Third-and-Lang: The Wake Forest Challenge

Florida State's week three tilt in Winston-Salem, N.C., was circled almost immediately after the 2021 ACC football schedule was announced. The thought at the time was something akin to, Here is Mike Norvell's chance to prove his Seminoles have taken a small step forward as a program."

In reality? This road trip is now more about salvaging and repairs than it is signaling upgrades.

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Whatever the stakes, it was always going to be Wake Forest.

Here are some of the challenges the 2021 Demon Deacons will pose offensively on Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN).

It's pretty wild that Wake quarterback Sam Hartman threw 46 times against Florida State back in 2018 and is still a sophomore. But a redshirt season and COVID eligibility rules will allow Hartman to battle the 'Noles until 2023, if he so chooses.

Hartman's game includes the ability to run -- he's good enough that defenses need to honor his legs -- but Jamie Newman he is not. Still, here is one way head coach Dave Clawson has consistently used Hartman:

This type of quarterback lead run is called out of all varieties of shotgun formations, from big personnel to three-wide. Hartman waits for his running back to lead the way, and usually a lineman or tight end will pull to create leverage toward the gap they're looking to power through.

As a thrower, Hartman's game goes hot and cold. A great example is the Duke's Mayo Bowl against Wisconsin last December. Hartman started 6-for-7 for 124 yards and two touchdowns, converting all four third downs he faced while hitting deep shots and congested-area throws.

But after a near-perfect pass up the left sideline fell to the ground on Wake's third drive, Hartman missed wildly on several of his next throws and the offense punted four straight times.

While Hartman can be streaky in terms of downfield accuracy, he doesn't make too many bad decisions. Since the start of 2020, the Demon Deacon signal-caller has thrown 325 passes and been intercepted just five times.

The Seminole defensive front can make things difficult for Hartman if it continues its torrid start to the season. Just don't expect Hartman to bail anyone out if the 'Noles aren't ready to affect his feet.

Now this play below, basic as it may be, will help unpack the issue at hand for the Seminole defense:

To the bullet points we go:

* Talk about casting doubt in a defender's mind. Though not identical to the QB run from the top of this feature, this type of play does work in tandem with the run threat. Hartman take a jab step toward the line of scrimmage before firing to an open receiver on a slant.

* Judging by the way the line is blocking, this is a true run-pass option. The play is almost akin to a jump pass, except it's much farther out from the line to gain.

* These types of calls really make a defensive coordinator lose sleep *if* the coordinator has to commit extra bodies to stop the run. If FSU's forcing unit (the defensive front) can handle Wake's ground game, it won't have to leave the secondary on islands. (UNC's corner loses inside leverage on that pass far too easily).

Which takes us to our next point, the mesh point.

Oh, you didn't think we'd go through a Wake Forest deep dive without discussing that pesky mesh point, did you? While we can all agree it's maddening, expect Dave Clawson to employ those paint-dries-faster-than-these-runs wrinkles again on Saturday.

After watching the Old Dominion game and seeing nary a lingering mesh point, I was hopeful they were a thing of the past. Alas, as the Wake starters got some work in against Norfolk State last week, there she was. Old "Meshy" says hello:

Wake also always seems to stay within that gray area in terms of illegal men downfield. Their linemen will often be seen run-blocking a couple yards downfield before Hartman pulls up to pass.

The reason one can hope these gadgets don't work on Saturday is the Seminoles' improved and active front-four. Long developing mesh points get chucked in the trash bin if the 'Noles get downhill like they have for the first two weeks.

Though this pressure below comes from a Wisconsin edge blitz, the way Jermaine Johnson has gotten in the backfield could cause similar disruptions if Wake isn't careful.

Wake Forest thrives on being patient offensively. It gives the quarterback more information and easier decisions. Adam Fuller's job will be to reduce time and space in as many facets of the game as he can. Not a simple task, but if they're invested, the 'Noles defense may have more to say about it in 2021 than it did the last time these teams met in 2019.

Contact Tom Lang by email at tom@warchant.com and follow @_TomLang on Twitter.

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