Wake Forest Roll Call

Like the coaching staff complimented itself and the players for, I did not panic after quarter 1.

It was frustrating to watch, but you just had this feeling that everything was going to correct itself. And it did. Logan found his touch. The line popped open some holes. The defense started to get good pressure. It was fun to watch.

The big concern of the night was the D-line and I thought the young guys answered the bell. Let's talk specifics:

1. Antone Exum - As I hoped, he's getting better. I like where this is heading.

2. Josh Oglesby - Not a ton of running room for him on Saturday, but he ran tough with what he had.

3. Logan Thomas - I'm trying not to get too excited here, but he's making it difficult. I think we're seeing a special talent develop. By no means do I think he's arrived. The first quarter is proof of that, both in decision making and touch. However, he settled in, made some beautiful throws and went through his read progression nicely. And with the ball in his hands, he's going to do work. I swear, if we ever get to 3rd-and-1 and do not make it because we didn't sneak, I'm going to fire a coach myself.

4. David Wilson - He's out-pacing Ryan Williams' 1,655-yard season. That stat is better than any compliment I could give for Saturday night's effort.

7. Marcus Davis - Very nice to see him catch a long touchdown. The skills are there. Question: Why does he break the huddle so early? Before you wig out and say it's a dead giveaway that we're running the ball, that's not true. I saw him break the huddle on pass plays, as well. Simple solution: Stay in the huddle until everyone breaks. Oh, and more touchdowns!

8. Dietrick Bonner - I was critical of him after the Marshall game. But he was thrown into a tough spot on Saturday night and did well. His tackling is what gets your attention. The coverage skill is there, and will only get better (right now, it just needs to be spot-on every single play). Excited about his future.

9. Cris Hill - I saw him on the field a ton, but didn't see him in on a lot of plays, which I think is a good thing. I did see him locked on his receiver when Wake tried that jet sweep pass on their opening drive. Well done.

13. Randall Dunn - I noticed Dunn more than usual, but didn't see him do anything eye-catching, which is better than him giving up a sack or something.

15. Eddie Whitley - Another nice game for Eddie. He saved a touchdown in the first half with a tough tackle. Well done.

17. Kyle Fuller - Not as active as other weeks, but that's not a knock on his outing. We know we've got a good corner in him.

18. D.J. Coles - Quiet night for Mr. Coles. That's what happens when you get a lot of hands involved in the passing game. I got nervous when he came off the field, but I'm glad he's OK. We're going to need him down the stretch.

19. Danny Coale - If Pitbull is "Mr. Worldwide" then Danny was "Mr. Bubble Screen" on Saturday night. Something tells me Danny speaks better Spanish than Pitbull, too -- and he doesn't even know he can. Just try it, DC19.

20. Jayron Hosley - You know you're a good football player when you have a 27-year-old man on edge when you come up grabbing a hamstring. Need him to heal up quick.

24. Tariq Edwards - This guy is a terror when he's attacking the line of scrimmage. Look at the third down sack on Wake's second drive. He stayed home and waited until Price floated to his left. As soon as he got to the edge of the pocket, he was like a predator drone.

28. Alonzo Tweedy - I thought he came in on the first drive and made a bad read on a long Pendergrass run (maybe 10 yds). But he played a great game. He's so freakin fast when he zeroes in on the football.

33. Chris Drager - The little out pattern that he took inside the five right before the half is what I want to see all day. Against a linebacker, that's a money play. Another nice night for 33. Want to see him rumble into the end zone next week.

38. Michael Branthover - Great night for the birthday boy. A punt inside the 5? I can get used to that. Need more sideline shots of his hair.

42. J.R. Collins - I talked about the bull rush earlier this year. And we can that said rush for the Edwards interception, which set up that third score. He and Hopkins lining up next to each other is a problem. Thankfully, not Tech's problem.

45. Joey Phillips - We ran out of the gun a fair amount, especially in the second half, so it seemed like a quieter night for Joey. I'm waiting for our coaches to dial him up in a big moment later this year in the red zone. I have a feeling he'll bite and deflate the ball as his TD celebration.

48. Justin Myer - Not his best night. Need him to get those kicks into the end zone like he has been all year.

51. Bruce Taylor - Tackle machine. It's like a slot machine that always pays out, but only in tackles.

54. Nick Becton - He's definitely streaky. I have seen spells of him playing well in pass protection. So I know he can do it, we just need him to do it every damn play.

62. Blake DeChristopher - Another good outing for our best lineman. Playing like the 4-star he was coming out of high school.

66. Tyrel Wilson - This guy is really stepping it up. He had another solid night, marked with a beautiful sack early in the second quarter, which set up the field position for our first touchdown drive. On the next drive, he tossed aside his blocker and came up with a critical stop on third and short. If he's playing this well at 220, I'd love to see him at 240. Can we build an addition to the back deck of Boudreaux's during the offseason? Small bedroom, 24-hour access to the kitchen and a lark to get him over to the weight room. In all seriousness, a solid outing for 66.

67. Michael Via - Noticed him a few times. He's a sound backup. I do think he'll be a good starter when his number is called.

68. Jaymes Brooks - For a guy I've been critical of, I thought he had a great night.

72. Andrew Lanier - Really sharp outing. He's out best option on the edge right now. Need him to rub off some good habits on Nick.

74. Andrew Miller - There's no question this was his best game of the season. Excellent job getting to the second level.

75. Greg Nosal - I saw him get beat early, but he settled down and played well, opening some big holes for 4 to skate through.

80. George George - I noticed him most on the second scoring drive of the game, when he threw some nice blocks for Wilson to get us down field.

81. Jarrett Boykin - I loved when the analyst assumed JB81 didn't know what he was doing when he extended the ball to the end zone (That should have been 6, right?). Either way, complete stud.

89. Cody Journell - As long as he's making his kicks, everyone is happy. Well done.

90. Duan Perez-Means - At this point, he should be the option behind Wilson. Zack needs to get more aggressive, so let's see what 90 can do.

92. Luther Maddy - Hat tip to our coaching staff for finding Mr. Maddy late in the recruiting process. He has outstanding power and quickness for a freshman. It looks like that ankle was in good shape on Saturday night. I like what I see.

93. Isaiah Hamlette - Didn't see a lot come his way, but I didn't see him getting pushed around out there. Would like to see 12-15 good plays out of him while the young guys learn on the fly.

95. Zack McCray - I think we need to sign up him for predator drone classes. I want him to unleash hell when he's out there and I'm not seeing it yet.

96. Corey Marshall - This is the most comfortable I've seen him look on the field. If we continue to see progression each week, he's going to be a solid option for 15-20 plays as we go forward. He's going to get eaten up at times, but his quickness is going to make him disruptive.

98. Derrick Hopkins - He deserves a game ball. What an effort.