The Indiana University Hoosiers (3-0, 0-0) will head to take on the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons (2-1, 0-1) this week in a battle between a pair of teams who have started strong. The country’s leading rusher, Jordan Howard (507 yards, 3 TDs) will be featured in this game. It starts at 8:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, Sep 26 and will be available on the ESP3 and the ACCN.
In last week’s matchup, Wake Forest won a tight one against Army West Point 17-14. Cam Serigne had a quality performance in the victory, grabbing five receptions for 50 yards. KJ Brent put up 72 yards on four catches. Indiana won in a close one over Western Kentucky 38-35 in its matchup. Jordan Howard had a great game running the ball for the Hoosiers, rushing 31 times for 203 yards. Nate Sudfeld also had a great game with 355 yards and three TDs through the air.
The odds between the Demon Deacons and the Hoosiers are even this week, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available.
Sitting at 2-1 Straight Up (SU) and 1-2 Against The Spread (ATS), the Demon Deacons will look to improve heading into Week 4. A focal point of Wake Forest’s offense is its passing game, which ranks 23rd in the country with 312 passing yards per game. The Demon Deacons hope to continue the trend of torching Indiana’s defense during the second quarter, when they allow 16.3 points per game. Penalties aren’t likely to cost Wake Forest this week’s game. They earn the 24th-fewest penalties among Division I teams, averaging only five per game.
As for their opponent, the Hoosiers head into Week 4 with records of 2-1 ATS and 3-0 SU. They enter the week as the country’s 25th-best scoring offense, recording an average of 40.7 points per game on opposing defenses. Passing the ball has resulted in very positive outcomes for the Hoosiers, who average the 10th-best yards per pass in the nation with 16.2. Preparing for Indiana’s scoring defense will give the Demon Deacons headaches in the film room. So far this year, the Hoosiers defense has only allowed opponents to score an average of 34.7 points. The Indiana defense will take advantage of every opportunity the Demon Deacons give them. The Hoosiers generate 2.3 turnovers per game, 20th in the country.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ind, ATS Winner – Ind
Notes
Wake Forest is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games.
Wake Forest is 5-15 SU in its last 20 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Wake Forest’s last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Wake Forest’s last 13 games at home.
Wake Forest is 1-1 SU when leading at the half this season.
The Wake Forest defense has forced an average of 2.0 turnovers per game this season, but Indiana is a perfect 3-0 SU when turning the ball over at least 2 times in a game.
According to overall FBS team rankings, Indiana is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 19th-ranked rushing attack will face the 39th-ranked run defense of Wake Forest, while its 65th-ranked rush defense will look to contain the 103rd-ranked running game of the Demon Deacons.
