UNC faces Wake Forest with Bowl Game on the Line

by Sharon Thorsland

North Carolina is riding a two-game win streak headed into Saturday’s showdown at Wake

Forest. The Tar Heels held off Stanford last week to improve to 4-5 on the season (2-3 ACC). Now they’ve got a stretch of three straight rivalry games, with matchups against Duke and NC State coming up after the Demon Deacons. After managing just eight total wins over the past two seasons, the Deacs are having a banner year. They’re 6-3 (3-3 ACC) after a huge road upset of Virginia, handing the Cavaliers their first conference loss. Kick-off is set for 4:30 on Saturday.

Part of the reason for Wake’s success this season is due to new head coach Jake Dickert, who led Washington State to an 8-4 record last season. The Deacons also have a new quarterback. Robby Ashford is a dual threat who has thrown for 1344 yards and is also the team’s second leading rusher. Ball security has been a problem though, as he’s lost five fumbles and thrown five interceptions to just three touchdowns. Wake’s offense is averaging just 23 points a game, so a quarterback switch could be in the works. Former Charlotte 49ers starter DeShawn Purdie started two games for the Deacs when Ashford was out with a thumb injury, throwing four touchdowns and winning both games. Both QBs played last week, so we could see that again in this game. Whoever is under center, their top target is 5’7 freshman receiver Chris Barnes, who has 34 catches for 504 yards and three touchdowns. Micah Mayes, Jr. is a big-play threat who is averaging over 17 yards a catch. Wake’s running game is anchored by star running back Demond Claiborne, who is averaging 79 yards per game and has eight touchdowns. The Deacs will face a UNC defense that has gotten better every week and currently ranks third in the ACC and 14th in the nation in rushing defense. They’re also top five in the conference in yards and points per game.

The bad news for UNC is that Wake’s defense is even better. The Deacons rank second in the league in scoring defense, allowing only 20 points per game, and are also second in passing defense and 6th in total defense. Their weak link is their run defense, which means the Tar Heels will likely want to lean on Demon June to get the ground game going early. Wake’s top defender is All-ACC safety Nick Andersen, who leads the team in tackles and lines up all over the field. They’ve got a solid secondary that has only allowed seven passing touchdowns all season.

This has the makings of a great game: five of the last six meetings have come down to the final moments and have been decided by one possession. And there is plenty riding on this one. Wake is already bowl eligible but is looking to snap a four-game losing streak to their in-state rival, while UNC would like to keep that streak going, and also needs to beat Wake to have a chance at a bowl game. I say the Heels get it done and make it five straight over the Deacs. Go Tar Heels!