Five Takeaways from Wake Forest vs VMI

Mitch Griffis proved himself as a starting quarterback

In his first collegiate start, Griffis could have folded under pressure. Instead, he shined, completing 21 of 29 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns.

Griffis' 24-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Morin in the first quarter was a beauty, and he displayed his confidence with a 33-yard over-the-shoulder ball to A.T. Perry later on. A fourth-quarter touchdown on a nice back shoulder throw to Jahmal Banks was the cherry on top of a fantastic debut.

Next week's game against Vanderbilt will be a bigger test for the redshirt freshman, but his performance against the Keydets should ease some fears.

RB Christian Turner shined; formed a formidable one-two punch with Justice Ellison

Despite being the 1B back in the starting duo, Turner stole the show with a career-high 100 yards and two touchdowns. One score came on an electric 35-yard scamper, where Turner broke through the crowded first level and somehow didn't fall to the ground. 

Turner gained 34 yards on one drive alone, while picking up his second touchdown. He consistently looked good bursting through the tackles for a truly impressive performance.

Ellison was no slouch himself, rushing for 80 yards on 13 carries.

Deep wide receiver room was on display

With Morin and Ke'Shawn Williams alternating drives at slot receiver, Wake Forest's depth at the position was evident. Griffis looked to Morin early, targeting him twice on the first drive, once for a third down conversion. Along with the aforementioned touchdown, the redshirt sophomore led the team with 74 yards on five receptions. Williams caught three passes for 22 yards.

Perry (47 yards) and Donavon Greene (63) were productive on the outside as well. Sophomore Jahmal Banks also saw several drives with the starters on the outside, making a nifty back-shoulder catch for a fourth-quarter touchdown.

In the fourth quarter, freshman Wesley Grimes and walk-ons Jackson Hensley and Nick Ragano saw the field.

The scoreboard doesn't tell the whole story; the defense struggled

Despite only giving up 10 points, the Deacs struggled on defense. The defensive line lacked penetration all the way until the fourth quarter, when DE Rondell Bothroyd strip-sacked the quarterback. With only six quarterback hurries, the Deacons seldom applied pressure against an FCS offensive line. Certainly something to improve on moving forward.

The secondary left much to be desired in their coverage on intermediate routes, consistently giving up chunk plays to the VMI receivers. While they didn't give up much on the deep ball, their ability to defend on the shorter passes will be something to watch against stronger opponents. 

K Matthew Dennis confidently filled Nick Sciba's shoes

In his first career start, Dennis put together an impressive, mistake-free performance. The redshirt freshman was 3/3 on field goals from 33, 31 and 33 yards. He also hit all five of his PAT's.

A full game story with insight and quotes from Dave Clawson and select players will be online tomorrow morning