Demon Deacons want more after Newman delivers
Wake Forest took a look at what Jamie Newman could do as a starting quarterback out of necessity.
It worked out well by the end in his debut as a starter he led a game-winning drive in a two-minute drill at North Carolina State.
Now the Demon Deacons will look to build on that upset victory when Pittsburgh comes calling for Saturday afternoon’s Atlantic Coast Conference game.
There are significant elements at stake for both teams. Pittsburgh can clinch the ACC’s Coastal Division by winning, while Wake Forest (5-5, 2-4) needs one more victory to become bowl eligible.
The wounded Demon Deacons will have a little extra time to prepare because the 27-23 conquest at N.C. State came in a Thursday night game.
Newman was at the controls when the Demon Deacons drove 80 yards without a time-out for the go-ahead touchdown with 30 seconds to play. It was the first time they led the entire game.
“It’s just about staying poised, not letting the moment get too big for you,” Newman said.
The eight-play drive ended with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jack Freudenthal.
Newman delivered in the clutch. It had been a challenging autumn for the redshirt sophomore. He suffered an injury late in preseason, so true freshman Sam Hartman won the quarterback battle and excelled at times throughout the season as Newman played sparingly in relief.
But Hartman went out with a leg injury, something revealed after a Nov. 3 loss to Syracuse. Wake Forest had a quick turnaround for its next game against nationally ranked N.C. State. “That just shows what we’re made of,” Newman said of the team’s response.
His teammates praised the way he came through. On the winning drive, Newman was 5-for-8 for 80 yards.
“I thought he was calm, cool and collected,” receiver Sage Surratt said of Newman. “I thought he was ready for the moment.”
The scenario also gave relevance to what the Demon Deacons prepare for. They go through the late-game situations regularly in practice.
“We knew someone had to make a play,” Freudenthal said. “We practice this same situation. We just played down after down.”
Newman ended up 22-for-33 for 297 yards in the air, with 124 of those yards coming in the fourth quarter.
The result was Wake Forest’s first road victory against a ranked opponent in 12 years.
To make the outcome more meaningful, the Demon Deacons need to do more down the stretch.
“This is an extremely rewarding win,” coach Dave Clawson said. “What we do with it tells you how valuable it was. We’ve got a lot of football left, and we’ve got a lot of goals left for us to accomplish.”
