It’s a new dawn for Wake Forest Football as first-year Head Coach Jake Dickert led the Demon Deacons to a 10-9 victory against Kennesaw State in Friday’s season opener. While the first half play was inconsistent, the Deacs were able to pull things together in the final two quarters and come out on top. 

The offense, led by transfer quarterback Robby Ashford, drove down the field with purpose and intensity in its opening drive. The acrobatic Ashford eventually dove his way into the end zone for the first touchdown of the year. 

However, attention quickly diverted to star running back Demond Claiborne. Just five minutes into the game, Claiborne jogged back to the locker room with an apparent rib injury. 

Following the game, Dickert acknowledged that the severity of the injury is still unknown, but that further updates will be provided as the week progresses.

When Claiborne emerged from the locker room later that quarter, he headed straight to the injury tent while teammates consoled him on the sidelines. He took one more snap, then his night was over.

The rest of the half was sloppy. The defense struggled to stop the run, and Kennesaw State completed several passes over the middle of the field as a result. A shanked extra point and a missed 36-yard field goal were the only reasons the Demon Deacons led 7-6 into the break. 

When halftime rolled around, though, senior linebacker Nick Anderson delivered a simple yet effective message to his teammates: “Let’s go do this.”

For the rest of the game, the defense dominated.

They allowed just three points in the second half, with Anderson himself garnering eight total tackles, five of which came in the second half. This side of the ball was undoubtedly the bright spot for the Deacons on Friday, and should be a stepping stone for this team moving forward. 

The offense, while not performing as effectively as desired, seemed to find its groove, even without Claiborne. Tight end Eni Falayi emerged as a standout for the struggling Deacons, as the redshirt senior grabbed 4 receptions for 52 yards with especially impressive runs after the catch. 

Ashford, despite not having his best performance, commandeered the offense into burning valuable time in the fourth quarter. He left Kennesaw State with a full field on their final drive of the game, and the Owls only gained one yard as the defense stepped up once again. 

“Hats off to our defense,” said Ashford in the post-game press conference.

The product on the field was far from perfect, and the team knows it. 

As Coach Dickert put it, “Winning ugly is the prettiest way to do it . . . We will be a better team eight days from now.” 

Wake Forest faces Western Carolina in their next game at Allegacy Stadium on Saturday, September 6th.