advertisement

No. 5 Irish, Wake Forest take offense to defensive reunion

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly can deal with a game-time reunion of defensive assistants Mike Elko and Clark Lea with their former boss, Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson.

Whether Kelly's fifth-ranked Fighting Irish (7-1, No. 3 CFP) can deal on the field with the explosive Demon Deacons (5-3) is another matter.

The hype for this game has included much talk about how Elko, the first-year defensive coordinator for Kelly, has helped turn the Irish defense into a turnover-causing machine after doing the same thing for Clawson in stops at Wake Forest and Bowling Green.

But the outcome Saturday ultimately could depend on how the two offenses respond to the expected rainy conditions. Kelly is certainly a fan of Wake Forest senior quarterback John Wolford, who threw for career highs in yards (461) and touchdowns (five) in a 42-32 victory over Louisville that featured 625 yards by the Demon Deacons.

"He's a veteran quarterback who has been in their system and taken his lumps and grown," Kelly said. "The tempo, their quarterback and their ability to spread you out and get some guys space to make plays - they did a great job against Louisville."

Notre Dame has relied heavily on its standout backfield: Josh Adams (1,169 rushing yards) and quarterback Brandon Wimbush (11 rushing touchdowns, 10 passing), who are benefiting from a talented offensive line led by All-America candidates Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson that has produced per game averages of 317.9 rushing yards (sixth nationally).

"It's not every week that you face the caliber of an offensive line that Notre Dame is or the caliber of back that Adams is," Clawson said. He hopes his defense, led by senior end Duke Ejiofor (14 tackles for loss, including 6.5 sacks) and with some of Elko's fingerprints still on it, will be up to the task.

Some other things to watch in this game:

NO DORTCH

Wake Forest won't have its best big-play threat for the rest of the season after wide receiver Greg Dortch suffered an abdominal injury that required surgery hours after his school-record four-touchdown performance against Louisville. The Demon Deacons' next man up will be veteran Tabari Hines, who has started 21 games during his career but none this season. Wolford also can look to 6-5 sophomore WR Scotty Washington and senior TE Came Serigne, who has five TDs among his 16 receptions. The Demon Deacons also will be without RB Cade Carney and SS Jessie Bates, after the sophomores also were hurt in the Louisville game.

THE SCOREBOARD

Notre Dame's 35-14 victory over North Carolina State last week was its sixth consecutive victory by 20 or more points. That's something that hasn't occurred in the Notre Dame program since 1966 when Ara Parseghian's Irish did it seven times in a row before the infamous 10-10 tie at Michigan State ended the streak.

COOKING WITH TURNOVERS

Notre Dame has outscored its opponents 101-10 off turnovers this season. The Irish have 18 takeaways (10 fumble recoveries, eight interceptions) while giving up three fumbles and four picks for a turnover margin of 1.38 (seventh nationally). Notre Dame has not turned the ball over at all in four games.

ENEMY INFILTRATORS

Wake Forest leads the nation in tackles for loss, averaging 9.3 a game. Notre Dame is 55th, averaging 6.3 a game. Last week against Louisville, the Demon Deacons collected 11 tackles for loss and had seven sacks of Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson.

RANKED HAS PRIVILEGES

Against teams ranked in the AP top 10, Wake Forest is 1-58. The victory came on Oct. 26, 1946, when Wake Forest beat No. 4 Tennessee, 19-6. In the month of November, Wake Forest is 10-48-3 when playing a team with zero or one loss. The last such victory was a 21-14 victory over 7-1 Boston College in 2006.

IRISH-DEACONS

Besides Elko and Lea, who coaches linebackers, Notre Dame's current director of scouting, Bill Rees, served in a similar role at Wake Forest in 2015 and '16. Rees is the father of quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees, who played the position for Kelly's Irish from 2010-13. Wake Forest president Dr. Nathan Hatch was Notre Dame's provost from 1996-2005.

___

AP Sports Writer Joedy McCreary contributed.

___

More AP college football: http://collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25

FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, file photo, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly argues a call during the second half of an NCAA college football game against North Carolina State in South Bend, Ind. Kelly can deal with Saturday afternoon’s reunion of defensive assistants Mike Elko and Clark Lea with their former Wake Forest boss Dave Clawson. Whether Kelly’s No. 5 Irish can deal on the field with the explosive 5-3 Blue Demons, fresh off a 42-32 victory against Louisville, is another matter. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File) The Associated Press
FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, file photo, Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson walks on the sideline during an NCAA college football game against Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Notre Dame first-year defensive coordinator Mike Elko will find himself this weekend across the field facing a group of players he once recruited to a program he helped build. Elko spent the last three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Wake Forest, which visits the fifth-ranked Fighting Irish on Saturday. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) The Associated Press
FILE - In this March 22, 2017, file photo, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Mike Elko runs drills during NCAA college football practice in South Bend, Ind. Elko will find himself this weekend across the field facing a group of players he once recruited to a program he helped build. Elko spent the last three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Wake Forest, which visits the fifth-ranked Fighting Irish on Saturday. (Becky Malewitz/South Bend Tribune via AP, File) The Associated Press
FILE - In this Sept. 30, 2017, file photo, Notre Dame running back Josh Adams (33) heads for the end zone for his second touchdown of the game during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Miami (Ohio) in South Bend, Ind. The noise about a playoff bid and the Heisman Trophy is getting louder around No. 5 Notre Dame as it prepares for the visit from Wake Forest on Saturday, Nov. 4. Junior running back Adams, fifth in the nation in rushing with 1,169 yards, has emerged as a legitimate contender for the Heisman and other postseason awards. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File) The Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.