Givens (2009-11)                     21
7. Desmond Clark (1995-98)                  20
8. Kenny Duckett (1978-81)                  19
    Taylor Morin (2019-Pres.)               19

Additionally, another strong year in receptions has elevated Morin into the top 10 in school history in total receptions. His 163 currently ranks seventh in school history, leaving him just eight shy of the sixth and is the third highest total in the Clawson era:

CAREER RECEPTION LEADERS
                                                Years               Receptions
1. Michael Campanaro               2010-13            229
2. Desmond Clark                     1995-98            216
3. Ricky Proehl                         1986-89            188
4. Jammie Deese                      1996-99            184
5. Cam Serigne                         2014-17            174
6. A.T. Perry                             2018-22            171
7. Taylor Morin                       2019-Pres.        163
7. Chris Givens                         2009-11            163
8. Thabiti Davis                        1994-97            161
10. James Brim                         1983-86            153

Going into his final collegiate season, Morin ranks ninth in program history and second in the Clawson era in receiving yards just trailing his former teammate A.T. Perry:

CAREER RECEIVING YARDS LEADERS
                                    Years               Receptions
1. Ricky Proehl             1986-89            2,949
2. Desmond Clark         1995-98            2,834
3. A.T. Perry                 2018-22            2,662
4. Michael Campanaro 2010-13            2,506
5. Chris Givens             2009-11            2,473
6. Wayne Baumgardner 1978-81            2,431
7. Jammie Deese           1996-99            2,348
8. Todd Dixon               1990-93            2,300
9. Taylor Morin           2019-Pres.        2,218
10. Jaquarii Roberson    2017-21            2,158

RELIABLE HANDS

With his 27-yard reception in the second quarter of the Gasparilla Bowl, redshirt junior wide receiver Donavon Greene extended his consecutive games with a catch streak to 25 games. That total ranks 13th in the nation entering bowl season and is 11th in the Power-4.

Player                          Pos.      School Streak
1. Jo'Quavious Marks   RB       USC                 45
2. LaJohntay Wester      WR      Colorado          37
Kyle Williams              WR      Wash. St.          37
4. Brant Kuithe             TE        Utah                 32
Jaylin Noel                   WR      Iowa State        32
6. Brennan Presley        WR      Oklahoma St.    30
7. Andrew Armstrong    WR      Arkansas          28
8. JP Richardson           WR      TCU                 27
Derwin Burgess Jr         WR      Ga. Southern     27
10. Elijhah Badger        WR      Florida             26
Corey Dyches               TE        Cal                   26
Barion Brown               WR      Kentucky          26
13. Donavon Greene    WR      Wake Forest    25
Kaedin Robinson          WR      App State         25

Greene has recorded at least one reception in all 25 career games entering the 2023 season and is coming off the best season of his collegiate career.
The Mount Airy, N.C. native finished second on the team in receiving yards with a career-high 642 yards while also leading the team in yards per reception with a 17.4 yard average.
He ended the season with a career-high six touchdown receptions including two multi-touchdown games against nationally-ranked opponents Clemson and North Carolina.
Greene have been some of the most explosive receivers in program history:

Career Avg. Per Reception (min. 75 Rec.)
1. Donavon Greene (2019-Pres.)          18.6 (79/1,473)
2. Jason Anderson (2001-04)                 18.0 (115/2,066)
3. Wayne Baumgardner (1978-81)         17.24 (141/2,431)
4. Todd Dixon (1990-93)                       17.16 (134/2,300)
5. AT Perry (2018-22)                           15.9 (171/2,662)

Wake Forest Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Hank Bachmeier

Capone Blue

Justin Cody

Jasheen Davis

Matthew Dennis

DeVonte Gordon

Donavon Greene

Cameron Hite

Michael Kern

Ivan Mora

Taylor Morin

Kevin Pointer

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