Wake Forest loses Rushaun Tongue for season
The prognosis didn’t improve for Rushaun Tongue while Wake Forest was off last week.
Tongue will miss the rest of the season, coach Jake Dickert said on Monday afternoon.
“Disappointed for Ru,” Dickert said. “Tremendous person, leader, he knows his leadership abilities that we’re going to need going forward.”
The 6-1, 193-pounder was injured during Wake’s second game of the season, against Western Carolina. He missed the second half of that game. He was listed as questionable on the first two injury reports for Wake’s last game, on Sept. 11 against N.C. State, and was ruled out in the gameday update.
It’s a left shoulder injury for the redshirt sophomore who moved into a starting role for this season. Tongue had four tackles and one pass broken-up this season; he had 35 tackles, one interception and one fumble forced last year in a rotational role.
The Pasadena, Md., native will be replaced in the starting defense by Braylon Johnson. He’s a transfer from Virginia Tech who joined the Deacons in the summer.
“Next man up. I thought Braylon played really well in the N.C. State game,” Dickert said. “He’ll continue to start for us in the free safety position. But you just don’t replace a guy like Ru.”
Johnson had seven tackles and a half-sack against N.C. State.
The backup listed for Johnson is Myles Turpin, a redshirt freshman who earned praise during fall camp. He has played in all three games this season but only once on defense. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 14 snaps at safety against Western Carolina (and graded out at 39.0). Turpin has played 67 special teams snaps this year.
Turpin is also listed on Wake’s depth chart as the backup at the other safety position. That’s where Nick Andersen has played 192 of Wake’s 237 defensive snaps this season.
