Wake Forest Football: Key players to watch against Notre Dame

Chuck Wade

The Achilles heel of the Demon Deacons’ defense has been giving up the explosive play. It showed right from the first game of the season when Tulane connected on two touchdowns over 50 yards.

Their last game against Boston College it once again was on full display as the Eagles scored all six touchdowns from at least 27 yards out.

As Dave Clawson noted this week, this is due in part to the communication lacking. The hope is that this would come from the safety position as they have everything in front of them and should be able to diagnose the play.

"Cam Glenn and Chuck Wade need to be more vocal. You have to bark things out, have a command of things, be loud and confident to be able to get everybody on the same page. For the three-and-a-half years that we played good defense, we had an alpha back there running the show, making calls and getting us lined up. We need someone back that that does that — that there’s no doubt what we’re in."

It will be worth watching if Wade is able to step up this week and help get this defense in position. The Fighting Irish have some explosive weapons in their offense that could exploit this defense if they are out of position.