Wake Forest opens ACC slate with test from Georgia Tech
So many things have gone well for Wake Forest this season but the Demon Deacons know they aren’t perfect.
“We have a lot to work on, but it’s always easier to do that after you find a way to win,” coach Dave Clawson said.
Clawson and Wake Forest open Athletic Coast Conference play against visiting Georgia Tech on Saturday night in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Wake Forest (3-0) rallied from 17 points down to win its road opener 27-24 on Saturday at Old Dominion.
Georgia Tech (1-2, 0-1 ACC) hasn’t enjoyed that level of success. The Yellow Jackets lost 48-23 at Mississippi on Saturday.
“The biggest thing is we have to take the mistakes and make the corrections,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said. “We’ve got a conference opponent and we have to go on the road game again and take the things we’ve learned.”
One thing the Yellow Jackets might have deciphered from their early games — newfound success throwing the ball. Quarterback Haynes King completed 28 of 41 passes last week.
That marked the most completions in a game without an interception for a Georgia Tech quarterback in 21 years.
“We’ve got to keep everybody together,” King said. “You can’t flinch.”
Quarterback Mitch Griffis will make his first start in an ACC game for Wake Forest. He has completed 61.9 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and three interceptions this season. There have been uneven stretches.
“He’s an inexperienced quarterback and this is a growth process,” Clawson said. “The bottom line is he made plays at the end of the game to help us win the (Old Dominion) game.”
Wake Forest’s defense recorded 10 sacks in the Old Dominion game.
Georgia Tech wasn’t called for a penalty and didn’t commit a turnover at Ole Miss.
“There’s a lot of progress,” Key said. “We challenge the players before the game to weather the storms, weather the ups and downs.”
The Yellow Jackets’ visit to Winston-Salem is their first since 2010. Wake Forest has won 22 of its last 26 home games.
–Field Level Media
