Previewing NC State’s Opponent: Wake Forest

Wake Forest’s 2018 football season has been plagued by injuries. Prior to the season even beginning, 6 Demon Deacons were out for the year, and 6 more have suffered season ending injuries since it began.

The most recent is starting Freshman quarterback Sam Hartman, who broke a bone in his foot last Saturday against Syracuse. He will be replaced tonight with Sophomore Jamie Newman.

Newman was a 3-star prospect out of Graham High School (Graham, North Carolina), that also held offers from NC State, Duke, Boston College Wake Forest, and Vanderbilt. In limited action the past two seasons, Newman is 9 of 19 for 83 yards and 2 interceptions.

Sophomore slot receiver Greg Dortch is one of the most dangerous players in the ACC. He currently leads the conference in all-purpose yards per game (157.7), and ranks 5th nationally. He leads the ACC in receptions per game (7.7), and ranks 2nd in receiving yards per game (94.0).

The Demon Deacons have two running backs that have rushed for over 600 yards, and are averaging 5+ yards per carry. Senior Matt Colburn II has rushed for 670 yards (5.0 ypc) and 5 touchdowns. Junior Cade Carney has rushed for 601 yards (5.1 ypc) and 6 touchdowns. Wake Forest averages 224.4 yards per game, which ranks 24th nationally.

Wake Forest boasts the 2nd-fastest offense in the nation, running a play every 19.65 seconds. They also rank 14th nationally in 1st Downs.

On the whole, the Demon Deacons are averaging 453.4 yards per game, which ranks 30th nationally (NC State ranks 27th), but they will be without their starting quarterback tonight.

While Wake Forest is solid on the offensive side of the ball, they are abysmal on the defensive side, giving up an insane 493.6 yards per game, which ranks 122nd nationally (130 total schools). They are equally bad at stopping the run (221) and the pass (272.6), ranking 115th nationally in both.

The Demon Deacons have two players that rank in the Top-10 in tackles per game, with both Cameron Glenn and Justin Strnad tied for 8th in the ACC, averaging 8.1 tackles per game. When you give up close to 500 yards per game, there are plenty of opportunities for tackles. Strnad also has 6 tackles for loss, as does Carlos Basham Jr. Essang Bassey ranks second in the conference in passes defended (13).