WINSTON-SALEM — The 15th-ranked UNC Tar Heels go on the road to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons this Saturday. The Tar Heels are 8-1 with three more games to go in the ‘22-23 season and they will hope to keep their five-game unbeaten conference run alive. Redshirt freshman Drake Maye has given the Tar Heels an extra push this season with elite performances these last nine games.
The Demon Deacons have suffered two straight losses, including their recent loss to NC State last weekend which had them drop out of the CFB Playoff Top 25. The Wake Forest offense has been out of rhythm these past couple of weeks and turnovers have cost them big time. In order for the offense to click they will need their veteran senior quarterback Sam Hartman to make better decisions with the ball.
Hartman has thrown for over 2,423 yds and 24 touchdown passes in nine games this season. The Demon Deacons will look to bounce back after suffering a loss to one of their in-state rivals and defend their home field this weekend. UNC leads this historic head-to-head series with Wake Forest, 71-36. Last year’s game between the two resulted in a UNC shootout victory, 58-55, with Hartman throwing for 398 yds and five touchdown passes.
Maye didn’t get a chance to play last season’s game with Wake Forest because he was the backup to Sam Howell but his star receiver Antoine Green had six receptions for 83 yds and a touchdown. The Demon Deacons’ defense will experience a different offense than the one they faced in the previous year. UNC’s offense has improved in ppg and yards per game while their opponents’ offense has regressed.
The Tar Heels Achilles heel however has been their defense and they’ve struggled for the last four weeks to keep their opponents from scoring. UNC has given up 447.8 yards these last four games and even teams with struggling offenses tend to play better against them. Despite the regression on offense, the Demon Deacons have the second best offense in the ACC behind the Tar Heels this season.
Fans can expect another shootout between the two but the Tar Heels can put themselves in a prime position to secure their spot in the ACC title game with a win. The Demon Deacons have to win out and hope the teams above them lose these last few games if they want any chance to climb the table.