The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+17) aren’t traveling far to battle their conference nemesis No. 22 North Carolina State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium. ESPN has the TV rights and kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack Betting Preview
Wake Forest is a live dog and is currently getting 17 points in this Thursday ACC game. In order to take the home favorite, moneyline gamblers would currently need to lay down $1,400 to win $100 back on the Pack (-1400). The Demon Deacons are getting +780 moneyline odds. There should be some solid live betting opportunities for this game, and Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 66.5 points.
This game’s opening line was originally -15 and the O/U was initially placed at 66, so early action has moved toward the Pack.
The Demon Deacons are 2-7 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 1.6 units so far. The team’s posted an O/U record of 6-3. The Wolfpack have gained 2.7 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 4-4 ATS and have an O/U record of 4-3.
The Demon Deacons are 4-5 straight up (SU), including 1-4 SU against conference opponents. The Wolfpack are 6-2 SU overall and 3-2 SU in conference play.
The Deacs dropped one to Syracuse 41-24 in a thumping where their defense allowed the Orange to eat up the clock by running for 264 yards on 60 rush attempts, including five rush TDs. Eric Dungey had a productive day for the opposition in that one with 119 rushing yards and a score on 24 attempts. On the offense, Sam Hartman completed just 21 passes on 37 attempts for 275 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Hartman (51 rushing yards on 19 attempts) also spearheaded the ground attack in the loss and was complemented by Matt Colburn II (67 yards on 15 carries). Greg Dortch (nine receptions, 95 yards, one TD) and Alex Bachman (three catches, 47 yards) handled the receiving duties.
North Carolina State is coming off of a 47-28 win over Florida State. The defensive secondary allowed the Seminoles to air it out for 421 yards and four touchdowns. Tamorrion Terry was a bright spot in the loss for Florida State, accounting for 142 yards and two touchdowns on five catches. For North Carolina State, Ryan Finley completed 21-of-27 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns. Reggie Gallaspy (106 rushing yards on 21 attempts) and Ricky Person (42 yards on 17 carries, two TDs) spearheaded the ground game in the win while Jakobi Meyers (nine receptions, 125 yards, one TD) and Kelvin Harmon (four catches, 37 yards, one TD) led the receiving corps.
Wake Forest’s run the ball on 58.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while North Carolina State has an overall rush percentage of 50.2 percent. The Demon Deacons have produced 224 rush yards per game (including 219 per game against Atlantic Coast opponents) and have 15 scores via handoffs this year. The Pack are averaging 134 rushing yards per game (150 in conference) and have 14 total rush TDs.
It seems like the Pack ought to have the more disruptive lines up front. Their offensive line has allowed just four sacks while the D-line has registered 25 sacks. The Demon Deacons offensive line has given up 23 sacks and their defense has forced only 17 sacks.
The Deacs offensive scheme has logged 229 yards per game in the air overall (212 per game versus conference opposition) and has 16 passing TDs so far. The Pack have recorded 323 pass yards per outing (294.2 against ACC competition) and also have 16 total pass scores.
Defensively, Wake Forest seems to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has let opponents rush for an average of 221 yards and throw for 273 yards per game. The North Carolina State defense has given up 306.4 yards per game to opposing passers and 91.6 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Deacs have given up an ANY/A of 7.32 to opposing QBs, while the Pack are yielding an ANY/A of 7.06.
Passing-wise, Hartman is up to 1,761 yards on the year. He’s connected on 145-of-267 attempts with 14 passing scores and eight interceptions. He has a 5.35 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 7.46 over the last two games.
The Demon Deacons will probably try to maintain the pace by pounding the defense with their running backs. Along with Greg Dortch (711 yards, six TDs), Matt Colburn II (427 rush yards, two rush TDs) and Cade Carney (518 rush yards, five rush TDs) have brought significant production to the Wake Forest offensive scheme.
Ryan Finley has completed 172-of-248 passes for 2,017 yards, 13 TDs and five INTs for North Carolina State. His ANY/A stands at 8.10 for the season and 10.86 over his last two games.
The Pack should also look to control the clock by turning to their backfield. In addition to Kelvin Harmon (584 receiving yards, three receiving TDs), Reggie Gallaspy (489 rush yards, eight rush TDs) and Jakobi Meyers (three rush yards, 505 receiving yards, two TDs) have gotten quite a few looks lately.
When these two teams faced one another a year ago, Wake Forest won by a pair of field goals 30-24.
NCAA Tip: Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack
SU Winner – North Carolina State, ATS Winner – North Carolina State, O/U – Under
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The O/U for Wake Forest’s last game was set at 78. The under cashed in the team’s 41-24 defeat to Syracuse.
As a team, Wake Forest has produced 4.4 yards per carry over its past three contests and 5.7 over its last two.
North Carolina State has averaged 3.2 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 3.1 over its last two.
Both teams have lost five fumbles this season.
Over its last three games, Wake Forest is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The O/U for North Carolina State’s last matchup going into it was 51.5. The over cashed in the 47-28 win over Florida State.
Over its last three matchups, North Carolina State is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Demon Deacons offense has recorded three pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Wolfpack have put up seven such plays.
The Wake Forest defense has allowed seven pass plays of 40 yards or more, while North Carolina State has given up eight such plays.
The Wake Forest offense has created 15 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while North Carolina State has created seven such runs.
The Demon Deacons defense has allowed 20 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Wolfpack have given up seven such runs.
The North Carolina State defensive unit has tallied 25 sacks on the year while Wake Forest has just 17.
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