It’s a non-conference matchup of surprising unbeaten teams in the Midwest. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons look to go to 4-0 as they face the Indiana Hoosiers Saturday afternoon. Kickoff from Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana is set for 3:30 pm ET. National television coverage for the game is provided by the Big Ten Network. The latest line shows Indiana as a 7.5 point favorite at home with the over/under set at 44.5 points.
Wake Forest remained unbeaten as they downed FCS program Delaware 38-21 at home last week. Indiana is coming off a bye last week. In their last contest, the Hoosiers downed Ball State 30-20 at home. This is just the second all-time meeting between the programs. Indiana won the first meeting, 31-24, in Winston-Salem last year.
Wake Forest is a ground and pound kind of team. They don’t have a ton of success in the air. The Demon Deacons are 116th in the FBS in passing offense with 141.7 yards per game. Wake runs for 206.7 yards per game so far. The Demon Deacons have injury issues: Cade Carney sprained his knee in practice and is out. Quarterback Kendall Hinton, the more mobile of Wake’s two QB system, hurt his knee last week and is out two to four weeks. That makes it tougher for the Demon Deacons to control the tempo and line of scrimmage. Wake Forest needs to figure out ways to move the sticks on the ground. Indiana’s defense that is 23rd in FBS in rushing defense with 101.5 yards per game and 3.4 yards per carry. John Wolford needs to make some plays in the passing game.
Indiana continues to get things done on the offensive side of the ball. The Hoosiers put up an average of 469.5 yards and 32 points per game. Devine Redding is tied for the nation’s lead with five straight 100 yard games on the ground dating back to last season. Richard Lagow is sharp under center as a junior college transfer. He’s been tremendous for coach Kevin Wilson and the Hoosiers. Indiana has their work cut out for them against a Wake Forest defense that has limited their opposition to 247.7 yards and 12.7 points per game. The Demon Deacons average 168 yards per game through the air on 53.8 percent completion rate. Wake Forest is stingier on the ground, allowing 79.7 rushing yards and 2.4 yards per carry. Can Redding get it going against a stiff Demon Deacons front seven?
This is a clash of polar opposites. The Demon Deacons have a tremendous defense but a mediocre offense. Indiana’s offense is terrific but their defense is subpar. That said, facing an offense that seriously struggles and that is minus a couple key contributors makes life easier for the Hoosiers. Lagow is a shot in the arm for Indiana. The Hoosiers have a lot of weapons on offense and home field advantage. Look for Indiana to win by double figures to improve to 3-0. For more free NCAA football picks, check back often!
Indiana is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in September and 12-4-1 ATS in their last 17 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. Wake Forest is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up win and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games in September.