UNC Scouting Report: Wake Forest Demon Deacons
By Ben Coley
Wake Forest’s offense has been absolutely woeful in 2015. After a 41-3 victory over Elon to open the season, the Demon Deacons have averaged just 15.4 points per game. In their most recent win against Boston College, the Demon Deacons managed only three points. However, their defense has been quite stout. I’ll get to that later.
Soft Ground Game
Overall, the North Carolina defense has improved mightily. As it stands, the Tar Heels are ranked 45th in total defense, allowing 357 yards per game. That is actually amazing considering last season’s debacle. However, UNC has not done well stopping the run. In that category, UNC ranks 117th, allowing 232.8 per game.
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Luckily for UNC, Wake Forest’s running game is stale and mediocre. The Demon Deacons have rushed for an average of 114.7 per contest, ranking 114th in the nation. Their leading rusher is true freshman quarterback Kendall Hinton, who has 218 yards and four rushing touchdowns on the season. In fact, the Demon Deacons only have seven rushing touchdowns – four from Hinton, two from sophomore quarterback John Wolford, and one from actual running back Matt Colbum. It will be very interesting to see which side gives first – UNC’s defensive line or the Demon Deacon running backs/offensive line.
Quarterback Controversy
The Demon Deacons seem to be in the midst of a quarterback controversy. After starting the first three games, Wolford was sidelined with a sprained ankle. Hinton replaced Wolford for most of the Army game and road matchups versus Indiana and Florida State. He threw for 619 yards and two touchdowns, but also had four interceptions. Wolford returned for the Boston College game, but went 11-25 and had only 109 yards. According to news reports, Wolford’s ankle still isn’t fully healthy and Hinton has a stiff back from a huge hit he took against Florida State.
Hinton is the better runner – as previously stated, he leads the team in rushing. But Wolford was the starter coming out of training camp. With all that being said, either quarterback could see time on the field against UNC. It will just depend on who has the hot hand.
Demon Deacons Defense
While the Demon Deacons have failed to perform offensively, the defense has been a bright spot through the first five games. Wake Forest has allowed only 296 yards and 17 points per game – good for 15th and 20th in the nation. However, it’s not as if they’ve been playing stiff competition. Wake Forest should be commended for holding Florida State to 24 points, but its other opponents – Army, Syracuse, Indiana and Boston College – don’t light up scoreboards.
The defense is led by linebacker Brandon Chubb, who is the only Demon Deacons player other than punter Alex Kinal to make the All-ACC preseason team. He currently leads the team with 50 tackles and is second with five tackles for loss. I expect him to be involved in a lot of tackles versus UNC on Saturday. But I have a difficult time believing that this Demon Deacons defense will hold UNC to under 300 yards. The game is in Chapel Hill and UNC is coming off a bye – all signs point toward a blowout. The only thing that matters is how focused the Tar Heels are.
Stay tuned to Keeping It Heel for more coverage of UNC vs. Wake Forest!