In a battle of two schools that like to keep it on the ground, Coach Dabo Swinney and the No. 4 Clemson Tigers (-17) are facing off against their ACC rival Wake Forest Demon Deacons at BB&T Field. ESPN is scheduled to televise the action and the critical afternoon game gets going at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Clemson Tigers
In this Saturday Atlantic Coast game, Clemson is labeled as the heavy favorite and is currently giving up 17 points. If they want to take the moneyline, bettors would currently need to put down $1,400 in order to net $100 back on the Tigers (-1400). The Demon Deacons are getting +780 moneyline odds. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 62 points, and on the surface it looks like this game will likely offer some live betting scenarios.
The early action has moved to the Tigers, as the line opened at 16. The total has not moved after it was set initially at 62.
The Tigers have gained 2.0 units so far and are 1-4 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 2-2.
The Demon Deacons are down 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 1-4 ATS and four of their games have gone over the total.
The Tigers have gone 5-0 straight up (SU), including 2-0 SU against conference opponents. The Demon Deacons are 3-2 SU overall and 0-1 SU in conference play.
The Tigers are looking to stay undefeated after a 27-23 victory over Syracuse last week. The defense did its part in the win, keeping the Orange to just 250 passing yards and 61 yards on the ground. Jamal Custis had a productive day for the Orange in that one with 73 yards on five catches. Offensively, the Tigers completed 17-of-29 passes for 176 yards and one interception. Trevor Lawrence went 10-for-15 for 93 yards while Chase Brice completed seven-of-13 for 83 yards and one interception. Travis Etienne (203 rushing yards on 27 attempts, three TDs) led the ground attack while Amari Rodgers (four receptions, 27 yards) and Tee Higgins (four catches, 53 yards) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Wake Forest just earned a one-sided 56-24 win over Rice. The team’s defense allowed the Owls to rush for 267 yards on 44 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Austin Walter was a force to be reckoned with, putting up 165 rushing yards and a score on 18 attempts for Rice. For Wake Forest, Sam Hartman completed 15-of-17 passes for 241 yards and four touchdowns. Cade Carney (49 rushing yards on 13 attempts, two TDs) and Christian Beal-Smith (60 yards on nine carries) mounted the running game while Greg Dortch (11 receptions, 163 yards, four TDs) and Jack Freudenthal (two catches, 53 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
Clemson has run the ball on 57.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Wake Forest has a rush percentage of 59.8 percent. The Tigers have produced 242.8 rush yards per game (including 270.5 per game versus Atlantic Coast opponents) and have 13 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Deacs are averaging 244.4 rush yards per game and have nine total rushing TDs.
If 2018 numbers can translate to this game, then the Tigers ought to hold an edge when it comes to efficiency in the ground game, as their running backs has produced 6.0 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 2.3 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Demon Deacons have tallied 4.7 yards per carry and given up 4.7 yards per rush attempt to opponents.
The Tigers offensive scheme has averaged 254.8 yards through the air overall (204.0 per game versus conference opposition) and has 11 passing TDs so far. The Deacs have put up 243.2 pass yards per outing and have 10 total pass scores.
Clemson appears to hold an edge in both areas of the defense. The team’s let opponents rush for an average of 95.0 yards and throw for 168.6 yards per game. The Wake Forest defense has allowed 271.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 189.6 yards per game to opposing runners. The Tigers are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 6.53 to opposing QBs, while the Deacs have allowed a 7.57 ANY/A.
Hartman has completed 83-of-140 passes for 1,075 yards, 10 TDs and five INTs. Hartman’s adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 6.97 for the year and 9.07 across his past two games. In the other huddle, Lawrence is up to 517 passing yards this season. He’s completed 36-of-57 attempts with five passing touchdowns and only one interception. Lawrence’s got a sparkling 9.51 ANY/A, including 8.37 over the last two games.
When these two squads faced each other last year, Clemson knocked Wake Forest off by two touchdowns 28-14.
Clemson Tigers at Wake Forest Demon Deacons NCAA Tip
SU Winner: Tigers, ATS Winner: Tigers, O/U: Over
Team Betting Trends
- The Clemson D has 17 sacks on the year while Wake Forest has just 10.
- Both teams have lost three fumbles this year.
- The Tigers offense has recorded nine pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Demon Deacons have accounted for three such plays.
- The Clemson defense has allowed three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Wake Forest has given up five such plays.
- The Clemson offense has created 13 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Wake Forest has created nine such runs.
- The Tigers defense has allowed six rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Demon Deacons have given up 11 such runs.
- Wake Forest was favored by 28 points in its last outing and the Over/Under going into it was 67. The over cashed and Wake Forest covered in the 56-24 win over Rice.
- In its last three matchups, Wake Forest is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
- In its last three games, Clemson is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- Clemson was favored by 25 points in its previous game and the Over/Under was set at 65. The under cashed and Clemson failed to cover in the 27-23 victory over Syracuse.
- Clemson has produced 6.2962962962963 yards per carry over its past three games and 6.1 over its last two.
- Wake Forest has averaged 4.5 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.2 over its past two.
