1. Friday Night Power Five football is weird
The number one takeaway from this game, regardless of the final score, is the fact that Power Five teams matching up on a Friday night is really, really weird.
Not to mention that this game essentially take away an opportunity for the Demon Deacons to host visitors, and that's a disadvantage for a school that already has a handful of those, especially with the academic standards at the school.
Giving the players one less day to rest/prepare is always a risk.
But hey, attendance was good, and the game didn't count towards ACC play.
Wake Forest is 3-0.
2. Sage Surratt may be the ACC's most underrated offensive weapon
9 catches. 169 yards. 1 TD.
For those of you counting at home, that's 31.9 fantasy points. Surratt's catch-radius is one of the best in not only the conference, but the country.
He put on a show in front of a national audience, and will likely begin to receive the attention, both locally and globally, that he deserves.
He's quickly become the go-to weapon offensively, and because of his aforementioned catch-radius, it is going to be very hard for anyone to completely shut him out.
3. For one night at the least, the hype around the program in Chapel Hill was halted.. barely
The talk of the night was (obviously) about clock management, and that's not too bad. All season long, when pundits and media-heads weren't raving about the new Miami, they were talking about Mack Brown and UNC.
For Wake Forest to be able to get off to the start they were in the first half, and be able to survive the comeback attempt by the Heels.
The other story tonight? Jamie Newman.
4. The ACC has a lot of talent this year, and Wake Forest could add an interesting wrinkle in Clemson's schedule
The SEC is the conference most mention almost instantly when talking about the best conference in college football, but they may be as top-heavy this season as they ever have been.
Enter the ACC.
It remains seen who (if anyone) will test Clemson this season, but it seems like Wake Forest has a recipe to be able to do that, as time goes on.
The ability to hold onto the ball, capitalize in the red zone, and play solid 3rd down defense, has the Deacons looking like a team being overlooked.
5. Jamie Newman's impact on the offense cannot be overstated
Jamie Newman didn't single-handedly win the game for Wake, but his play in the fourth quarter when he was forced to step up in the pocket, evade a pass-rusher, and get to the sticks, was nothing short of spectacular.
Looking at the bigger picture, though, the moment was a longtime coming for Newman.
Needless to say, that QB competition many thought would have bled into the season, has been over for quite some time.
Newman was responsible for every touchdown Wake Forest scored on Friday night, and had 292 of the 400+ yards of total offense.
Impressive.
6. With that being said, the wildcat has no place in Demon Deacon football
There were two times the Demon Deacons lined up in the wildcat, and both times they play-calls were less than stellar.
With Jamie Newman being so effective with both his arm and legs, taking the ball out of his hands, even if it is just for one play, simply does not make sense.
Especially at the two spots the plays were called. They weren't fooling anyone.
Throw the formation away.
7. When the offense stalls, the discipline of the defense has the ability to carry the team
The defense at Wake Forest is as improved as any in the entire country. They fly to the ball, and don't miss many tackles, either.
When people look at the box score, they won't be overly impressed by the numbers put up by Wake's defense.
Unless they look at the first half, that is. Wake's defense was all over the field, making plays, getting to the QB, and rattling the freshman to the point he got benched at one point.
He was impressive in the second half, but was unable to lead the Tar Heels to victory.
A win is a win, they say.
