Year: | 2016 |
Team: | Wake Forest Demon Deacons |
Sport: | football |
Conference: | Atlantic Coast Conference |
Division: | Atlantic Division |
Short Conf: | ACC |
Record: | 7–6 |
Conf Record: | 3–5 |
Head Coach: | Dave Clawson |
Hc Year: | 3rd |
Off Coach: | Warren Ruggiero |
Oc Year: | 3rd |
Off Scheme: | Slow mesh |
Def Coach: | Mike Elko |
Dc Year: | 3rd |
Def Scheme: | 4–2–5 |
Captain: | Marquel Lee, Wendell Dunn, Josh Harris, Tyler Hayworth, Cam Serigne |
Stadium: | BB&T Field |
Champion: | Military Bowl champion |
Bowl: | Military Bowl |
Bowl Result: | W 34–26 vs. Temple |
The 2016 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team represented Wake Forest University during the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Dave Clawson, who was in his third season at the school, and played its home games at BB&T Field. Wake Forest competed in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference, as they have since the league's inception in 1953. They finished the season 7–6, 3–5 in ACC play to finish in a tie for fourth place in the Atlantic Division. They were invited to the Military Bowl where they defeated Temple.
When Wake Forest lost to Louisville on November 12, Dave Clawson alleged that Louisville had received impermissible information that benefited the Cardinals on the football field.[1] On December 14, 2016, after a month long probe, former Wake Forest staff member and IMG College radio analyst Tommy Elrod was dismissed from the program for leaking confidential and proprietary game preparations on multiple occasions.[2]
Position | Name | First year at WFU | |
---|---|---|---|
Head coach | Dave Clawson | 2014 | |
Defensive coordinator / Safeties | Mike Elko | 2014 | |
Asst head coach / Receivers | Kevin Higgins | 2014 | |
Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks | Warren Ruggiero | 2014 | |
Special teams coordinator / tight ends | Adam Scheier | 2014 | |
Defensive Line | Dave Cohen | 2014 | |
Running backs | John Hunter | 2014 | |
Cornerbacks | Derrick Jackson | 2012 | |
Offensive Line | Nick Tabacca | 2014 | |
Source:[4] | |||
3rd meeting. 0–2 all time. Last meeting 1995, 35–9 Green Wave in New Orleans.[5]
See also: 2016 Tulane Green Wave football team.
97th meeting. 37–57–2 all time. Last meeting 2015, 27–21 Blue Devils in Winston–Salem.
See also: 2016 Duke Blue Devils football team and Tobacco Road rivalry.
2nd meeting. 1–0 all time. Last meeting 1932, 7–0 Demon Deacons in Newark.
See also: 2016 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team.
2nd meeting. 0–1 all time. Last meeting 2015, 31–24 Hoosiers in Winston–Salem.
See also: 2016 Indiana Hoosiers football team.
110th meeting. 38–65–6 all time. Last meeting 2015, 35–17 Wolfpack in Winston–Salem.
See also: 2016 NC State Wolfpack football team and Tobacco Road rivalry.
6th meeting. 1–4 all time. Last meeting 2015, 30–17 Orange in Syracuse.
See also: 2016 Syracuse Orange football team.
35th meeting. 6–27–1 all time. Last meeting 2015, 24–16 Seminoles in Winston–Salem.
See also: 2016 Florida State Seminoles football team.
16th meeting. 11–4 all time. Last meeting 2015, 17–14 Demon Deacons in West Point.
See also: 2016 Army Black Knights football team.
49th meeting. 14–34 all time. Last meeting 2012, 16–10 Demon Deacons in Charlottesville.
See also: 2016 Virginia Cavaliers football team.
4th meeting. 0–3 all time. Last meeting 2015, 20–19 Cardinals in Winston–Salem.
See also: 2016 Louisville Cardinals football team.
82nd meeting. 17–63–1 all time. Last meeting 2015, 33–13 Tigers in Clemson.
See also: 2016 Clemson Tigers football team.
24th meeting. 9–12–2 all time. Last meeting 2015, 3–0 Demon Deacons in Chestnut Hill.
See also: 2016 Boston College Eagles football team.
2nd meeting. 0–1 all time. Last meeting 1930, 36–0 Owls in Philadelphia.
See also: 2016 Temple Owls football team and 2016 Military Bowl.
See main article: WakeyLeaks.
Colloquially called "WakeyLeaks", some of Wake Forest's opponents appear to have had knowledge of Wake Forest's playbook, even plays they had just created and only practiced for one week. Suspicion fell on Tommy Elrod, a color commentator on the broadcast crew; Elrod was found to have made long phone calls to the coaches of rival teams in the days before Wake Forest played them, and he had access to the practice tapes compiled by Wake Forest staff. Elrod had been an assistant coach during the leadership of previous coach Jim Grobe; it is speculated that after Clawson did not hire him on as a coach, instead relegating him to color commentary, he leaked the plays as a form of revenge. Elrod was fired and banned from the campus in December 2016.[6]