WINSTON-SALEM – Getting an off week means Wake Forest’s defense can recalibrate some things, having lost its last two games.

In the case of Wake’s defense and specifically its secondary, that means simplifying things.

“It’s what we’re working on,” coach Dave Clawson said of a simplification process for the back end of his defense. “I mean, we’ve basically had to reconstruct a whole secondary.”

Of Wake Forest’s five starting defensive back positions on last year’s team, only one starter returned. And that player, Evan Slocum, moved from nickel to safety for this season.

Wake Forest lost safety Chelen Garnes to graduation, and lost Malik Mustapha and Caelen Carson to the NFL draft. Cornerback DaShawn Jones was the last straw, leaving in the spring transfer portal window (he's played 55 snaps in three games for Alabama).

In three games so far, Slocum and Nick Andersen — who was also predominantly at nickel last year, also — have started at safety. Jamare Glasker has started five straight games, going back to last year’s road trips to Notre Dame and Syracuse, and Capone Blue was added from Kent State as the other starting cornerback. They’re backed up a pair of transfers, Jaxon Mull (Purdue) and C’Darius Kelley (Lenoir-Rhyne), with Kelley and sophomore Davaughn Patterson taking the bulk of snaps at nickel.

“Them being new, a lot of those players this is the first time they’ve played football at this level,” Clawson said, “and you combine that with the pace of the Ole Miss offense and skill level — you go back and watch the film, it wasn’t just the plays they made, it was the other plays they could’ve made.

“There were like two other blown coverages that, we were fortunate. … You’ve gotta get lined up. If you don’t get lined up, you don’t have a chance.”

So, some of the past week has been spent making sure defensive backs are on the same page, Clawson said.

“Simplifying it down, I think we just have to step up to our level of play and make sure that everybody is doing what we have to do and getting reps at practice, that’s where it starts,” Patterson said. “And come gametime, everybody is ready and everybody knows what to do.”

Just that much would be a step in the right direction. Wake Forest is allowing 295.3 passing yards per game, which is tied with UCLA for the seventh-most in the country. The only power conference team allowing more is Stanford (298.7).

North Carolina A&T, with a new offensive coordinator and quarterback who was more of a running threat, didn’t exactly challenge Wake’s secondary. The Aggies had 152 yards through the air in the opener, finding more success (185 yards) on the ground.

Wake’s last two games, obviously, have exposed some deficiencies.

Virginia turned what was Wake’s early two-touchdown lead into a three-point game by halftime. After Wake Forest scored 10 points in the third quarter, Virginia rallied with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to stun the Deacons, 31-30.

Of the Cavaliers’ 357 passing yards, 95 came in the fourth quarter.

Mississippi made quick work of gashing Wake Forest through the air.

In the Deacons’ last game, a 40-6 loss, Ole Miss rolled up 377 passing yards. A busted coverage meant Ole Miss’ Jordan Watkins had a 75-yard touchdown catch, running free through the secondary and without a Deacon within 15 yards of him when he caught the ball.

Which brings us to this week’s opponent, Louisiana.

The Ragin’ Cajuns had 363 passing yards in their opener against FCS-level Grambling State, and have since thrown for 197 and 238 yards against Kennesaw State and Tulane, respectively.

Louisiana’s quarterback, Ben Wooldrige, is from the same recruiting class as Sam Hartman. He was Fresno State for three years (2018-20) before transferring to Louisiana. Wooldrige took over as the starter halfway through the 2022 season and was lost late in that season to an injury, and then started Louisiana’s first three games last season before another injury ended his season.

This year, Wooldridge has thrown for 735 yards on 59-for-86 passing, averaging 8.5 yards per attempt. He has six touchdowns and three interceptions, and is third on the team with 74 rushing yards.

“I think it’s one of those things where, we have a lot of new guys and in general, especially older guys and early on in the season, I’ve realized over my years here — older guys who have been here have to overcompensate in communicating early on,” fourth-year linebacker Quincy Bryant said. “Some guys are just not used to communicating, because I think our defense is a little more complicated whether guys are coming from high school or some other school.”