Wake Forest Football: 3 takeaways from Birmingham Bowl

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BIRMINGHAM, AL – DECEMBER 22: Sage Surratt #14 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons celebrates with teammates after making a nine-yard touchdown reception against the Memphis Tigers in the first quarter of the Birmingham Bowl at Legion Field on December 22, 2018 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

1. Future is bright for Wake Forest

If there was a feel-good ending to the season, this was it. Wake Forest was on the verge of giving up a game-tying drive to the Tigers in the final seconds, but a missed field goal after a 5-yard penalty sealed the deal and handed the Demon Deacons a third straight winning season and third consecutive bowl victory under Dave Clawson.

The former Bowling Green head coach has turned this program around after it began as a doormat in the ACC. The Demon Deacons were just 3-9 in each of his first two seasons and then won seven games in 2016, then eight in 2017 and then finished the 2018 season with another seven-win campaign as he has this program headed in the right direction.

It may not seem like that big of a deal since it was “just the Birmingham Bowl” but a win like this to finish with a winning record after losing a starting quarterback can work wonders for the immediate future.

The Demon Deacons won’t likely contend for any ACC titles in the next year or two, but they can be an eight or nine-win team and make some noise in conference play.

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For a team that was on the verge of missing a bowl, this was a perfect ending to 2018.

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