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By Coach Steve
Good news Catamount fans, it’s a new week! The opener wasn’t what the Cats from Cullowhee were hoping for, but this week provides a VERY interesting opportunity in the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. If I’m Kerwin Bell and company, I’m licking my chops looking at this matchup. The offense for the Cats put up 45 points in the loss to Gardner-Webb last week, and the Deacs only managed 10 against FBS newcomer Kennesaw State. My math isn’t great, but last I checked, 45 is more than 10. I’m here to break it all down and get you ready for tomorrow’s matchup.
Let’s start with the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. The Deacs are under first-year head coach Jake Dickert, formerly of Washington State, and it’s been an inauspicious start. The Deacs struggled heavily to beset Kennesaw State by a score of 10-9, but that wasn’t the whole story (It’s actually worse than you might think). The stats in this one don’t tell the whole story. The Demon Deacon had 218 yards thru the air and another 130 on the ground, outgaining the Owls 348-307, with no turnovers, and only allowing 9 points. But Coach Steve, why is that bad? I’m glad you asked. Because it is Kennesaw State. This tells us that the talent in Wake Forest is more in line with the talent at Kennesaw State than a traditional ACC team, so there’s a chance they can beat the Deacs.
As for the Catamounts, the analysis is a bit easier. Per my reporting earlier this week, I was able to confirm what has only been a rumor up to this point. Dickens will remain out until at least week 4, and it could be longer. That being said, the offense looked explosive against GW, even without All-American Teron Dickens under center. That being said, I would be surprised if the offense doesn’t have similar success in Winston-Salem. The big problem is going to be the defense. 45 points should absolutely be enough to win a game, but the Cats heralded defense gave up 52 points in the loss. My keys to the game are simple. Protect the quarterback, get the defense off the field on 3rd down. If WCU can manage that, I like the Cats to pull the upset over the Demon Deacons.
Thanks for reading, and Go Cats!
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