Misconceptions about Wake

[Brains]

OP's points are correct.

My big problem though is how Miami looked. Five consecutive 3 and outs. Missed FG. That kind of sequence can't happen. It's the apparent cluelessness and panic that seems to have gripped the entire offensive personnel.

I'll build on my post.

Let's say we get 9 second half points through three normal drives that end in field goals. Things end up looking and feeling quite different despite the same final score.

We'd all be disappointed that we didn't punch it on or win by a larger margin. But, the fact would be that, with three second half scoring drives with multiple first downs, we would have burned clock and kept our defense off the field such that the 33-20 margin would have been just that. The outcome would never have been in doubt, as Wake would have closed the gap too little, too late.

Instead, the complete offensive dysfunction meant it was an 11 point game with a near full quarter of football to play. That's why it was so disturbing.

 

[TwentySix]

Dude it was Gio freakin Lopez. Not Fernando Mendoza.

Agreed. Gio is better

 

[Canes2026Champs]

Same. That student section was the biggest conglomeration of daddy’s money trust fund babies I’ve ever seen in my **** life. We had food and beer cans thrown at us, racial slurs, all types of slurs for that matter, I mean I don’t give a **** what they call me, I just laugh and point to the scoreboard, but throwing food and beer cans almost got them hurt. If I hadn’t talked one guy out of it, he was going to rip one of their heads off and **** down their neck. Thankfully I got him to cool off and realize it’s not worth catching charges over. It wasn’t just the guys either. The girls were just as bad or worse. They’re all “you can hit me, but my ultra-rich Wake alum daddy will sue” types. Rest of the fanbase was good, in my experience. Their students are pricks of the highest order.

Will always be that way playing old money schools. Wake is one of many that will still
act that way towards Miami 50 years from now.

They were big mad because by the 3rd quarter, we had just as many or more fans than they did. 1/3 of the crowd hit the exits at 31-7. We took that place over and they were sucking their thumbs about it, big time.

 

[McGahee2TheHouse]

Agreed. Gio is better

Lol what

 

[YLCANE]

Wake would have been ranked last year, as would have SMU, Louisville, and UVA if they had an SEC or Big 10 patch on their jersey.

 

[BigDikDaddyFromCincinnati]

Dude it was Gio freakin Lopez. Not Fernando Mendoza.

Agreed. Gio is better

My ……

 

[caneingville]

They were big mad because by the 3rd quarter, we had just as many or more fans than they did. 1/3 of the crowd hit the exits at 31-7. We took that place over and they were sucking their thumbs about it, big time.

You could hear the Canes on the TV.

 

[Canes2026Champs]

They were big mad because by the 3rd quarter, we had just as many or more fans than they did. 1/3 of the crowd hit the exits at 31-7. We took that place over and they were sucking their thumbs about it, big time.

You could hear the Canes on the TV.

I will always believe our energy in the 2nd half boosted the defense. They clearly heard us cheering them on. They fought for us and I’m proud of how they didn’t panic and got the stops they had to get.

 

[Cribby]

Listen, that second half was a god**** abomination and I never want to watch it again. But I think that some of you may be under the impression that Wake Forest is a bad team and they most certainly are not. 9-4 last season with wins over SMU, Virginia, and a 1-point OT loss to GT in their HC's first year. ****ert has them going in the right direction and his staff made several solid adjustments throughout the game.

Are they world beaters? Of course not, but this was a conference road game missing 3 of our best corners and losing several other critical starters along the way. No team in football beats everyone on their schedule by 40 except the truly historic teams. These games happen, and although the second half play-calling and tackling were absolutely dog****, this film will provide some great "teaching tape" and remind our boys that they aren't unbeatable. We survived what will hopefully be our worst half of football this season. Now it's time to heal up and move onto the next one.

Wake is a solid team and Ezell is a dude OC. I have mad respect for that staff.

 

[MedleyCane]

Will always be that way playing old money schools. Wake is one of many that will still
act that way towards Miami 50 years from now.

I remember receiving some email and excerpts from chats a VT buddie was involved in on day that UM was accepted into ACC.
Lots of fans and alums from the Carolina schools clutching pearls over allowing the unwashed help into their pristine country club.
You would have thought UM entered this POS conference ala Rodney Dangerfield's first day at the country club in CaddyShack.

I was not surprised since I am a Maryland alum from the ACC days.

 

[caneingville]

I remember receiving some email and excerpts from chats a VT buddie was involved in on day that UM was accepted into ACC.
Lots of fans and alums from the Carolina schools clutching pearls over allowing the unwashed help into their pristine country club.
You would have thought UM entered this POS conference ala Rodney Dangerfield's first day at the country club in CaddyShack.

I was not surprised since I am a Maryland alum from the ACC days.

I remember FSU fans warning us about how badly the Tobacco Road mafia would be treating us, as they had been experiencing it since they they had joined.

 

[Hurricane23]

Bro im not hearing that, everyone has Miami circled.

 

[HighPerformance]

Wake would have been ranked last year, as would have SMU, Louisville, and UVA if they had an SEC or Big 10 patch on their jersey.

Yeah let’s ride with this so we all feel better. Last year is a great way to soften the blow.

 

[Disgustipated]

I'm happy as ****, I will let you guys howl in misery. This is actually a young team. Losing Marty Brown is the only thing That hurts the soul. All the injuries in general. It was a good win. No idea what the offense was doing in the second half but move on to the next. Enjoy the journey

 

[OBLIVION]

Or maybe logic can accommodate possibility that Wake returns many players and coaches from what was a good (not great) 2025 team and perhaps UM is not as good as last year's team, which is understandable given loss of players from last season and injuries this season?
If you want to dismiss logic of judging a team in September based on previous season, maybe we should afford same luxury for Purdue until they're 1-2 games into the Big10 conference?

Sure, logic can accommodate that possibility. It can also accommodate the possibility that returning players from a “good, not great” 2025 team doesn't magically make Wake the 2025 team with a new calendar year. And yes, Miami lost players and has injuries. That's obviously relevant. But those are factors to consider, not some kind of mathematical proof that Miami is worse this year.

That's where I think the argument gets a little convenient

Wake returns players “maybe they're better than expected.”

Miami loses players “maybe they're worse than last year.”

Both are possibilities. But if we're going to call one “logic,” we probably shouldn't treat the other like it's already been established as fact. Nobody arguing that Miami is definitely as good as last year. The argument is that we don't know yet. And apparently that's a pretty radical position in September. If we're judging 2026 teams, let's judge the 2026 teams. Use 2025 for context, sure. Just don't turn it into a crystal ball when it's convenient and then tell me we're being “logical.”

 

[PennsylvaniaCane]

Well, based on that theory, Wake should have showed up in the first half.... all BS explanations for another second half wtf coaching masterclass from Dawson and Mario...
We saw it enough last season... if you put aside the playoffs...

lol our coaches suck, except when they outcoach all the good coaches in the playoffs.

Bro im not hearing that, everyone has Miami circled.

we went on the road with a work in progress OL, ended up down our top 2 RB, top WR, QB dinged up, DT dinged up, against ACC officiating and we won by 2 TDs.

Yeah let’s ride with this so we all feel better. Last year is a great way to soften the blow.

Your right. Wake is one step above FAMU. See above. Enjoy your Saturday.

 

[taaliyah97]

Listen, that second half was a god**** abomination and I never want to watch it again. But I think that some of you may be under the impression that Wake Forest is a bad team and they most certainly are not. 9-4 last season with wins over SMU, Virginia, and a 1-point OT loss to GT in their HC's first year. ****ert has them going in the right direction and his staff made several solid adjustments throughout the game.

Are they world beaters? Of course not, but this was a conference road game missing 3 of our best corners and losing several other critical starters along the way. No team in football beats everyone on their schedule by 40 except the truly historic teams. These games happen, and although the second half play-calling and tackling were absolutely dog****, this film will provide some great "teaching tape" and remind our boys that they aren't unbeatable. We survived what will hopefully be our worst half of football this season. Now it's time to heal up and move onto the next one.

Teaching tape my ***. Dawson called the same game he usually calls when the opposing team starts gaining momentum. This mediocre showing is because of the offense

 

[9oh4Cane]

It’s Wake Forest. My god. This thread serves as a reminder we aren’t yet a dominate program like UGA/OSU

I just watched UGA obliterate a more physically talented team than Wake and their boards aren’t hyping up weak programs to make their ****** performance look better

Let’s bounce back, but not act like being in a dogfight with ******* wake forest is acceptable anymore

 

[the storm]

Same. That student section was the biggest conglomeration of daddy’s money trust fund babies I’ve ever seen in my **** life. We had food and beer cans thrown at us, racial slurs, all types of slurs for that matter, I mean I don’t give a **** what they call me, I just laugh and point to the scoreboard, but throwing food and beer cans almost got them hurt. If I hadn’t talked one guy out of it, he was going to rip one of their heads off and **** down their neck. Thankfully I got him to cool off and realize it’s not worth catching charges over. It wasn’t just the guys either. The girls were just as bad or worse. They’re all “you can hit me, but my ultra-rich Wake alum daddy will sue” types. Rest of the fanbase was good, in my experience. Their students are pricks of the highest order.

Sounds like West Virginia.