Daily briefing: On Wake Forest’s offense, Sam Howell and Butch Davis
Ivan Maisel’s “Daily Briefing” for On3:
Can Clemson shut down Wake Forest again?
Wake Forest is at Clemson this week. Wake is averaging 44.7 points per game this season, or one fewer than the Demon Deacons have scored against Clemson in their past five games combined. The Tigers have held the Deacs to one touchdown in the past three seasons. That was in the 2020 season-opener, a late-game score that Wake managed after coach Dave Clawson pulled Sam Hartman, most likely to keep him safe. The Tigers still know how to play defense. They’re third in the nation in scoring defense (15.3 ppg) and first in red zone defense (six TDs, seven field goals allowed in 23 red-zone visits). But the Clemson offense remains a few first downs short of mediocre. Wake clinches the ACC Atlantic by winning at Clemson or at Boston College next week. This game feels as if it will change more than that. It feels as if it will change the nature of a rivalry.
Battered-and-bruised Sam Howell may miss game
Quarterback Sam Howell has started all 35 games he has been suited up for North Carolina. Howell has thrown for 9,941 yards, 90 touchdowns and 22 interceptions in 1,071 attempts. His impact in helping Mack Brown return successfully to college coaching is plain to see. But with UNC preparing to play Wofford this week, Brown announced Monday that Howell’s starting streak is in jeopardy because of an “upper-body” injury to his non-throwing side he suffered in Thursday night’s overtime loss at Pitt. Maybe we should have known it would be a rough year for Howell when he had so little time to throw in the opener against Virginia Tech. The Tar Heels’ offensive line figured to be a strength this season because all five starters returned. Instead, the line has allowed 39 sacks. Howell has paid the price.
Butch Davis’ legacy is loaded 2001 Miami team
FIU coach Butch Davis, after losing 14 of his past 15 games, announced Monday that he won’t return in 2022. Davis may not be the best coach never to win a national championship, and with a career record of 103-73 (.585), he falls short of the standard (.600) to qualify for the College Football Hall of Fame. But Davis built one of the best teams ever in college football. After taking the 2000 Miami Hurricanes to an 11-1 record and a No. 2 ranking in the AP poll, Davis left for the Cleveland Browns. The 2001 Hurricanes went 12-0, beat 11 teams by at least 11 points and humiliated Nebraska 37-14 in the Rose Bowl for the national title. Larry Coker coached that team. Davis built it.