The Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish meet Saturday in college football action from Notre Dame Stadium. The Demon Deacons are coming off a game versus NC State. In that matchup Wake Forest dropped to 4-6 with a 20-point loss. As for Notre Dame, they’re sitting at 7-3 overall after an open slate last weekend. The Irish last appeared in an eight-point loss versus Clemson back on November 4. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons 

The Demon Deacons were only able to win four of their first nine games this year. Some of the team’s issues stemmed from the lack of scoring, as Wake Forest managed a tepid 22.1 points per game in that time. The Deacons had 10 TDs and nine interceptions through the air, alongside 144.8 yards per game and 11 rushing scores in those first nine outings. 

In Saturday’s game versus NC State, Wake Forest faced a 21-0 deficit going into the fourth quarter and didn’t gain much more ground in a 26-6 loss. Quarterback Michael kern finished with 137 yards, one TD and one interception. Demond Claiborne led the rush with just 12 yards, and Horatio Fields had three catches for 31 yards. 

Wake Forest Demon Deacons Team Facts

• Wake Forest has won each of its last 12 games against non-conference opponents.
• Wake Forest has covered the spread in five of its last six November games as a road underdog against AP-ranked teams.
• Wake Forest has won the first half in 11 of its last 12 games against non-conference opponents.
• Wake Forest has won the first quarter in 13 of its last 14 games against non-conference opponents.
• Eleven of Wake Forest’s last 12 road games against AP-ranked teams have gone UNDER the total points line.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish 

Over on the Notre Dame side, they’ve had some mixed results overall but still maintain a very good team. The Irish have averaged a nice 38.6 points per game with 50 total touchdowns. Through the air, Notre Dame has 252.0 yards per game, 21 touchdowns and seven picks. The Irish have been solid rush-wise as well with 166.0 yards per game and 20 more scores. 

In their most recent appearance back on November 4 versus Clemson, the Irish were down 24-9 by halftime. Notre Dame got a little better in the second but still lost 31-23. Sam Hartman had a rough outing with 146 yards and two picks, while Audric Estime led the rush on 87 yards and a TD. Rico Flores caught one ball for 35 yards to top the receivers. 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Team Facts

• Notre Dame has won each of its last 17 games against opponents from the Atlantic Coast Conference at Notre Dame Stadium.
• Notre Dame has covered the spread in each of its last seven home games in November.
• Notre Dame has won the first quarter in each of its last eight games against opponents from the Atlantic Coast Conference at Notre Dame Stadium.
• Notre Dame has won the first half in each of its last 11 games against opponents from the Atlantic Coast Conference at Notre Dame Stadium.
• Each of Notre Dame’s last six games in November have gone OVER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

• Notre Dame rank 11th among FBS teams for points allowed per game this season (16.9).
• Notre Dame rank 16th among FBS teams for points per game this season (36.8).
• Wake Forest has suffered the equal-most road losses by a margin of five points or less of any FBS team this season (2).

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’m probably going to stick with the Irish. Notre Dame has had a long time to stew on a rough road loss to Clemson, but the good news is that they’ve also had a lot of time to plan for this matchup. In the loss to the Tigers, Notre Dame posted three turnovers, 13 first downs and went just 3-of-13 on third-down tries in a pretty ugly offensive effort. That makes 23 or fewer points in three of the last five games for the Irish, which is a troubling trend. 

As for Wake Forest, they posted a miserable offensive outing versus NC State over the weekend. The Deacons had 163 total yards (seven rushing), eight first downs, two turnovers and an ugly 1-of-12 run on third-down tries. That makes 16 or fewer points in five of the last seven games for Wake Forest. I don’t see how they’ll keep any kind of pace in this one.