It will not be a fun trip to the beach for Wake Forest's football team on Saturday.
The Demon Deacons, who need two wins in their final two games to become bowl eligible, will play the 11th-ranked Miami Hurricanes at noon. The game will be televised on ESPN.
After seemingly gaining momentum midway through the season, the Demon Deacons have dropped two in a row. They will be facing their third ranked opponent this season after losing to Ole Miss, 40-6, and to Clemson, 49-14.
Coach Dave Clawson praised Coach Mario Cristobal, who has a 21-14 career record with the Hurricanes. Miam is poised to play in the ACC championship game next month.
"This is (Cristobal's) third year at Miami, and they're 9-1, the highest-ranked team in the ACC," Clawson said. "Their offense is No. 1 in the country in scoring, total offense, passing offense, and third-down conversions. They also have the No. 1 defense in the ACC."
The Hurricanes only loss was on the road to Georgia Tech, 28-23, on Nov. 9.
"They've embraced college football in 2024 with 22 transfers in their two-deep roster," Clawson said. "Similar to Florida State last year, they've done an excellent job evaluating and selecting transfers. They've hit on the right players while also recruiting well out of high school."
Clawson has never faced Miami while at Wake Forest.
"It's amazing," Clawson said. "This is my 11th year at Wake Forest, and it's the first time I've coached against Miami. I think about all those years when they were struggling, and now we get them when they're 9-1."
Defensive lineman Kevin Pointer says it won't be an easy task containing quarterback Cam Ward, who has helped the Hurricanes average 45 points per game.
"Now, it's all or nothing in this next game but we are going hard in practice and the big thing is we can't make mistakes," Pointer said of the Demon Deacons, who are allowing 32 points per game. "Miami is beatable, and Georgia Tech beat them so that gives us a lot of confidence but like (Clawson) talks about, they have been in a lot of one-score games and so have we."
Competitive nature
Wide receiver and punt returner Taylor Morin says his competitive side takes over when he looks at playing Miami, which is favored by 25 points.
"I'm excited," Morin said. "It's a great opportunity to beat a really good football team. They are ranked 11th in the country, and they've played a lot of close games. As a competitor, it's a chance to go down there in a really cool venue and knock those guys off."
Keeping the game close would definitely give the Demon Deacons some confidence, especially if the game gets to the fourth quarter and it's undecided.
"It's football," Morin said. "As a team in the ACC, you have to show up every week. They've played in a lot of close games against similar opponents that we have faced, and we've played close games against them."
Cutting down on mistakes
Offensive lineman DeVonte Gordon, one of the most experienced players on the team, says it's no secret as to what has been the team's problem in its last two games, to Cal at home and North Carolina on the road.
"I think it's been turnovers and penalties," Gordon said. "We had a lot of momentum, and we have two games left and we are working hard as we head down to Miami."
Graduation success again
Seven Wake Forest programs recorded a perfect 100% graduation success rate, and 11 programs had a rating of 91 or better, according to the latest data released by the NCAA.
The graduation success rate is designed to show the proportion of student-athletes on any given team who earn a college degree within a six-year period. The latest data shows GSR for students from 2014-17.
The combined 96% graduation success rating ties a program record that Wake Forest now matches each of the last four years and is tied for the sixth highest score among Power 4 schools.
"We are proud of the academic accomplishments of our teams and the fact that seven of the 14 teams had a perfect GSR score of 100 and 11 of them are above 90," said Jane Caldwell, senior associate athletics director at Wake Forest. "Our student-athletes work tremendously hard not only on the court and field, but also in the classroom. The overall score of 96 is extremely impressive and shows the commitment our coaches and staff place on a world class student-athlete experience."
The NCAA introduced the GSR in 2005 to accurately assess the academic success of student-athletes. The GSR formula removes from the rate student-athletes who leave school while academically eligible and includes student-athletes who transfer to a school after initially enrolling elsewhere.
Revenue sharing update
Athletics Director John Currie updated alumni and fans in his recent newsletter about the House case involving the NCAA and the settlement that was reached.
The revenue sharing that is coming as early as next academic year "represents a monumental shift that redefines the future of collegiate athletics," Currie said.
The $2.8 billion settlement will give schools more revenue that will help build their athletic departments.
"The settlement will give institutions like Wake Forest the opportunity to share media fees and other revenues with student-athletes through direct individual licensing agreements, beginning as early as fall 2025," Currie said in his newsletter.
There will also be a cap imposed that should make it an even playing field.
"Under the common 'cap' system, for the 2025-26 fiscal year, it is anticipated that participating institutions could share up to $20.5 million in revenue with student-athletes annually," Currie said in his newsletter. "The first $2.5 million of 'new' athletics scholarships must count toward the $20.5 million cap. Additionally, current NCAA scholarship limits per team will be eliminated."
There will also be an update in terms of paying for players through the portal and out of high school.
"The proposed House settlement also provides for a new clearinghouse, administered by the Power conferences, that will regulate third-party endorsement agreements with student-athletes," Currie wrote in his newsletter. "(This is) to ensure they are truly fair market value and not just de facto pay-for-play deals like some of the more sensational stories around the country over the past few years."
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