Behind a six-touchdown day from quarterback Sam Hartman, Wake Forest rode to a comfortable 43-15 victory over Boston College. The redshirt junior completed 25 of 40 passes for 313 yards and five scores — the sixth TD coming on a two-yard scramble into the end zone.
“When we play well, you have fun,” Hartman said after the game. “When you’re performing at a high level, like we’ve been doing the last few weeks, it’s a lot more fun. I’m sitting in my chair watching guys celebrate. Seeing the smiles on those guys’ faces does it for me.”
Despite Hartman’s impressive numbers, he isn’t always grouped with the other quarterbacks in the top tier of college football.
READ: Key stats from Wake Forest’s 43-15 win over Boston College
“He’s a really, really good quarterback,” Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson added. “I think it’s funny, he doesn’t get the credit he deserves. Last year he was a second-team All ACC quarterback. The first-team guy got drafted and somehow he entered the season as some people’s fifth-best quarterback in the ACC. It’s so disrespectful against what he does and what he has accomplished.”
“There’s no other quarterback in the country I’d rather have,” Clawson continued. “I think he’s one of the elite quarterbacks in the entire country. How he’s not mentioned in the Heisman thing — look at what he’s done in his career and what he’s done this year. The great thing about Sam is that he doesn’t even cares. He just wants to win.”
Now, at 6-1, Wake Forest is bowl eligible before early November.
“It’s cool to be a part of,” Hartman said. “It’s trying to remind the young guys that this isn’t normal, it hasn’t always been this way.”
Wake Forest vs Boston College
Regardless, Wake Forest is focused on bigger things now. Bowl qualification is not the end goal.
“It’s cool to see that [now], if somebody told me four years ago, you’re going to hope somebody else in your conference loses so you can go to an ACC championship,” DE Rondell Bothroyd said. “That’s the standard now. Bowl eligibility, nobody really cares.”
The dominant win over the Eagles was headlined by strong performances throughout the wide receiver room. Taylor Morin hauled in two TD catches and rising star Jahmal Banks led the way with 7 catches, 79 yards and two touchdowns of his own. Banks has stepped into an expanded role this season and now holds the solo lead for receiving touchdowns in the ACC with 7.
“It was a trip,” Banks said. “I came in like a sponge, ready to soak up all that information. All the talent that came before me – AT [Perry] and Donavon Greene. The trip really humbled me and allowed me to go through the struggle to find things about myself that I didn’t know.”
READ: Game recap – Wake Forest defeats Boston College 43-15
Aside from a 61-yard touchdown pass to Zay Flowers, the Wake Forest defense was dominant throughout the game. Along with 9 TFLs, the Deacs sacked Phil Jurkovec twice and forced two fumbles.
“I think preparation is most important,” Bothroyd said. “This week we emphasized playing hard. Executing the game plan is what it really came down to – guys just played their hearts out regardless of the opponent.”
The Deacs achieved their main goal, which is the same every week – go 1-0. If this team can continue to take care of business and maintain its identity, there could be something special going on in Winston-Salem.
“I think this is a legendary team,” Banks said. “That’s why we focus on that mindset. We focus on the present. Don’t get stuck in the past, paradise is in the present.”
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