Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Army Black Knights Preview
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons went on the road to Logan, UT last week and came back with some of the same questions, but more answers. Can the offense score? Yes. Can it score when it is not down by an insurmountable margin? Not as clear. Fortunately, Wake Forest gets the closest thing to a redo as you get in Division 1 football. Option heavy run heavy Army comes to town this week, and Army’s game plan is not to blow out anybody. It will be a test of the Wake front six, sure. Yet there are few teams as easy to game plan for as Army. You just have to execute that plan.
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Date: September 20
Time: 3:30 PM
TV: ESPN3 (Online)
Venue: BB&T Field
Sep 21, 2013; West Point, NY, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons running back Josh Harris (25) celebrates his rushing touchdown during the second half at Michie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
Last Time: 2013, Demon Deacons 25 Black Knights 11
Josh Harris ran for two scores and 98 yards to account for about half of the scoring. Michael Campanaro caught four balls for ninety-one yards and the other touchdown. The reason for the strange score was an Army safety against Wake Forest in the first quarter and Wake getting a two point conversion later on to make the game three scores. Army was held out of the end zone despite Terry Baggett’s 125 rushing yards on the day.
Sep 6, 2014; West Point, NY, USA; Army Black Knights head coach Jeff Monken yells at his offense after a turnover during the second half at Michie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
Opponent: Army Black Knights (1-1)
Army spent week 1 outrunning Buffalo of the MAC and spent week 2 just getting shredded by the Stanford Cardinal. There is no real secret what Jeff Monken wants to do. The former Paul Johnson assistant and Georgia Southern head coach knows full well what a successful option offense looks like and he will be trying to put that on display Saturday.
Paul Johnson once said that a good triple option attack would generate two thousand yard rushers and one thousand yard receiver every year. While it is early to know whether Army qualifies as a ‘good’ triple option attack, the two rushers that Army depends on are a pair of senior running backs in Larry Dixon and Terry Baggett. So far it has been the 5’11” 239 lbs Dixon that has carried the mail for the Black Knights so far this season, but Baggett was the better of the two against the Deacs last year.
Army has yet to reveal that deep threat that Johnson said a good option attack could produce.
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On defense, Army has that dreaded problem that teams sometimes with returning starters. The good news is that there are bunch of experienced starters on defense. The bad news is those guys are same bums who weren’t very good last year. While Monken is a master of the triple-option, it will be his rebuild of the Army defense that will dictate how successful his tenure is at Army. It is unlikely that the rebuild has taken hold here in week 4.
Prediction: Demon Deacons 28 Black Knights 14
ONJ Season Record: 12-1
The weakened Army defense will finally allow for a solid performance by the Wake Forest offense. That will allow Wake to keep pace with the option attack of Army until Army is forced to throw. The Wake secondary will make sure that throwing goes no where. Look for big games from linebacker Brandon Chubb and safety Ryan Janvion, both of which have had 18 tackle performances this season. The Deacs must avoid turnovers, as giving an option team the initiative is a terrible idea.