Wake Forest (+12.5) (+375) @ NC ST

After back to back 3-9 season Wake Forest is off to a surprising 4-0 start.  Over the course of their 4 games,  Wake Forest has already had a couple quality road wins over Indiana and Duke; they will look to add another against NC St.  Will the Deacons be able to carry their best start in school Now the Demon Deacons will look to continue their best start in 10 years as they travel to Raleigh this weekend to take on NC State.   

The Wake Forest defense has carried the Deacons to success thus far.  The Deacons forced 5 interceptions in their 33-28 win over Indiana, and they were able to hold dynamic running back Devone Redding under 100 rushing yards. The Deacons rank top 10 in forcing turnovers, and they ranked 34th in the nation in total defense. The Deacons defenders are playing cohesive defensive football by flying to the ball, and each player has been disciplined in their assignments that have has prevented them from giving up the big play; something that plagued them in 2015.

Since Jacoby Brissett has moved on winning games as the third-string QB for the New England Patriots, quarterback Ryan Lindley has filled in nicely with the Wolfpack. The Graduate transfer has become one of the country’s most efficient passers leading the FBS with a 76.3 completion percentage. Lindley has not faced a team that will give him significant pressure. Look for Wake Forest linebacker Duke Ejiofor to disrupt the NC St timing. Ejiofor leads the Deacons with 4.5 sacks.

The key factor in this game will be which team finds better success on the ground.  NC St Matthew Dayes has 312 rushing yards and two touchdowns this season, but that was against much weaker defenses in FCS member William & Mary and a pair of Group of Five programs in East Carolina and Old Dominion. Dayes will face a bunch tougher run defense on Saturday.

Wake Forest will have to move the ball on the ground despite not having Kendall Hinton and Cade Carney. The Demon Deacons were able to do just enough to get past Indiana. However, in order to win in Raleigh John Wolford is going to have to make big plays, and running back Matt Colburn is going to need to be productive in order take some pressure off of his quarterback.  

Prediction: The Wolf Pack lost to their only decent opponent in (ECU), and they need this win before going on a tough three-game stretch. The Deacons are riding a huge train of momentum and they are playing with confidence. The Demon Deacons are looking to make another statement.  Look for the Demon Deacons to make one big defensive play to pull off the upset. Deacons win improbably improve to 5-0. Final 24-20 Wake Forest.