The prologue to this chapter of Wake Forest football was written a year ago.

Mitch Griffis is the Deacons’ new quarterback this time — not for a to-be-determined time that wound up being last year’s opener.

“Mitch has done a really good job of leading this offense,” wide receiver Taylor Morin said. “I think we’ve found a rhythm and we’re excited to get out there Thursday and show the rest of the world.”

Coach Dave Clawson and offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero felt confident enough in Griffis a year ago to name him Sam Hartman’s replacement for as long as Wake’s longtime starter was going to be out because of a blood clot.

It’s a confidence that’s only been reinforced as Griffis steps into the role previously held by the ACC’s all-time leader in touchdown passes.

“You talk about a new era,” Morin said, “to your point, I’d say it’s just a continuation. Mitch is going on Year Four and I’m excited for this so-called transformation or transition to get going.”

Therein lies the divide between how those outside of Wake’s program view the season compared to those with offices or lockers inside the facility.

Griffis isn’t some deer-in-the-headlights freshman, nor is he some eager-to-impress transfer. He’s been in the program for three years, spent the last year and a half as the heir apparent, and has already gone through every bit of the preparation as if he were the starting QB — right up until he wasn’t a year ago.

This isn’t a new era; it’s turning the page onto a new chapter.

Wake Forest wants to keep scoring points and gathering yards at clips that distance it from just about every pre-Clawson season (and his first two, in all fairness).

But there’s one aspect of the offense other than who takes the snap that needs to change.

“We moved from last season to this season in a mindset of, ‘We want to run the ball better,’” running back Justice Ellison said. “We’ve been hard on each other, making sure we were tight on those details. … I feel completely satisfied with our run game and our O-line.”

The Deacons start running — intentional — toward those goals with the season opener.

The program runs the same, though.

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Here’s a primer on what you need to know for Thursday night’s game:

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Groves Stadium.

TV: ACC Network.

Announcers: Drew Carter (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst).

Radio link: You know the plug. Listen to the people who know the team best.

Forecast: Sunny/clear, mid-70s at kickoff, high-60s by game’s end. Winds of about 7-10 mph.

Series; last meeting: Wake Forest leads 11-0-1; Wake Forest won 49-7 in 2019.

Records: Both 0-0.

Stat to watch: Minus-3 | Plus-7.

Part 1: Wake Forest has enough talent that it can win matchups and roll in this game without needing to have a positive turnover margin.

Part 2: Wake Forest needs to address this area on both sides of the ball.

This probably won’t be a one-score game; it’s never too early to create strong habits, though.

The Deacons committed 19 turnovers last season and only created 16. That ended a three-year streak of being in the top 20 nationally in turnover margin and.

Elon forced 21 turnovers and only committed 14 across 12 games, which was one of the factors in the Phoenix reaching the FCS playoffs.

Matchup to watch: Elon’s offensive line vs. Wake’s defensive line.

If you’re going to play an FCS team in the opener and you’ve got questions about the defensive line, it’s good to face an experienced offensive line that’s bound to challenge you.

Elon’s offensive line returns four players who started every game last season — left tackle Zane Gilbert, left guard Caleb Krings, center Jabril Williams and right guard Kevin Burkett. The new right tackle, Jack Cutler, has two career starts, bringing that quintet’s career starts total to 101.

It’s a formidable front that should provide an early gauge of which newcomers on the Deacons’ defensive line can be depended on. The closest thing Wake Forest has to a returning starter on its defensive line is Jasheen Davis, who started five games last season after Rondell Bothroyd’s ankle injury.

Wake Forest will play a couple of transfers at defensive tackle, Bryce Ganious and Nick Helbig, so this will be a good early look at them.

Quote of the week: “I really like him because he’s not fancy. He ain’t going to be doing all of the prettiness, but he’s going to run through your face.” – Ellison on fellow running back Tate Carney

Opposing offensive player to watch: Running back Jalen Hampton (No. 1).

The Phoenix’s passing attack was highlighted in the 5 things to know story, but the rushing attack was potent a year ago, too.

Hampton spent two seasons at Virginia Tech without logging a carry before transferring to Elon. In his first season, he rushed for 1,053 yards and 10 touchdowns on 231 carries (4.6 yards/carry).

The 5-10, 201-pounder from Frederick, Md., was limited to 20 total yards against Vanderbilt last season.

Opposing defensive player to watch: Safety Bo Sanders (No. 7).

Named to the All-CAA preseason team, Sanders is the leading returning tackler and filled the stat sheet last season.

He had 69 tackles, 5½ TFLs, 5 pass break-ups and one each of an interception, sack and fumble recovery.

Sanders is 6-2, 196 and from Indianapolis. He’s played in 34 career games; last season was his first as a full-time starter.

Young Deacon to watch: Defensive end Kerrington Lee (No. 46).

Going outside of the group of freshmen who seem bound to play more than four games because, well, they’ll get other chances to be listed here.

Lee is going to be in the rotation at defensive end for as long as converted linebacker Jaylen Hudson is sidelined and depending on how he plays, he could stay in the rotation. Since this probably isn’t a game Wake Forest needs Davis on the field for 50 snaps, there are bound to be opportunities for Lee to get comfortable in college football.

The 6-4, 241-pounder didn’t stand out immediately in fall camp. But by the last half of it, Lee looked like one of the Deacons’ four best defensive ends — and it culminated in a strong performance in the second scrimmage.

It bodes well that that’s the moment in which Lee flashed.

Don’t forget about: Nickel Nick Andersen (No. 45).

He’s still wearing the same number and sporting a scar on his chin from that magical three-interception game as a walk-on freshman against Virginia Tech — with Hendon Hooker at quarterback — during the 2020 season.

But this is Nick Andersen 2.0, playing a new position and playing in a game for the first time since the Gator Bowl. A combination of injuries kept him off of the field last season.

It’ll be interesting to see Andersen at nickel behind Evan Slocum. The former walk-on is a hard hitter who’s always played above his weight (listed at 5-11, 194 now) but has struggled in coverage. So Andersen is at a position that puts him closer to the line of scrimmage; but also one that requires him to sometimes cover slot receivers.

Prediction: I mean … what do you want here?

Wake Forest has rolled through FCS games in the last several seasons. The Norfolk State game in 2021 was 41-16 but that was with a late touchdown by the Spartans. I think the only time in the last seven seasons Clawson has had an issue with Wake’s performance in the annual FCS game was 2018 against Towson (hey, now we’ve got the alma mater *and* hometown mentioned), and that was still a 51-20 win.

FCS games are going to be played every year until nobody is allowed to play them. Personally feel like this game should replace spring games … but the NCAA has bigger issues.

This is a nice way to get Game 1 under a team’s collective belt, figure out which young players maintain focus and more importantly, which ones don’t, and get some reserves onto the field.

Please, hold all overreactions until Week 2.