For the second straight weekend, the UNC football team will take on a highly-ranked foe in front of a national television audience. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons have been the talk of the college football world this season, and their showdown with Carolina will play on ABC at noon Saturday. It may be one of the most consequential games in the history of the UNC-Wake Forest series.
Wake Forest is 8-0 this season and is ranked No. 9 in the first College Football Playoff rankings. It’s the highest ranking in the history of Wake Forest’s program. UNC fell to No. 11 Notre Dame last weekend, and according to head coach Mack Brown, it’s the first time the Tar Heels have played two opponents with such high rankings back-to-back in almost 80 years.
The Demon Deacons bring in a powerful offense, with quarterback Sam Hartman making his case for the Heisman Trophy, as well as high-flying receivers A.T. Perry and Jaquarii Roberson. In the game in Kenan Stadium last season, Hartman racked up 429 yards and connected with Roberson on two touchdown passes. Historically, UNC has beaten the Demon Deacons in football more than any other school, but Brown said he knows this isn’t just any other Wake team.
“This is obviously the best team Wake Forest has ever had,” Brown told reporters Wednesday. “They’re rated in the Top 10. They’ve earned that ranking. Sam Hartman is fun to watch; he’s like our Sam [Howell]. For fans, it’ll be a real treat to see two of the best quarterbacks in college football.”
The high-powered Wake offense is complimented by an opportunistic defense. When comparing the Demon Deacons’ unit to Carolina’s, Brown noted Wake Forest has made the critical plays which have been sorely lacking from a Tar Heel standpoint.
“Their defense, unlike ours, they force a lot of turnovers,” he said. “And that’s been a huge difference for them: they’re plus-10 [in turnover differential], we’re minus-one. And that’s the biggest difference in these two teams. And then they’ve played better in the red zone than we have. They’re plus-10 [in] turnovers, and they’re 19th in the country in red zone defense.”
Offensive coordinator Phil Longo agreed with his head coach. Longo said the Demon Deacons, similar to Notre Dame last week, minimize self-inflicted wounds and are fundamentally sound.
“That’s a good staff. They’re well-coached. They’re in position,” Longo said Monday. “And what’s happening is you’re seeing steady improvement with their defense as each week goes on. They’re getting better and better at the things they do. They’ve stayed the course, they’re sticking to the plan, and they’re doing what they do and they’re getting better at it. So I think we’re probably gonna see a Wake Forest defense with more confidence this week.”
It was a historic day for the Tar Heel offense against that defense last year, with quarterback Sam Howell setting a program record by accounting for seven total touchdowns: six passing and one rushing. Carolina erased a 21-point second-half deficit to win 59-53. Howell said he’s enjoyed watching his friend Hartman perform well this season, but that isn’t diminishing his competitive drive on Saturday.
“I’m so happy for him and the season he’s having,” Howell told reporters Tuesday evening. “He’s been super fun to watch. I’m pulling for him every single week, except for this one. It is a cool thing, just to go out there from a competitive standpoint. He wants to beat me, I want to beat him. So it’s gonna be a lot of fun out there on Saturday.”
Despite Wake Forest’s gaudy record, UNC is actually favored to win Saturday in Kenan Stadium. Oddsmakers are giving Carolina two and a half points over the No. 9 Demon Deacons. But any UNC fan will tell you the sportsbooks haven’t necessarily been kind to the Tar Heels this season. Carolina has been favored to win in seven games this year, and have only won four.
Featured image via Associated Press/Carlos Osorio
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