CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2020 Wake Forest

4–⁠5 (3–⁠4 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Dave Clawson.

Schedule and results

Wake Forest in 2020, game by game: lost vs. Clemson 13–37; lost at NC State 42–45; won vs. Campbell 66–14; won vs. Virginia 40–23; won vs. No. 19 Virginia Tech 23–16; won at Syracuse 38–14; lost at North Carolina 53–59; lost at Louisville 21–45; lost vs. Wisconsin 28–42+52−24Lost 13–37 vs. Clemson-24ClemsonLost 42–45 at NC State-3NC StateWon 66–14 vs. Campbell+52CampbellWon 40–23 vs. Virginia+17VirginiaWon 23–16 vs. No. 19 Virginia Tech+7No. 19 Virginia TechWon 38–14 at Syracuse+24SyracuseLost 53–59 at North Carolina-6North CarolinaLost 21–45 at Louisville-24LouisvilleLost 28–42 vs. Wisconsin-14Wisconsin
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 12vsClemsonL 13–⁠3727%
Sep 19atNC StateL 42–⁠4552%
Oct 2vsCampbellW 66–⁠1484%
Oct 17vsVirginiaW 40–⁠2355%
Oct 24vs19Virginia TechW 23–⁠1650%
Oct 31atSyracuseW 38–⁠1460%
Nov 14atNorth CarolinaL 53–⁠5937%
Dec 12atLouisvilleL 21–⁠4556%
Dec 30Bowls & playoffvsWisconsinDuke’s Mayo BowlL 28–⁠4236%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Wisconsin 42–⁠28 in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; 10th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In program history: The 30th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 119 on file).

Record
4–⁠5
Conference
3–⁠4 10th in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
324–⁠295
Coach
Dave Clawson
Elo
1511 −17 this season
SP+ rating
0.8 No. 66 of 130; offense No. 64, defense No. 66
Returning
36% of last season’s EPA, No. 110 of 130
Recruiting class
No. 60 roster talent No. 66 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Warren Ruggiero
Defensive coordinator
Lyle Hemphill
Offense
Slow mesh
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense78th of 127
  • Defense89th of 127
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted69th of 127
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted82nd of 127
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0839%1.4078th of 127
Defense0.1846%1.2489th of 127
Opponent-adjusted0.10 off
0.14 def		42% off
44% def		—69th off
82nd def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense4.2own 2916% allowed
Defense4.2own 2918% caused

CORE rating -6.9, 90th of 127 (offense -1.1, defense 5.9).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsSam Hartman QB2,224 yds
Passing touchdownsSam Hartman QB13 TD
Rushing yardsChristian Beal-Smith RB732 yds
Rushing touchdownsKenneth Walker III RB13 TD
Receiving yardsJaquarii Roberson WR926 yds
Receiving touchdownsJaquarii Roberson WR8 TD
TacklesJa’Cquez Williams LB73 tkl
SacksCarlos Basham Jr. DL5 sacks
InterceptionsNick Andersen DB4 INT

Top recruits in the 2020 class

Jasheen Davis WDE★★★No. 471
Mitch Griffis DUAL★★★No. 600
Luke Petitbon OC★★★No. 714
George Sell OT★★★No. 1020
Kendron Wayman SDE★★★No. 1021

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2020 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks22.50.823
Running backs23.00.853
Receivers63.00.832
Offensive line43.00.849
Defensive line52.80.837
Defensive backs33.00.840
Athletes and specialists12.00.784
Whole class232.90.836

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2021

The 2021 draft
Rd 2Carlos Basham Jr. DEBuffalo Bills

Roster 120

The 2020 roster

120 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 62 have a stat line. See the roster

2020 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Notre Dame9–⁠010–⁠25
Clemson8–⁠110–⁠23
Miami7–⁠28–⁠322
North Carolina7–⁠38–⁠418
NC State7–⁠38–⁠4
Pittsburgh5–⁠56–⁠5
Boston College5–⁠56–⁠5
Virginia Tech5–⁠55–⁠6
Virginia4–⁠55–⁠5
Wake Forest3–⁠44–⁠5
Georgia Tech3–⁠63–⁠7
Louisville3–⁠74–⁠7
Florida State2–⁠63–⁠6
Duke1–⁠92–⁠9
Syracuse1–⁠91–⁠10

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.