What Wake Forest Said After the Oregon State Win

Wake Forest has won two in a row, both on the road. By trends in recent years, that is a hot streak. The Demon Deacons, at 4-2 overall, have won as many games as they did in each of the two previous seasons. After drubbing Oregon State in Corvallis on Saturday, 39-14, the Deacs get a bye week. Even with the strong performance, there is much to fix. Let’s check in on what Wake Forest said after the Oregon State win.

Jake Dickert

The head coach got his first win in Corvallis in his fourth game against Oregon State (three games with Washington State, and a 1-2 record against the Beavers before Saturday afternoon).

Even with the win, he was still forward-thinking. “The best part about our team is there is some growth to be had,” he said. “And we still have to make those improvements going forward.”

Dickert was happy with what he saw from quarterback Deshawn Purdie, playing in place of the injured Robby Ashford. Purdie’s first completion, on his second pass of the game, was a 36-yard touchdown pass up the middle to receiver Chris Barnes. “I think I knew we could take advantage of some matchups in their secondary,” the coach said. “I think early on, just to hit that ball created so much confidence for our team, but also Deshawn.”

While the win was satisfying for Wake Forest, Dickert said there is a lot of work to do during the bye week. The team continues to be plagued by penalties. The Deacs were flagged 12 times for 111 yards. “There were some discipline penalties today that I’m really disappointed in,” he said. “We’ve got to be smart. Especially towards the end of that game. It’s going to continue to hold us back if we don’t get it fixed. There’s tons of things to continue to get better at.”

Deshawn Purdie

The transfer quarterback from Charlotte talked about how it felt to start his first game of the season. “The biggest thing for me was coming in the game and keeping them nerves down and just playing ball.”

He said hitting Barnes with that first deep throw was big for him, especially with Barnes being so wide open. “I know I’ve got the arm. But the easy ones, you’ve got to make your layups. That’s what they say. Make your layups. I’m happy today that I was able to make my layups.”

He said it was a little easier knowing for much of the week that he was going to be the starting quarterback on Saturday. “It’s definitely better mentally. But my mindset is I stay ready no matter what.”

Chris Barnes

Not only did he have his first touchdown reception as a Demon Deacon, but he also had three of them on Saturday. He finished the day with 102 receiving yards. “The plays we made today wasn’t just made today. We’ve been making these plays since Spring ball, Fall camp, and leading up to the season.”

The first touchdown catch was a 36-yarder that Purdie dropped right over Barnes’ shoulders at the back of the end zone. “I kind of got a feel once the ball was in the air. I just had to get at least one foot down, so I made sure I dragged the foot a little bit before taking that last step and making sure I had the ball.”

Nuer Gatkuoth

The big defensive lineman got on the stat sheet not just with tackles but with an interception when he dropped back into pass coverage. He was part of a Colorado State team that lost last season in Corvallis. He said it felt good to go back and get the win against Oregon State. “Last year, we came here and lost in double OT. It left a sour taste in our mouths. To come in here, to come back and just beat them, it felt amazing.”

He said it was disappointing to lose the shutout late in the game. “We wanted that zero up on the scoreboard,” he said. “But we’ll go back and look at the film to see what we did wrong and change it.”

Wake Forest’s next game is at home on October 25^th against SMU.