Once again the Wake Forest Demon Deacons will play the Indiana Hoosiers. The Deacons lost in their matchup with Indiana last season at home by a score of 31-24. This year it looks as if the outcome could be a little different. The Deacons are 3-0 and looking for their first 4-0 start since their miraculous ACC Championship season in 2006. A bowl opportunity is now well within the Demon Deacons grasp and a road win at Indiana would set the team up for a postseason berth, but Indiana should be a tough test being undefeated themselves and fresh off a bye week.

Hinton Out, Wolford Back At First String

Walt Unks/Winston-Salem Journal
Walt Unks/Winston-Salem Journal

Wake Forest will be without their newly named starting quarterback after a non-contact knee injury in the first half of their game last week - Delaware. John Wolford will regain his spot at starting quarterback. He has started a number of games for Wake Forest and has experience. Last week he threw Wake’s first touchdown pass of the season to Alex Bachman. Wolford, however, will need to limit his turnovers, especially with a good Indiana opponent.

Indiana Quarterback Protects The Ball

Junior QB Richard Lagow has been solid for the Hoosiers thus far this season. Lagow has yet to throw an interception and has four passing touchdowns. He does not seem to make mistakes so Indiana will rarely give Wake Forest good field position in the game.

Wake Forest Elite Defense

This statement may or may not be true. A test against Indiana should be evidence as to whether or not this Wake Forest defense is one of the best in the country. They currently are ranked seventh in yards against per game (248) and twelfth in points against per game (12.7). Wake Forest keeps the rushing yards for their opponents low by being aggressive and attacking at the line of scrimmage. This results in a lot of third and long situations for their opponents. LB Marquel Lee and DE Duke Ejiofor have been fantastic in the early part of the season. They should be able to cause problems for Indiana’s offensive line.

Hoosiers Trap Game

This Wake Forest game was most likely not circled on Indiana’s schedule. However, after this matchup, the Hoosiers will start Big Ten play against Michigan State and Ohio State. Both of those teams are ranked in the top ten in the nation. To say this is a trap game seems reasonable even with Wake Forest being undefeated. Indiana’s coaching staff will need to make sure their team is not looking past the Demon Deacons.

Predictions

Wake Forest may be a little outmatched given their injuries, but their defense should keep the game interesting. Indiana escapes 21-17

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About the author
Jordan Hansgen
Wake Forest Student Sports Writer for Vavel.com Analyst on 91.3 FM Buffalo Blitz show