WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest football team held its first scrimmage Saturday afternoon at BB&T Field prior to the team’s annual Fan Fest. The offense competed against the defense for nearly two hours.
[callout2]“My initial impression is that for the first time in a long time, the offense got the better of the defense,” said head coach Dave Clawson. “The offense had balance, they converted third downs, they moved the ball well. They made some big plays. (I) saw some backs make guys miss in space. It’s like any intrasquad (scrimmage), the good and the bad. I thought the offense had a better day than the defense today. That’s as good as we’ve looked offensively since we’ve been here.”[/callout2]
As a team, the offense compiled 557 yards on 113 offensive snaps including 135 yards on the ground and 422 through the air.
Five quarterbacks saw action for the Demon Deacons. John Wolford was 15-for-21 for 149 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown pass to Cam Serigne. Kendall Hinton went 11-for-19 for 159 yards, highlighted by a 54-yard touchdown pass to KJ Brent. Tabari Hines had a team-high eight receptions for 51 yards, while Matt Colburn led the team in rushing with 59 yards on eight carries.
Clawson was impressed with Colburn’s effort in his first college scrimmage.
“He’s a little guy but he runs with good pad level, has good vision and he pushes the pile,” said Clawson. “We’re excited about him. Those young guys are just going to get better every day. A lot with Matt is just getting comfortable with the offense and playing fast. A lot of times when those guys first learn things, they play slow because they’re processing and thinking.”
Dezmond Wortham and Isaiah Robinson shared duties with the first offense early in the scrimmage. Robinson had 55 yards on eight carries while Wortham carried five times for 27 yards.
Clawson also saw improvement in the offensive line on Saturday.
“I thought they protected well,” said Clawson. “John (Wolford) had time. We have good skill and it gave those guys time to get open and make plays. There’s a lot of positives there. Of course you go back and watch the film and wonder why they got open and all those things. As an old coach would say, we’ll look at the film.”
Freshman MacGuire Hays led the defense with seven tackles, while Devin Gaulden added six stops. Rashawn Shaw had a game-high two sacks.
Mike Weaver made all five of his field goal attempts, including a 54-yarder that would have set a school record had it come during a game.
Freshman running back Rocky Reid missed the scrimmage with a sprained ankle but is expected back at practice in the next day or two.
Wake Forest opens the regular season on Thursday, September 3 at BB&T Field against Elon. The game is set for a 7 pm start.