It’s hard enough for a coach to judge the value of a practice game. Was it a great play by the defense or a failure by the offense? But it’s even harder when the practice game is missing some key players on both sides of the ball. Dave Clawson saw on Thursday that Wake Forest needs to get healthy quickly.

Receiver Donavon Greene, running back Demond Claiborne, defensive back Capone Blue and defensive lineman Kendron Wayman did not play in the scrimmage. None of them have major injuries that could jeopardize their season. They are mostly minor issues that arise after a month of training camp. But Clawson was clear on their status. “They have minor injuries, but they wouldn’t have been able to play today (if there had been a game).” Clawson hopes to have them all back with the team early next week. Receiver Walker Merrill also did not play, but he has missed extended periods of training camp. As for Greene, he obviously knows the offense at this point. But Clawson pointed out how much football he has missed over the past few years due to injuries. He stressed the need to get Greene ready to start the season.

While depth at any position is a debatable topic, the above key pieces on both sides of the ball are must-haves for Wake Forest this season.

As far as the training game itself is concerned, it was basically necessary for the coaches to watch the film in order to be able to assess the success of attack and defense or vice versa.

Some plays and players were obvious, however. Backup running back Ty Clark put in an impressive performance. “Ty Clark will play for us,” Clawson said at the end of the night. “Every year you need three or four running backs. Right now Ty and Kennedy (Fauntleroy) are competing for the third and fourth spots.”

Claiborne and Tate Carney have secured the top two spots at running back. Carney was also impressive with a 34-yard run down the opposite sideline. But Clawson had a lot of good things to say about Clark’s potential. “Ty and Kennedy both had really good training camps and Ty has really impressed.” Clawson called Clark physically mature, but added that the bigger surprise was how quickly he picked up the offense. “I don’t know if we’ve ever had a running back since we got here that picked up the offense so quickly.”

One notable moment was when a Hank Bachmeier charge was stopped by an impressive goal-line stand. Defensive back Nick Anderson and linebacker Dylan Hazen quickly blocked off the middle of the line and kept Carney out of the end zone. But as is typical for a team practice game, it may not be as easy as it looks.

“I have to look at the film. I don’t know if we missed a block,” Clawson said. “Usually when you get a run tackle like that, somebody misses a block.” Or it could just have been a good read from Anderson and Hazen. Only the film will tell. A great run where the defender makes people miss tackles also means your defense is missing tackles. In a practice game, it’s rarely clear-cut.

Both offenses, led by Bachmeier and Michael Kern, moved the ball down the field. But both also threw interceptions in the red zone. So again, we ask ourselves the question: Was it a good play by the defense or a bad play by the quarterback? In a practice game, two things can be true at once. “We gave up yards, but we didn’t give up points,” Clawson said of both defenses.

A key focus for him as he returns to spring camp is the defense getting off the field on third down. “We didn’t allow all those explosive plays in the passing game. We allowed yards and some in the running game. But I think we played better from the top. And I think the defense in the red zone was good and the overtime was good.” And third downs? “We have to find a way to get off the field on third and fourth down, and that’s what we did tonight. I think the yards on offense will look good. But there weren’t many points.”

Good for defense. Questionable for offense. As with any practice game, the beauty is in the eye of the coach, what he sees on film.

Wake has two more training camps before they close everything to the media and prepare for their first game on August 29th.^th against North Carolina A&T.

Photo by Tony Siracusa