Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson has prepared for Saturday’s matchup against No. 19 Notre Dame (7-3) with a heavy heart.
When he turns on the tape, he sees former Demon Deacons quarterback Sam Hartman, who transferred to the Irish in the offseason.
“I think the world of Sam,” coach Dave Clawson said. “Quite honestly, it’s hard for me to watch Notre Dame football because that’s the Wake Forest quarterback playing for them. He spent five years here and did a lot for our program. We’re still close.”
The Wake Forest offense was prolific in Hartman’s hands, scoring 41 points per game in 2021 (fourth out of 130 FBS teams) as the Deacons reached the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. He departed as the program’s career passing leader with 12,967 yards and 110 touchdowns.
The Deacons (4-6) have taken a noticeable step back without him under center. They are 1-6 in the ACC and have lost their last three games.
Of course, Hartman has endured his own struggles since the breakup.
He started this season on fire, completing 71.1% of his passes for 265.3 yards per game, 13 touchdowns and no interceptions.
His stats have plummeted in the six games since, in which he has connected on 58.3% of his throws for 201.8 yards per game, five scores and seven picks.
“You have so much success early that it’s like, ‘Oh, man, he’s just mastered this. We’re good to go,'” Irish coach Marcus Freeman said. “He makes every perfect read and those types of things. And then you play some really good defenses, and we haven’t performed as well.”
Wake Forest’s defense is of a lower caliber compared with other recent Irish opponents. Notre Dame’s three losses were to Ohio State, Clemson and Louisville, each of which owns a top-20 defense.
The Deacons give up an average of 372.2 yards (65th). But Hartman’s presence might provide Wake Forest defenders with an opportunity they have longed for.
“I was joking with our team today that for five years, Sam wore a green jersey and they weren’t allowed to hit him,” Clawson said. “So this is the first time any of our defensive guys will ever be allowed to hit him.”
Offensive woes
The Deacons average 20.5 points (tied for 112th) and 331.7 yards (103rd). Wake Forest has yet to score more than 21 points in an ACC game this season. That includes last week’s 26-6 loss to North Carolina State, in which the Deacons posted 163 total yards.
It has gotten to the point that Clawson might even evaluate or adjust the use of Wake Forest’s famed slow-mesh offense.
“Is it what we’re doing or who we’re doing it with?” he said. “And if what we’re doing, we don’t have the people to do it with, then you need to change what you’re doing.”
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Of course, Hartman’s departure likely has something to do with the program’s dramatic drop in offensive production.
“We haven’t played as well at the quarterback position as we had for the past two or three years,” Clawson said.
Initial replacement Mitch Griffis struggled as the full-time starter, completing 59.9% of his passes for 1,553 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Clawson has pulled him at times, looking for a spark. Now it appears he is on to a permanent change to redshirt junior Michael Kern, who would have been the starter sooner if not for suffering an injury on the final play against Virginia Tech.
“We need to see what he can do the rest of this year,” Clawson said, “and then we’ve got to make a decision on what we’re going to do moving forward at quarterback. So we hope he plays really well, albeit against a very good defense.”
Senior-laden
The Irish will honor a robust group of 31 seniors, which includes graduate students such as Hartman, with a quick pregame ceremony.
“I’m sure it’ll be a little awkward pregame,” Clawson said. “But postgame, I’ll give him a big hug and let him know how much we care about him and tell him I root for him every game except one this year.”
Putting feelings aside, Clawson is likely more concerned with the seniors on the other side of the ball. Notre Dame limits opponents to 16.9 points per game (12th) and 280.4 total yards (seventh).
“I’ve known (defensive coordinator) Al Golden for a number of years, and he’s an excellent defensive football coach,” Clawson said. “They are just so gap sound, assignment sound. There are no freebies, and they are old. Of their 12 starters (including their nickel), 10 of them are seniors.”