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Signing Day Excitement

Posted by michaelhoag75 on February 5, 2013
Posted in: ACC, Life. 4 comments

 

signing-day-07-banner

Signing Day is such a great time for college football. The whole nation watches and anticipates the decisions made by 17 and 18 year-olds. It’s crazy if you really step back and think about it.

Tomorrow is signing day for these high school seniors who hope to move forward and make an impact at whatever school they choose.  Most players will have a ceremony at their school or a party with their families; Some will have national TV at their signing ceremony.

I doubt any of the players signing their Letters of Intent to Wake Forest tomorrow will make national coverage, Wake Forest doesn’t attract five star recruits like some other huge schools and that’s just OK with us. Having only 4,000 undergraduate students puts Wake Forest at a slight disadvantage sometimes, but I want to welcome the guys who sign with Wake tomorrow. Whether they are the top recruit in the class or the last minute offer, aka Riley Skinner, they are joining a brotherhood. A brotherhood that I and many men before me have had the privilege of being a part of.

The recruits may not know it now, but they are about to meet so many great people and form some lifelong friendships with their teammates. Friendships that become so close you actually feel like brothers.

They will also be receiving a top notch education from one of the best schools in the country. I would not have changed my decision to go to Wake Forest for anything looking back on it. Looking back on it, having only 4,000 undergraduate students was a blessing because I got to know my professors on a personal level as well as making so many friends on campus.

To all you die hard fans out there, I’ll do my best to summarize signing day tomorrow evening. I’m not extremely knowledgable about the recruiting process at this point, but I will try my hardest to give you a different perspective.  I am a firm believer that those stars don’t mean a thing. These players will make a name for themselves by working hard and proving people wrong…sounds like Wake Forest right?

If I run across some extra time I might even post my own signing day story :)

Just for fun here is the link to the Wake write up on my signing class way back in 2007

-Go Deacs-

Michael Hoag #75

Home For Christmas…Unfortunately

Posted by michaelhoag75 on December 28, 2012
Posted in: ACC, Life. 2 comments

It is time to discuss the worst part of the year for a college football player…if you aren’t bowl eligible. Unfortunately Wake did not make it to a bowl game this season and therefore the Demon Deacon players are currently experiencing the awful feeling of being home for the holidays. I have been on both sides of this fence and I will give you a little insight into both.

The holiday season is a great time to see your family, maybe visit your girlfriend’s family or even go on vacation. All great ideas if you aren’t a college football player. Christmas break at home is a bad deal, I mean a very bad deal!

When I arrived at Wake Forest we were riding a high, bowl games had become the norm and my first bowl game was the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, NC. I remember all of the players being a little bummed because it was a big step down from the Orange Bowl the season before; I didn’t go to the Orange Bowl, so I was amped up! The only negative I could think of during that bowl trip was the fact we arrived in Charlotte on Christmas day. That meant we had to spend Christmas away from our families…bummer. We did, however, get to go home for a few days before Christmas so my family celebrated Christmas early, just for me.

Waking up in your dorm room bunk bed as an 18-year-old kid on Christmas morning was certainly depressing, but we were there for a business trip. I remember eating SpaghettiO’s in my room right before catching the team bus to Charlotte and thinking man this sucks. I was way wrong!

The next year our team played in the Inaugural Eagle Bank Bowl in Washington, DC. Lucky for us the bowl game was played on December 21st and we were able to go home for Christmas with a bowl win under our belts. That was a great Christmas…the next two weren’t so enjoyable.

Bowl preparation is a lot like fall camp; you live at the facility. Two-a-days are expected and meetings came three times each day. The cafeteria became the scene for a silent film after the first week. The practices were not fun at all, but the coaches loved it because it gave them a chance to further evaluate the young guys. As a player I could never understand their thinking, but I understand it now.

In 2009, Wake Forest finished 5-7, losing five games by a total of 13 points. It was a heartbreaking season. For the first time in three years the football office was closing up early and the players were going home for the entire Christmas break. To make matters worse, I had broken my hand in the last game of the season and had to have surgery. So here I was going home for five weeks of freedom and I couldn’t even lift weights; I ended up losing about 20 pounds during that break.

As a football player you wake up a lot of times and dread going to weights or practice, but when it is taken away from you, it becomes the thing you miss the most. That Winter break was only enjoyable for about a week. After that I became restless, I did not want to watch the bowl games, I couldn’t lift, and soon I longed to be around my teammates again.

Watching other teams play their bowl games is what set me over the edge. I felt helpless knowing we should have been competing in a bowl game.

Unfortunately the next season was even worse. We finished the season 3-9 and headed home again, but this time things had changed. That first year we went home it seemed like maybe our team was ready for a short break, but after finishing 3-9 we went home pissed off. My class officially became the seniors after our last game and we met with each other before we went home and decided that being home for Christmas sucked! Shortly afterward we met with the team and told them the attitude needed to change.

Everyone left that meeting hungry, ready to capitalize on the five weeks off and come back bigger and stronger than ever. We did just that. My senior year we made it back to a bowl game and it was such a thrill.

You see, a bowl game isn’t just a football game, it is also a vacation for the players and coaches. Teams arrive at the bowl site at least four days before the game so they can enjoy the city. We were able to have a great time in Nashville, Tennessee for the Music City Bowl.

The bowl game hosted dinners for us, ran shuttles into the city so we could explore, and best of all gave us bowl gifts! Free Christmas presents from people you don’t even know, now that is a treat!

Please keep in mind that I am writing this from the perspective of a student-athlete. I am now a retired athlete and I have the ability to enjoy my Christmas with my family and friends and it really is a blessing, but as a college football player your perspective has to be different if you want to win games.

Looking back at my career I would have eaten SpaghettiO’s every Christmas for my five seasons at Wake if it meant we were going to a bowl game. Those were five of the best years of my life and probably the only five years I will ever miss family Christmas. That’s a pretty favorable trade-off to me!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and have a happy New Year!

-Go Deacs!

 

Why the Lull?

Posted by michaelhoag75 on December 14, 2012
Posted in: ACC, Life. 4 comments

Hey guys,

I want to apologize for the inactivity on my site in recent weeks.  Since football season ended I have been in hyperdrive on my job hunt. Unfortunately, my sideline gig was only part-time and I was only assigned to football season.  All signs point to me returning to the same duty next season, but I must find a job to support myself first.  I hate that it takes away from my time to blog, but money rules the world haha.

Hopefully, I will find something soon and be able to write more frequently for your enjoyment.  I figure this is the best time, however, for a lull because basketball season hasn’t quite kicked into full gear.  Also, I will do my best to put some stuff up here every so often until the Basketball season amps up, but if you want to read some more of my stuff you can do so at Insidetheacc.com .  I have joined up with their site to post a weekly article as another way to give myself some exposure. It would really help me if you all check it out in addition to this site; I will be posting different articles on each.

I guess my basic goal is to give you all a weekly post on this site and Insidetheacc.com until I get myself settled down.  My apologies again on the lack of reading material.

-Go Deacs!

Michael Hoag

Camp & Whitlock 2nd Team All-ACC

Posted by michaelhoag75 on November 26, 2012
Posted in: ACC, Post-Game Editions. 2 comments

Congratulations to Michael Campanaro and Nikita Whitlock. Both players were announced as 2nd-team All-ACC performers today.  Punter Alex Kinal also received honorable mention All-ACC.  I imagine he will make the all-freshman team which will be announced later.

Campanaro proved his worth throughout the entire season and ended the regular season as the ACC leader in receptions.  He finished the season with 79 receptions for 763 yards and 6 TDs. He also rushed for a Touchdown and threw a TD Pass as well.  When he broke his hand early on in the season he was sorely missed by the offense.  I have no doubt in my mind that if it were not for missing two-and-a-half games he would have recorded at least 100 receptions on the season.  Hats off to Camp for continuing to get better as a player and I am excited to see what next year holds for him!

Whitlock was also hampered with injuries early on in the season when he sustained a high-ankle sprain against North Carolina.  He was able to return from injury and play in the majority of games this season.  Whitlock finished the season with 51 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks.  His ability to make plays at his size (5’10″- 260 lbs.) is truly remarkable.  His statistics were not as impressive as last season, but Whitlock forces opposing teams to double team a player of his size. That rarely happens unless you are a stud, and Nikita Whitlock is a stud.

Whitlock and Campanaro will be seniors next year and I look for them to get even better in their final seasons as they continue to be emotional and physical leaders for this football team.

Hats off to Alex Kinal as well. Unfortunately, he punted more than we all would have liked, but he still managed to average 40.7 yards per punt on 95 punts.  That is very impressive in my opinion.  This guy works his tail off to perfect his craft and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.

Here is the link to the ACC’s article and the full All-ACC football teams.

http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/112612aaf.html

-Go Deacs!

Michael Hoag

aWAKEn The Post-Game: Vandy edition

Posted by michaelhoag75 on November 26, 2012
Posted in: ACC, Post-Game Editions. 4 comments

This will probably be another short post as I don’t have much to tell you that you couldn’t have figured out yourself.  It was another bad loss for the Deacs on Saturday when they fell 55-21 to a much improved Vanderbilt team.  I give James Franklin credit for the job he has done at Vanderbilt, but his team is not that much better than Wake Forest’s.  The score might read differently, but I know what talent this team had and the Deacs just looked flat on Saturday night.  Tanner Price mentioned it in his post-game press conference, he said, “”I think one of the big problems has been we just haven’t played with a lot of heart and a lot of emotion.”  When players are admitting this type of thing it becomes a problem.  Here is my short and sweet recap of what happened against Vandy.

 

OFFENSE

 

  • The offense struggled again this week, just as they had in previous weeks, and after their first drive of the football game the boys from Vandy shut them down.
  • I thought WR Michael Campanaro showed up ready to play and had a good game with  8 catches for 98 yards.  He and Deandre Martin looked fired up and ready to play the whole game.  Martin proved again he can be the feature back after gaining 72 yards and one score. I’m anxious to see what Martin can do behind a stable offensive line.
  • Tanner Price played ok.  He made some routine throws, but also missed a few of those same passes.  Price was sacked three times on Saturday, which had to mess with his head, and never looked comfortable in the pocket.  Most quarterbacks are going to miss throws if they don’t feel comfortable in the pocket and unfortunately Price has looked uncomfortable back there the majority of the season.
  • The offensive line has been a weak link this whole season, but I’m not going to blame them for this loss. Wake got outplayed in every phase of the game.  This offensive line went from having two guys(Steven Chase and Garrick Williams) with any starting experience at the beginning of the season to seeing seven players earn their first career start. That is the main reason this group struggled, but I see that becoming an advantage moving forward because now you have eight players returning next year with staring experience.

 

 

DEFENSE

 

  • The defense had its fair share of struggles this week too.  Vandy RB Zac Stacy ran wild, just like he did last season, and torched the defense for 180 yards rushing.
  • WR Jordan Matthews simply looked better than our defenders.  He is one of the best wideouts in the country, but a couple plays our DBs just looked lost.
  • I would like to point out that I thought Chibuikem Okoro played well in his last game as a Demon Deacon. He finished with 9 solo tackles, a great interception, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
  • Senior Hasan Hazime also played well in his last game of his one season career for the Deacs.  He had 5 tackles and a sack.  Hazime is a guy who may not have lit up the stat sheet every week, but he was an excellent addition to this team. Our defensive line needed another player to make plays and he showed up and became that guy. Having a senior transfer in and have success like that (28 tackles, 7 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 forced fumbles) will make this coaching staff more open to senior transfers moving forward.
  • The linebackers were a non-factor in this game.  Michael Olson lead all LBs with four tackles.  Justin Jackson only had one tackle, Betros had two, Haynes with zero, and Ehrmann had one.  That lack of production your linebackers is not a good sign.

 

SPECIAL TEAMS

 

  • Special teams were bad all night.  There were a lot of new faces on specials this week as the coaching staff used a lot more starters on the coverage teams. This was an attempt to get better production, but I’m not sure it helped because most of these guys hadn’t played special teams all season.
  • There is no excuse for the blocked punt. Vandy called a good block, but the Deacs had enough blockers and just didn’t make the blocks.  It was an awful play on Saturday and should have never happened.
  • The punt return for a TD was another awful play.  It almost looked as if some of the Deacon defenders thought the Vanderbilt returner called for a fair catch. They were caught flat footed and out of position.  Credit the returner as he did make some good moves and break a couple tackles, but it should have never gotten that far.

 

 

 

This game is one that I’m sure everyone would like to wipe away from their memory bank, but I have one group who I hope never forgets this game.  The players that are returning next year should never forget how this loss felt.  The score was lopsided, the team looked unenthused, and the fans were almost non-existent.  I mentioned it on the radio on Saturday; if the atmosphere in that stadium didn’t anger those players and motivate them to turn things around next season they will have big problems.

 

I was on a 3-9 football team my first year as a starter and I would love to forget that season, but it taught me what it takes to win football games in the ACC. You have to come out every week fired up to play.  I can tell you that my senior class took a look around during that season and decided we weren’t going to go out in that fashion our senior year.  The players have to start the change. No one else can do it for them.  The boys in the black and gold have to believe and decide that losing is not an option.

 

Lastly, I would like to thank the seniors for their contribution to this football program. I had the privilege to spend four seasons with this years’ graduating class and they are a fine group of men.  I loved being around those guys and it was an absolute treat to cover them on the radio in their fifth year as Demon Deacons.  Seeing the emotion in the locker room after the game was tough for me. I remember being over come with emotion after my last game.  The realization that it’s over is something you can’t prepare for.  So again, thank you seniors!

 

-Go Deacs!

 

Michael Hoag

Clarification (Regarding Last Post)

Posted by michaelhoag75 on November 25, 2012
Posted in: ACC, Post-Game Editions. Leave a Comment

Just to clarify, I have not been told anything regarding the football program or the athletic department from anyone inside either the football program or the athletics office.  This is a subject that hits very close to home for me having been a former player.  I want this football program and entire athletic’s department succeed in every away.  It kills me to see any of our sports struggling, especially football.  Speculation will be coming from everywhere about this program and I understand that. I want the fans to know that I do not plan on spreading any rumors about what may or may not happen. I plan on waiting to hear concrete answers before giving you all my thoughts on the subject.  I think any former player can understand my position on this because I do not want to create any doubt on where my loyalty lies. My current position is in sports media, but my heart will always be full of Wake Forest Demon Deacon blood. I only want to see this program succeed. Sorry If I created any misguided thoughts that I knew something you all did not.

-Go Deacs!

Waiting for Information

Posted by michaelhoag75 on November 25, 2012
Posted in: ACC, Life, Post-Game Editions. 4 comments

I will be posting my weekly post-game analysis tomorrow, but I am waiting to see what comes of these rumors I am hearing.  I will also be doing a position by position analysis of the season. That will take a little more time, but expect that  this week as well.  With the rumors swirling this weekend already I will be keeping a close eye on Wake Forest Athletics this week.  NO MATTER what may or may not happen I believe you fans deserve a breakdown of the players’ performances on the season. Stay Tuned for my post tomorrow. Thanks for your support this season! Despite the on-field struggles I have thoroughly enjoyed my radio duties and writing this blog!

PLEASE NOTE: I wrote this quick post in response to the fan frenzy earlier today and not because of any information I have.

-Go Deacs!

Michael Hoag

aWAKEn The Post-Game: Notre Dame Edition

Posted by michaelhoag75 on November 20, 2012
Posted in: ACC, Post-Game Editions. 4 comments

 

OUCH! That’s about all I can say about that game.  I have thought long and hard about this post for the last few days.  After some serious thinking I have decided that the word OUCH perfectly describes the play of the Deacons on Saturday. Therefore, I have chosen not to give a full break down of this game. I would be making some of the same points as I have in week’s past.  Wake simply showed up and flat out got beat.  The Deacs were over matched and out played.  There is nothing else to it. My post-game break down isn’t going to tell you anything you didn’t already see.  Maybe the team was in awe of the Notre Dame tradition or just wasn’t ready to play, but let’s hope they can snap out of it and rebound next week against Vanderbilt.  If they can’t then all the boys will be home for Christmas….and that stinks!

 

-Go Deacs!

 

Michael Hoag

Byron Elrod Story…Please Pass it Along

Posted by michaelhoag75 on November 19, 2012
Posted in: ACC, Life. 2 comments

Most Wake Forest fans have heard the story of Bryon Elrod, but even if you have I implore you to watch this video.  Coach Tommy Elrod has coached this entire season despite going through this tragic ordeal right before the season.  The Elrod’s lost their infant son due to a brain tumor just days after his birth.  This is a story that should be heard by everyone and that is why ESPN did a feature on this during College Gameday this past Saturday.  I had the opportunity to watch this segment for the first time today and it brought tears to my eyes.

I remember hearing the news about Coach Elrod’s son this summer and immediately my heart sank.  He was not my position coach, but I had gotten to know Coach Elrod pretty well during my tenure at Wake and he is one of the finest men I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. He comes to work every day with a passion and desire to make his players better. I had the pleasure of watching him tutor some of our best quarterbacks in school history.  I couldn’t believe that this was happening to him.  Coach Elrod’s children were always at practice and they always had a blast throwing the ball around with their dad and other players.  That was one of the things I loved most about Wake Forest; almost every day, either before or after practice, you would see one of the coaches’ children out there on the practice field with their father.  I know all of those guys rallied around Tommy Elrod during his time of need because the coaching staff is one family as well.

I felt this video needed to be posted for the people who hadn’t seen it. Please share this story with everyone you can because this puts life in perspective to me.  The game of football is only a part of life.

 

-Go Deacs!

Michael Hoag

aWAKEn The Pre-Game: Notre Dame Edition

Posted by michaelhoag75 on November 16, 2012
Posted in: ACC, Pre-Game Editions, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 2 comments

This is an exciting week for Wake Forest football.  Despite the disappointing loss last weekend in Raleigh, the Deacs still have two games left to play and must make the most of them if they want a bowl game.  This week, Wake Forest heads to South Bend, Indiana to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.  We all know about the storied history of Notre Dame, so the trip will be a lifetime memory for the players regardless of the outcome.  The fact that Notre Dame is also ranked third in the country makes this experience even more special.

 

Wake Forest will have to play close to perfect to win this game because the Irish are extremely well coached and talent laden. They have returned to (expected)form this season and are back in the national title hunt. That being said, this is college football and anything can happen!  Heck, the almighty Alabama football team lost last week!  Here’s what the Deacs must to do have a shot:

 

  • Score Points-  Wake Forest has been in an offensive slump the last month and if that continues against the Irish I’m afraid it will be a bad game for Deacs fans.  The Irish have the best defense in the country so this is no small task, but with great execution and game planning any team can be beat.
  • Protect QB Tanner Price- Notre Dame has one of the best front fours in college football.  Their defensive line has registered 31 sacks on the season.  Stephon Tuitt has gotten 11 of those sacks from his defensive end position while OLB Prince Shembo has notched seven.  I played against both of these guys last year and they have a lot of talent, but if Price can be kept on his feet the offense can move the ball. Tuitt has a great combination of size and speed which make his very tough to block; he is a rare talent. The pressure this D-Line puts on opposing quarterbacks is the main reason LB Manti Te’o has six interceptions on the season.
  • Block Manti Te’o-  He makes a lot of tackles and has a knack for finding the football when it is deflected in the air.  Six interceptions is a lot for anyone, especially a linebacker.  His resilience this season has been truly remarkable in terms of his off-field struggles.  He has always been a tough football player, his ability to run sideline to sideline is why he is on the Heisman ballot.  If you have great football awareness and the ability to make plays you deserve Heisman consideration even if you play defense.  If Boston College had been highly ranked last season you would have seen LB Luke Kuechly in the Heisman race. Kuechly was better than Te’o, in my opinion, and his production at the NFL is right on par with his numbers at BC.
  • Moving the ball consistently on offense is key-  If Wake cannot move the ball with efficiency for the entire game it will be tough to beat the Irish.  Many times this season the Deacs have started out moving the ball effectively and then fizzled out.  A few times the defense has gotten big turnovers and this lack of consistency on offense has hurt the team because the offense wasn’t able to capitalize. Points off turnovers are so crucial in the game of football.
  • Force Turnovers! - I saw the Irish play against Stanford in October and the thing that kept Stanford in the football game(a game they should have won) was their ability to force turnovers. Irish QB Everett Golson is a good player with great upside, but he still makes a lot of mistakes. His ability to scramble out of the pocket is a blessing and a curse because he tends to fumble the ball in those situations. The Deacs must pressure him and force bad throws, and when he scrambles the defenders must look to strip the football. The Irish lost three fumbles to Stanford in their October matchup this season.
  • Pressure Everett Golson- At the end of the day he is still a Freshman quarterback. Granted, Golson has been playing light years ahead of most freshman, but he has made some freshman mistakes.  If Wake Forest can get to him in the pocket I think he will make some mistakes.
  • Pull out all the stops- The pressure is entirely on the shoulders of the Irish. They want to look good to try and move into the top two spots for the BCS title game.  National pressure coupled with in game pressure often leads to mistakes and hopefully upsets! Wake Forest must dig deep in the play book and play more aggressively in this game than any other this season. This game is like the national title for the Deacons…No holding back now.
  • Wake Forest must hold on to the football.  ND loves to force turnovers and if the Deacs cough the ball up in this one it will spell trouble. Even though the Irish are not fantastic on offense, their defense will shut the door on comeback attempts if the offense can put just a few scores on the board.
  • Tackle! – Again, for the 11th time this season the Deacs must wrap up when making tackles. Wake Forest isn’t the only school with this problem, but since I’m covering Wake Forest I’d like them to fix that problem.  College football is trending towards tackling runners down low with a diving technique which often works, but most defenders just dive in with a shoulder instead of wrapping up.  The other popular option is to lead with one shoulder and hope to knock the runner down; unfortunately this doesn’t work for everyone and Wake Forest is usually fielding a team with smaller personnel.  My personal preference is to square the offensive player up and wrap him up.
  • Last, but not least…Wake Forest must establish some sort of running game-  Last week Wake got behind early and was ultimately forced to rely on the pass. NC State registered five sacks and many more pressures. The running game opens up the passing game and the last few weeks Deacs fans have seen Tanner Price hitting the ground way too much.  This is a direct reflection on the limited running game.  If Wake Forest doesn’t manage more than the 16 yards they got last week it will be trouble; this ND defensive line has much more talent than the boys from Raleigh.

 

I know to some of you this may seem like too daunting a task for Little Old Wake Forest, but to me it is a great challenge.  Every time in my career that we beat a team we “weren’t supposed to have a chance against” it was such an amazing feeling.  Teams with bigger budgets and national audiences tend to overlook us and that makes beating them so much sweeter.  I know the players will be amped up for this game as well as the fans. It’s senior night at Notre Dame and I can’t think of a better way to send the boys out than with an upset special!

 

“The future will present insurmountable problems- only when we consider them insurmountable. ”

― Thomas S. Monson

 

GO DEACS!

 

Michael Hoag