Heading into the Deacs Week One matchup against Akron, many questions centered on the play of a new, unproven offensive line. Fans were worried, and rightfully so, considering the lack of experience the offensive line had going into the season.

Game One against Akron saw these fears come into major consideration as Clinton Richard and Will Way, probably Wake's two best offensive linemen, were both not starting. Both were dealing with some injury issues, but Will Way came into the game in the second quarter and looked healthy from there to the end of the game.

Despite all this fluctuation, the Deacs offensive line performed quite well. Gio Lopez had mostly clean pockets all night, which allowed him to get comfortable and hit open receivers for several big plays. Wake was also able to generate 203 yards on the ground to balance their offense, something the offensive line needs to be given at least some credit for.

New Hampshire transfer Tolu Olajide had an up-and-down spring season where he could not consistently establish himself at the tackle position. However, in the fall camp, Olajide really started to shine and established himself as this team's left tackle. Many wondered what we would see from him last Thursday, and he surely delivered.

Tolu was the highest-rated offensive lineman for Wake against Akron, according to Pro Football Focus, and the second-highest-rated offensive player on the team. He had a 77.4 overall rating, along with an 85.4 pass-blocking rating. Despite a weaker opponent, this is a great sign from a guy the Deacs will need a lot out of who is new to the Power Four level. Ryan Berger, the transfer from Oregon State, also performed well in the pass block with a 74.5 grade.

Now, some will say that not a lot can be taken from this performance due to the lack of quality in the opponent. However, while this is a valid point to an extent, Akron does return some key pieces on their defensive line who were certainly a factor going into this game, including Cyrus Durham. So while it needs to be put in appropriate context, you can certainly still consider this game a step in the right direction for the offensive line.

One obvious area the Deacs still need to clean up is penalties. They were penalized 11 times against the Zips, many coming as false starts and other pre-snap penalties on the offensive line. This is to be expected from a new line in the first game of the season, but it is certainly something Coach Dickert will want to clean up before the Deacs face Purdue this weekend.