Wake moves past opener, ready for Gardner-Webb

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — New Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson isn’t going to scrap everything just because his team lost its opener in embarrassing fashion.

The Demon Deacons simply have to get better at those things.

That starts with Saturday’s game against Gardner-Webb of the FCS.

Wake Forest (0-1) struggled mightily in its first game under Clawson, gaining just 94 total yards and failing to score an offensive touchdown in a 17-10 loss at Louisiana-Monroe.

Clawson says making knee-jerk changes as a result of that loss is “the worst thing you can do.”

He asks “what message does that send” to a young team if he overreacts to one game.

The yardage total was Wake Forest’s worst since 1987 — when the Demon Deacons were held to 66 by South Carolina.