Saturday’s 43-29 win over Mississippi State in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl put an exclamation point on the season for Wake Forest and first-year head coach Jake Dickert. The Demon Deacons finished the season 9-4 overall and became only the fourth Wake team to finish the season with at least nine wins. Dickert is also the winningest first-year head coach in Wake history. As the season comes to an end, we get the thoughts from Dickert and some players. Let’s check in on what Wake Forest had to say after the Mayo Bowl win.
Jake Dickert
He came into the postgame press conference with a towel around his neck, having done us all a favor and showering from the mayo bath before he took questions from the media.
Quarterback Robby Ashford had his season inside of one game. Outside of a few plays, he struggled in the first half, going 8 for 19 through the air for 101 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. But he finished the game 20 for 33 passing for 303 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. He also had 50 yards rushing with two touchdowns. It was the first five-touchdown game in his career, and he was named the game’s MVP.
“I told him in the locker room, I’m proud of him,” Dickert said. “Even to the last two minutes of the game, every once in a while, he frustrates the hell out of me. But this guy competes. He’s ready for the moment. Every moment is not too big for him. I think, as our season went on, you saw a player that felt we believed in him and he started to flourish.”
MSU was putting up big yards with big plays. But the Bulldogs were being held to field goals throughout much of the game, but a Wake Forest defense that stepped up throughout much of the season. “The catalyst of this whole season, I mean, you talk about the spine of the defense, you’re talking about Nick Anderson, one of the best leaders that I have ever been around,” Dickert said. “Quincy Bryant, Dylan Hazen, Devaughn Patterson. You know, these guys have just been amazing players and even better people.”
Forward Looking
He was asked if there is a new standard for Wake Forest football based on his first season. “I know it’s a lot higher than it was a year ago. I think that was always the goal. That was always the mindset. That’s a credit to the players. They bought into it,” he said. “Our staff works tirelessly hard to go out and put these guys in great situations and circumstances to go make plays.”
He said he is already looking ahead to what’s next. “This needs to be a springboard. I’ve always said year two is harder than year one. Now that we’ve created success, we’ve got to realize it isn’t just going to happen again. We’ve got to go ahead and make it happen.”
Dickert talked about his message a year after he was hired, when most in the fan base were not the least bit familiar with him. “I was just riding in the elevator with some Wake Forest fans, and they didn’t even know who I was, so it still happens,” he said, getting laughs from the room of reporters. “People have believed in us. But we can’t be satisfied with this. There is an industry of college football that is happening, and we can be a great team at Wake Forest. Yes, we can. It’s going to take all of us to raise the level of what we can continue to do.”
Dickert has been working with is staff and talking to players in the transfer portal since Friday morning.
Robby Ashford
He lost his biggest fan, his father, during Spring camp. “It’s been a wild journey. You know, losing my father was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to deal with,” he said. “I’m hoping he’s looking down at me smiling, because at the end of the day, I do it all for him.”
Ashford said he did not realize he had set a career high for touchdowns until he was reminded on the sidelines that he had five touchdowns. “You’re just kind in that flow state. You’re just playing,” he said. “That’s a credit to my teammates,” he said, reciting the big plays by Kamrean Johnson, Jack Foley, and Ty Clark, and the offensive line. “Hats off to them,” he said of the line. I feel like that was their best game. They dominated the line of scrimmage, and we were able to do what we wanted to do.”
Ashford was in his fourth college football program and finishes his college career at Wake Forest. After only a year in Winston-Salem, he talked about how he hopes people remember him. “A quarterback who left it out there every single game,” he said. “I hope these folks look at me as a quarterback who was just a tough MFer.”
Nick Anderson
After six years, his Wake Forest career comes to an end. He went from walk-on to all-conference player, and someone Dickert dubbed as “Captain America.” He said, “It was a great team win. No other way you want to go out and send the rest of the seniors out and end Coach Dickert’s first season the way we should.”
He talked about the new era of college football with NIL, revenue sharing, and the transfer portal. How does Wake manage those waters? “The number one thing is trust in Coach Dickert and the staff. This is just a taste of where Wake is going to go.”
Anderson was the leading tackler in the game with 12 (six solo and six assists) and one sack. He finishes the season as the leading tackler on the team with 106. He said he hopes the legacy he is leaving behind is, “Just consistent hard work each and every day. Trust in your coaches and play for the guys next to you,” he said. “Your journey’s not going to be straight up. I’ve had plenty of lows and stuff. But just trust in the process.”
He said it had not yet sunk in that he had taken the Wake uniform off for the last time. But when asked about the jersey, “Oh, I’m keeping it,” he said with a laugh.
Devin Kylany
The center came from Washington State, having spent all but this last season playing for the Cougars. He had committed to play for Mike Leach before Leach left for Mississippi State. He stayed through the Nick Rolovich and Jake Dickert periods there and then followed his coach to Wake.
“It was worth it,” he said of following Dickert to Wake Forest. “He’ll sacrifice so much to win. I learned that when he became the head coach at Washington State.”
He said there was a bond that was built within the offensive line, even with some of them being new to the program. “When you can see a defense and be able to communicate without communicating; when you can be on the same page without saying all those things, it’s really special. It really helped out.” Kylany said he sees in the returning linemen and thinks it will now be a point of emphasis in Spring camp and beyond.
He was carrying the game ball with him as if he were a running back protecting it. He was not about to let go of it. “They tried twice [to take it from him].”
Main Image: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images