Oct 11, 2025; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons wide receiver Chris Barnes (10) runs for a touchdown after the catch during the second half against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

A New Hope - What Did We Learn From The Wake Forest Win Over Oregon State

Originally posted on Wake Forest Demon Deacons on SI
By JD Andress | Last updated Oct 13, 2025 12:36 PM ET

Welcome back to What Did We Learn. With the return of the football season, my weekly article, a two-year-long tradition on other sites now, begins, where at the end of every weekend, I release my weekly "what did we learn". An opinionated editorial, detailing what Demon Deacon fans can take away from the week before, that might not show up in the box score.

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons have something, something real, and it's evident watching the team play. They went out west and flat out dominated an Oregon State Beavers team, that while winless, were better than their record would initially indicate.

The Deacs aren't a feel good story either; they're a real story, with real culture and real talent. They aren't getting lucky, they aren't stumbling into success, they are building it, forming it, making it something they can call their own.

The hope is here, and the fear it brings of believing in something that may never come to fruition, but hope is all we have.

Enjoy the Sights on the Climb

Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Part of the beauty of college football is the hope a season brings, those few weeks a year that the belief your team can actually be something more than a punching bag for the rest of the conference. When the season began, in Jake Dickert's first year, there were no expectations because no one knew what they could actually be, and now, halfway through the season, we have an answer.

Frisky and fun. That's what it's about for a middle-of-the-pack team. I don't say in jest, either, calling them that. I mean that. They weren't expected to compete for a conference championship this season. Things would have really had to go their way for that to happen, but it doesn't mean you can't have any fun.

That's what this season is all about. An aging defense that is on the older side of the spectrum, but is setting a culture foundation that will be felt in the locker room for the next five years. An offense that has young playmakers who will strike fear in opposing defensive coordinators with their big-play abilities. And a culture that will be remembered as the start of something special.

If Dickert can start recruiting and getting those young play-makers to buy into what he is building, paired with the talent already on the roster who are entirely in the dark, then this isn't hope anymore. It would be real. It would be everything the fans have wanted, and then some. The coach is there, the fans are slowly getting there, and the program will be even slower, but it will get there.

For now, though, enjoy the hope. Enjoy the moments of hopeless wonder, not being crushed by a loss or a bad call, knowing you are playing with house money, because eventually, their time will be here.

This article first appeared on Wake Forest Demon Deacons on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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