Wake Forest had its first real scrimmage of the Spring camp on Thursday, and Jake Dickert got what he wanted. Well, sort of. Wake’s first-year head coach lit into his team after Tuesday’s practice for what he saw as a lack of effort and energy. In a 90-play scrimmage played under constant light precipitation, he got an upgrade in both departments. The play on the field may be another issue.
Wake Forest Scrimmage
Yes, there were plenty of highlights during the morning session. But there was also a continuation of a theme that has been present through all eight practices: inconsistent quarterback play.
Redshirt freshman Jeremy Hecklinski had part of the undisputed play of the scrimmage. From the pocket, he threw a perfectly placed 30-yard pass between two defenders. Receiver Sawyer Racanelli made the big-time diving catch in the front of the end zone for one of only two touchdowns scored in the scrimmage. But Hecklinski also had an interception on a route miscommunication with his receiver. Transfer quarterback Deshawn Purdie threw well on the run, but also had an interception. And transfer quarterback Robby Ashford had a touchdown throw to Racanelli, but struggled with some of the wet ball handling, which was exacerbated by plenty of bad snaps throughout the morning.
Increase in Energy
Dickert felt right at home in the mildly inclement weather, bringing him back to his days of Spring camp in Pullman, Washington. We asked him if he thought the uptick in energy from Tuesday was due to the scrimmage itself, or to his lecturing the team on Tuesday. “I think it’s a combination of both,” he replied. “Sometimes, every once in a while, you just need a reset.” He said what he is looking for is a group that will go through something hard and come out on the other side with a sense of conviction that they are “That guy,” both as individuals and as a team. He said that was missing Tuesday, but he got a better sense of it in the scrimmage.
One thing that he wants added to the better performances is controlled energy. There were plenty of penalty flags thrown during the scrimmage. “You can’t just be flying high through the roof. And you can’t allow yourself to get down. You really need to have that energy dialed in.”
The Offense
Part of what comes next, after reviewing the tapes of the scrimmage, is some adjustment in the workload for the quarterbacks. “It’s hard for three guys to get a flow. So we’re going to adjust some reps based on this scrimmage going forward. It’s kind of our first little adjustment. That doesn’t mean anybody’s out of it.”
The running backs were the most consistent part of the offense. Presumed starter Demon Claiborne played only a handful of downs. If he is going to be the workhorse during the season, the coaching staff is cognizant of the need to keep him healthy and the legs fresh. Ty Clark III, David Egbe, and Tate Carney played a mostly good scrimmage, although there were a couple of fumbles. Those were more a byproduct of hard-hitting from the defense than they were sloppiness by the running backs. Dickert said he can see the running backs making their progress and acknowledged that there were plenty of good five, six, seven-yard runs. What he said he is missing is that breakaway threat that has not been there in camp yet.
The Defense
Defensively, the secondary had a notable day. Nick Anderson and DaVaughn Patterson both had plenty of solid hits, with Patterson even drawing a questionable penalty flag for the ferocity of one of his. Myles Turpin also had one of his better performances of camp. “To see a blended set of different skill sets out there playing was a huge positive today.” Dickert said what is needed now is more depth back there.
Anderson said he could sense the increase in intensity on both sides of the ball. He called it a lesson learned from Tuesday’s post-practice lecture from Dickert. “I think it was great because you can’t take a moment for granted,” he said. “This time is so precious, and to waste one like we did, I think it set the tone for us to come out here with some extra energy.”
He said he thinks the secondary is benefitting from the expectation to play more aggressively and, as he called it, being allowed to take your shot. “We’re all connected, which allows you to play faster, which in turn allows you to play more physical.”
Don’t Forget The Kickers
In the search for consistency, we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge a perfect 4-4 combined field goal day from Matthew Dennis and Caleb Carlson.
Wake has seven more practices spread out over the remaining two weeks of camp.
Photo from: Tony Siracusa
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