Friday night will be the biggest game

[WoadBlue]

Wake Forest has hosted in a very long time.

The first collegiate football game played in NC was UNC versus Wake Forest in 1888. Wake fans have always seen the University of North Carolina, not Moo and not Dook, as the main rival. Clawson has Wake rolling. Coming into 2019, he has Wake on a 3 year bowl win streak. And this team is 2-0 with expectations of fighting it out to finish 2nd behind Clemson in the ACC Atlantic.

For Wake players, coaches, and fans, this game is going to be as important as playing in a Major Bowl. Beating a 2-0 UNC team, that has a win over an SEC team, would be priceless.

Unlike some past UNC coaches, Mack knows the value of beating in-state rivals.

 

[strummingram]

Biggest game of the season... so far.

 

[WoadBlue]

Biggest game of the season... so far.

For both of us.

Think about that and what it says about ACC football, especially in NC. Wake opened against a team that last year won 11 games and finished ranked #22. UNC opened by beating an SEC team coming off 3 consecutive bowls and then beat Miami, owner of 5 National Championships.

 

[KOOL123]

Let Javonte Williams touch the rock 20 to 25 times...Kid is a Beast...

 

[sctarheel30]

Not sure how it’s not a conference game though.

 

[Bubspub88]

Not sure how it’s not a conference game though.

The schools decided a few years back to play each other as non conf in years they were not slated to play in conf schedule. Makes a lot of sense as easy travel and both fan bases will make the short trip so better payday than some DII team nobody wants to watch.

 

[Archer2]

The schools decided a few years back to play each other as non conf in years they were not slated to play in conf schedule. Makes a lot of sense as easy travel and both fan bases will make the short trip so better payday than some DII team nobody wants to watch.

Yep, I love it. Makes perfect sense.

 

[Raising Heel]

Biggest game of the season... so far.

Nah. The USCjr was the biggest non-conference game on our schedule. Miami is a conference game.

 

[strummingram]

Nah. The USCjr was the biggest non-conference game on our schedule. Miami is a conference game.

I meant it, like... each "next game" is the biggest game, so far.

 

[WoadBlue]

When the season began, Mack was tied with Bill Dooley for the 2nd most wins by a UNC football coach: 69. If we beat Wake, Mack will have 72 wins at UNC, tying him with Dick Crum for the most in school history.

You can bet that Clawson and the Deacs know that and are determined for it not to happen at their place.

 

[lerario]

Saying this is the biggest game they’ve ever hosted is quite the dramatization. It’s a non conference game and neither team is even ranked. I’m sure there crowd will be fried up but there will be plenty of blue in the stadium.

 

[strummingram]

Saying this is the biggest game they’ve ever hosted is quite the dramatization. It’s a non conference game and neither team is even ranked. I’m sure there crowd will be fried up but there will be plenty of blue in the stadium.

I hope they're fried up... good weed in that area?

 

[BarbqBill]

Perfect scenario for a let down, but I think Mack will not let that happen. It's time we put that dip schit program in it'd place.

 

[deandisciple]

Since 1990 UNC won nine games in a row, since then Weak has won six and UNC five with the last ten being five and five. This game means something and both teams will be ready to play and giving it all. The winner will have extreme bragging rights although as has been said, the game is meaningless for any ACC standings. I expect the game to be like the first two this season, hard fought physical match-ups with the team with the fewest turnovers and penalties coming out the victor. That being the situation, I want the Tar Heels to crush them and humiliate them beyond recognition...

 

[MWHeels]

Mack said recently that he wants to be the best team in the state. You know he will have the guys fired up to give their best effort Friday night.

Go Heels!

 

[TarHeelMark]

Mack said recently that he wants to be the best team in the state. You know he will have the guys fired up to give their best effort Friday night.

Go Heels!

If we handle our business versus the four north Carolina teams this year, we are already at 6 wins.

 

[sctarheel30]

The schools decided a few years back to play each other as non conf in years they were not slated to play in conf schedule. Makes a lot of sense as easy travel and both fan bases will make the short trip so better payday than some DII team nobody wants to watch.

Thanks and works for me. Gonna try and make the game.

 

[keysersosay#1]

I like our chances on Friday the 13th!!!!!!!

 

[WoadBlue]

Wake ready to renew rivalry with UNC

Opening paragraphs: "This is the game on Wake Forest’s football schedule that Cade Carney would have played in July in Advance — if necessary.

“I’ll play Carolina tomorrow in the backyard just to play them,” Carney said at the ACC Kickoff in Charlotte."

 

[Bubspub88]

I am in Winston and can tell you that this is a bowl game for them. With cuse struggling a lot of people think wake may be the second best team in conf. They want to play up tempo but have some good backs with an experienced o line. Not sure but the rain forecast may hurt the Heels more than the deacs. Some guys I work with are scared of what Howell may do if the deacs play fast and give him some extra possessions.

 

[tarheel0910]

I want to win this game, but it seems like this is more of a one sided rivalry to me. I never really got too excited when we played them every year. I did have some fun with it in college though. One of my professors was a WF grad and huge fan. Every time UNC would beat WF in any sport, I would tape a copy of the box score to his door.

 

[superstar57]

Mack said recently that he wants to be the best team in the state. You know he will have the guys fired up to give their best effort Friday night.

Go Heels!

And that is the reason why UNC has a great chance to be in top 25 consistently under Brown.

 

[lerario]

I am in Winston and can tell you that this is a bowl game for them. With cuse struggling a lot of people think wake may be the second best team in conf. They want to play up tempo but have some good backs with an experienced o line. Not sure but the rain forecast may hurt the Heels more than the deacs. Some guys I work with are scared of what Howell may do if the deacs play fast and give him some extra possessions.

A couple things.

I assume you are referring to WF fans as I’m pretty sure there isn’t a single person on the planet that thinks they’re the second best team in the ACC, outside of maybe a few crazy Wake fans.

Also would have to think if conditions make it tough for the respective passing games that would play big time into our favor. We have the better run game and run defense. Wake’s best path to a W is for their QB and WRs to light up our secondary.

 

[-COUNTRY-CLUB-JOE-]

I want to win this game, but it seems like this is more of a one sided rivalry to me. I never really got too excited when we played them every year. I did have some fun with it in college though. One of my professors was a WF grad and huge fan. Every time UNC would beat WF in any sport, I would tape a copy of the box score to his door.

I like how even the people that worked at Campbell say it isn't a real school.

 

[Archer2]

Mack said recently that he wants to be the best team in the state. You know he will have the guys fired up to give their best effort Friday night.

Go Heels!

Gotta beat your instate rivals if you want to own the state in recruiting.

 

[Archer2]

Also would have to think if conditions make it tough for the respective passing games that would play big time into our favor. We have the better run game and run defense. Wake’s best path to a W is for their QB and WRs to light up our secondary.

I would think so too.

 

[WoadBlue]

Gotta beat your instate rivals if you want to own the state in recruiting.

That is a must. And that is the reason UNC fans also should not be dismissive of playing Wake. Wake has won bowls 3 seasons in a row. I wonder who the last UNC coach to manage that accomplishment was. Wake has an ACC Championship this century. UNC's last ACC championship was under Dick Crum.

Wake is the smallest school in a Major conference. Naturally, Wake is going to make beating the state's flagship school a major focus.

More quotes from the article from the Winston-Salem Journal: “When (donor and former football player) Bob McCreary came to talk to us, he was harping on the fact that this is one of the most important games for all alumni,” redshirt senior offensive lineman Jake Benzinger said. “We hear it, and we’re going to treat it like — I mean, if you’re an elite Division I player, you should be treating every game like it’s important and preparing your hardest.

“But this game really, it should give you a little extra juice to get out there to play. This one matters to a lot of people.”

“The game is huge and we know that, but it’s just, it’s a weird rivalry because your rivals, you should play them every year,” Clawson said. “And we certainly would be in favor of some type of setup that we get to play Carolina, Duke and N.C. State every year. That would be our preference.”

“It’s crazy … you hear ‘Beat State, Beat Duke,’ but you hear even more, ‘Beat Carolina,’ which is wild, we haven’t played them in so long,” Benzinger said. “You keep hearing, ‘Beat Carolina, beat Carolina. You guys play Carolina this year?’

"Carney, a senior running back, has already had quite the full career for the Deacons. In his first three seasons, he’s been to and won three bowl games. He’s 69 yards away from becoming the 13th player in school history to run for at least 2,000 yards. If he gains 651 rushing yards over the course of the rest of the season, he’ll finish fourth in program history for career rushing yards.

And yet, if not for this strange, unique situation, Carney would’ve gone his entire Wake Forest career without taking part in a game against Wake Forest’s longest-running rival.

“Conference, not, I don’t care. … It’s a rival; we both get excited to play this game and like I said, I’d play them even if it didn’t go on the record,” Carney said. “It would’ve stunk not to play them. … When you talk to people in the area, they want to know if you played Carolina or how that went.”

 

[Archer2]

If the team takes Wake lightly, Wake will prevail. Fortunately, I don't think Mack or the staff will allow the team to overlook the Deacons.

I do think we'll be the toughest defense Wake has faced so far this year, even if we are very much a work in progress and not dominant defensively by any stretch of the imagination. My hope is that we can shut down their run game and make them one dimensional on offense, giving us a chance to create some turnovers.

I'm certainly not worried about Howell having "extra chances on offense due to Wake's fast tempo". Just gives us more scoring opportunities.

 

[sctarheel30]

Cade seems to have a chip on his shoulder why is that? Did we not recruit him or something?

 

[Archer2]

Cade seems to have a chip on his shoulder why is that? Did we not recruit him or something?

He's from Mocksville. According to ESPN, he was offered by Wake, NVSU, UNC, and GT.

Wake has always considered us their main rival and since we're in opposite divisions, we don't play them very often. So I imagine the whole school is salivating to play us, especially with Clawson having Wake playing good football.

We'd better show up ready to play. Tried to buy some tickets online and they were $84. Sheesh.

 

[midline]

Think Wake is a huge game. Especially coming on the heels of the good start. Always seems to be cause for a letdown just because Wake doesn't have them name that scares you. But they are pretty good if you aren't on top of your game. In fact I think the next two games may be the most important. You surely can't sleep on App St. They can bite anybody. But if UNC can keep their feet on the ground, play to their capabilities, a 4-0 start would give this program an added shot in the arm that has already gotten one from the 2-0 start.
The only downer to all of this is that I hate the Friday night game. That is high school night. College football, at the Power 5 level anyway, is for Saturdays. But I know the cable networks are looking for any time slot with available eyes for an edge. But it isn't right. The colleges doing this type stuff may give the NFL the right to think they could put a game on Saturday night because no particular day of the week is now sacred. The NFL has already poached Thursday night.

 

[tarheel0910]

We'd better show up ready to play. Tried to buy some tickets online and they were $84. Sheesh.

You check with the Rams Club?

 

[JimmyinVA]

I meant it, like... each "next game" is the biggest game, so far.

beat me to it.

 

[ACokeForRoy]

This could be 1 of 2 trap games before Klemsun comes to town.

 

[MWHeels]

This could be 1 of 2 trap games before Klemsun comes to town.

This is where Mack's experience will be crucial for the team's success over the next couple of weeks.

 

[lerario]

I think Carney was "offered" by UNC but slow played and ultimately wasn't a take.

 

[WoadBlue]

Cade seems to have a chip on his shoulder why is that? Did we not recruit him or something?

I think the Fedora staff made an offer that was not committable for a long time. And they wanted Carney to try WR as well as RB.

Carney could become a 2000 yard career rusher.