Dominick Barry’s award should widen Wake Forest’s answers, not narrow them

The fresh evidence

Wake Forest freshman tight end Dominick Barry was named the John Mackey Award Player of the Week after catching three touchdowns in a 41-7 victory at California. The recognition followed a performance that made him impossible for the next opponent to ignore.

Defenses will respond by placing a safety closer to Barry, disrupting his release or carrying him with a linebacker underneath and help above. Wake Forest should welcome that adjustment because every extra set of eyes removes a defender from another area.

What it changes

Barry’s next contribution may be a route that creates a catch for someone else. A seam can widen the flat, an in-breaking route can clear the boundary and a block from the same alignment can punish a defense that substitutes extra coverage personnel.

The Demon Deacons should keep his formations consistent while changing the ending. Align Barry tight, detached and in motion, then pair his route with a running back release or receiver crossing underneath. The defense should not know whether attention to him is correct until the ball is gone.

For Wake Forest, that distinction turns a reported development into a football decision. The freshman tight end’s three-touchdown day will attract coverage; that attention can now help everyone else. The coaching value comes from deciding where the new leverage belongs: which player can simplify his assignment, which defender must now receive help and which down can be called more aggressively. A sound plan does not merely celebrate the strength described above. It uses that strength to make the next assignment clearer for the other ten players, then preserves an answer when the opponent adjusts.

The Saturday test

Forcing another award-worthy stat line would make the offense predictable. If Barry is bracketed, a low-percentage throw into two defenders wastes the advantage his presence already created. The quarterback must accept the cleaner matchup elsewhere.

On Wake Forest’s first red-zone trip, count the defenders who react to Barry’s release. If two move with him and the ball goes to the vacated space, the freshman will have changed the game without needing another touchdown catch.