As the young daughter of two Wake Forest alumni, I used to wear a cheerleader uniform, put temporary tattoos on my cheeks and wave my black and gold pom poms high up in the air as I watched my favorite team play. I love the Demon Deacons. 

But what happened to them? 

As you have probably seen, the football team was not very good this season. At this point, after leaving most home games as defeated as those on the field, I need to feel the Old Gold and Black spirit again. Experiencing this season has been like experiencing heartbreak — it’s almost like I have gone through the five stages of grief. 

And I don’t know how much more grief my heart can take.

Weeks 1-2 — Denial

At the beginning of every football season, my hopes and dreams were yet to be sacked; I’m an optimist and truly believe every season is our season. This year, I was not just the daughter of Demon Deacons, but I was a Demon Deacon myself. For my freshman year season, my hopes were higher and my dreams were bigger than ever.  

The team started out strong with a 37-17 win against Elon at home. The student section was roaring, and the marching band was electric (shout out to my favorite cheer “How ‘Bout Them Deacs”) because the Demon Deacons were 1-0!

After an ominous thunderstorm at Allegacy Stadium the next week, the Demon Deacons brought down the inferior black and gold — the Commodores. How ‘bout them Deacs? 2-0! 

What could go wrong? 

Weeks 3-5 — Anger

Nothing was going right when Wake Forest went to Norfolk, Va. to take on Old Dominion in Week 3. This game was infuriating to say the least. It seemed like the Demon Deacons had forgotten how to play football. Even though the Demon Deacons were favored to win by a significant margin, they were losing 17-0 at halftime. Somehow, the visiting team rallied and pulled out a 27-24 win. 

Going into the parents’ weekend game against Georgia Tech undefeated, I was hoping that the Old Dominion game was just a fluke and the Demon Deacons would make my parents proud. Yet, alas, the Demon Deacons went down. Wake Forest had a million chances to win this game, but it came down to the fundamentals. The home team had five turnovers, threw two interceptions and had three fumbles recovered by Georgia Tech. As the Demon Deacons lost 30-16, my dad and I held our heads in our hands. This is not what we needed before taking on the Clemson Tigers. 

Hopefully, the bye week would help. 

Weeks 6-8 — Bargaining 

Even though they lost, I was so proud of Wake Forest for how they played in Death Valley. While it was not expected for the Demon Deacons to triumph over the Tigers, some amazing defensive effort held it to a close 17-12 final score — defense that gave me hope for Virginia Tech.

That hope was quickly squashed as the Demon Deacons were defeated 30-13 by the Hokies in Blacksburg, Va. 

When going through the bargaining stage of grief, people often start to feel guilty about their thoughts and ruminate over what could have been. I very much resonated with this as I saw my friends from home cheering on their winning schools. It got so bad that I was envying my friends at UNC! Y’all — I was so down bad that I was jealous of Tar Heels! These were dark, dark days. It is still bone-chilling to think about.  

Luckily, the homecoming game against the University of Pittsburgh snapped me out of it. This game gave me many heart attacks and kept me on the edge of the bleachers until the end, but the feeling of singing “Mother So Dear” after so long was unmatched.    

Weeks 9-11 — Depression 

The days became gloomy once more after the Demon Deacons went up against No. 4 Florida State, then Duke and NC State. The heat was harsh at the Florida State game, and the game was even harsher. For lack of a better phrase, the Seminoles kicked Demon Deacon butt, with a final score of 41-16. 

Even though we only lost by three to Duke, this game was even more excruciating. A win was dangled in front of fans as quarterback Mitch Griffis scored some impressive touchdowns; however, the impressive plays were overshadowed by more unimpressive ones. 

While the Demon Deacons had the chance to hold the Blue Devils, all chances of that were destroyed after an interception thrown by Griffis and back-to-back penalties on cornerback DaShawn Jones. These penalties put Duke on Wake Forest’s 15-yard line and ultimately led to Duke winning with a 26-yard field goal. 

Things were depressing. 

On senior night, the Demon Deacons were obliterated by the Wolfpack, 26-6. Looking at three-straight losses and a 4-6 record, I was heartbroken. Head Coach Dave Clawson expressed similar feelings for the team in his post-game interview. 

“I just want to apologize to our fan base, our students, everybody,” Clawson said. “That was just an awful, awful performance. We were flat, we had no energy…that was not even a competitive football game.” 

Weeks 12-13 — Acceptance 

I must admit, I did not watch much of Wake Forest’s last two games, since I finally accepted that this was… not our season. It was honestly too heartbreaking for me (and Clawson) to see former Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman with a different shiny gold helmet at Notre Dame. 

In Clawson’s press conference the week afterwards, he spoke about Hartman being honored on Notre Dame’s senior night with a Whitney Houston scoreboard homage.

“I’m like, you only dated him for a couple of months,” Clawson said. “It can’t be love. We are the ones who love him. We had five years with him. You rented him for a season. They bought him and rented him for a year, and now they love him. When that video played, it’s just like, ‘Holy cow, this is where college football is.’”

The Demon Deacons were annihilated by Hartman and the Fighting Irish, 45-7. 

The final week of the season didn’t provide a much better feeling. Wake Forest lost to Syracuse, 35-31, securing an overall record of 4-8 and a conference record of 1-7, and for the first time in seven years, Wake Forest would not be playing in a bowl game. 

Offseason — The Cycle Restarts

I know I just wrote a whole article complaining about the heartbreak through which the school’s team has put me, but I will always love the Demon Deacons. No matter what, I will wear black and gold and cheer loudly — next season and every season to come. I will continue to believe that every season will be the season we win it all. 

Being a college sports fan is a wonderful roller coaster, and I wouldn’t want to be in any other student section. Clawson has transformed the team over the last decade, and I know he will be able to do it again. I know that one day I will see Wake Forest dominate the ACC. 

Here’s to next season and here’s to the Demon Deacons!