Campus Clash
(10) Wake Forest Demon Deacons at North Carolina Tar Heels
Wake Forest: A few weeks ago, I was asked who’s been the bigger surprise on the year. Was it the Kentucky Wildcats who at one time were undefeated. Or, was it Dave Clawson’s team in North Carolina. I’ll admit, for a second I had to think on it. Then, I came to the realization and said the Demon Deacons by far. It’s no disrespect to Kentucky, but they’ve been slowly and surely building things up out there in Lexington. The ACC has been dominated by one team for the last six seasons or so and that’s the Clemson Tigers. So, let me ask you this. With a straight face, did you imagine Wake Forest would be ranked tenth in the polls by this time and the lone undefeated team in the conference? I know I didn’t. When it comes to quarterbacks in the country, we can talk about the Matt Corral’s, the Bryce Young’s and Desmond Ridder’s to name a few. Where’s Sam Hartman rank in that conversation? This kid has been nothing but automatic all year long. Sam has a strong arm and can really spin it down the field with the utmost confidence in the pocket. When the time is given to him, he can make the throws on the run as well. To sum it up, there’s not a throw he can’t make. As a defense, the Deacons aren’t the greatest which puts pressure on their offense to sustain those long drives. On Saturday, they will look for a 9-0 start when they travel to Chapel Hill.
North Carolina: I can admit I was expecting more from them. During the off-season, I kept saying how Mack Brown instilled that winning culture back into a football program that was struggling prior to Mack being hired. Entering the year, not only did I have them winning their division, they were also ranked ninth in the first AP poll! In their first game of the year, they were upset at the hands of the Virginia Tech Hokies. This year, they’ve been nothing but inconsistent and could never get into a rhythm. As expected, the one shining point has been Sam Howell. He’s still one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC. When I watch him play, he reminds me of a bigger and taller version of Baker Mayfield. It’s the way he moves. He’s not the quickest, but he can move at his pace. I have no worries about this offense because they can score with the best of them. It’s the defense that struggles to tackle, stop anyone or get off the field. In other words, the points they score, they give those up on defense which is sad to say. Against Notre Dame in week nine, they did all they could to stay in the game. They just ran out of gas. On Saturday, they’ll be home to face a locked in Wake Forest team.
Wake Forest X-Factor: Christian Beal-Smith: Next to Hartman, he’s the other weapon the defense must worry about. He’s a shifty, yet powerful runner that can slip past a defender. Christian is a downhill runner and if you attempt to tackle him high, he’ll make you pay for it with a stiff arm! I see him having a big game on Saturday against these Tar Heels.
North Carolina X-Factor: Ty Chandler: He’s a running back with the skillset of a wide receiver in my opinion. The Tar Heels use him in many different ways to get him the ball and it works. Ty can work the middle of the field and if there’s a linebacker or safety on him, he’s winning that matchup with ease. Out the backfield as a running back, he’s a human joystick with the way he can make people miss. Ty is an all-purpose back that can do it all.
Final Thoughts: This should be a highly entertaining game. Neither team can stop anybody, so if you like points, this is the game for you! I expect the football to be flying all over the place in this one. Wake Forest has been on a tear this year and dominated their opponents. As I said up top about UNC, they’ve been pretty inconsistent this year. Whichever defense can pressure the opposing quarterback more consistently is who I feel will win this football game. I’m excited to watch these two quarterbacks go at it. The Wake Forest running game will be all the difference in this game.
Prediction: Wake Forest 48, North Carolina 30
