North Carolina @ Wake Forest preview
BB&T Field
Last Meeting ( Oct 29, 2011 ) Wake Forest 24, North Carolina 49
The debut of new coach Larry Fedora's no-huddle spread offense was spectacular, but now North Carolina gets to see how effective the attack will be against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent as the Tar Heels travel to in-state rival Wake Forest for both teams' ACC opener Saturday . It is the first trip to Winston-Salem since 2007 for the Tar Heels, who won the most recent meeting 49-24 in 2011 after consecutive losses to the Demon Deacons in 2006 and 2007. The Demon Deacons will need to make dramatic improvements to hang with the Tar Heels after squeaking by FCS opponent Liberty 20-17 in their opener. North Carolina had decidedly less trouble with its small-school opponent, hammering Elon 62-0 last week.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, Regional Sports Network, ESPN3.com. LINE: North Carolina -10
ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA (1-0): The Tar Heels put up 524 total yards and their highest point total in 17 years against Elon. Lost in the offensive onslaught was the Tar Heels' defense, which posted its first shutout in 13 years and held Elon to 170 total yards. North Carolina also showed an ability to be dynamic on special teams as Giovani Bernard had a 70-yard punt return touchdown to go with his rushing and receiving scores. The Tar Heels set school and ACC records with 260 punt return yards on nine returns.
ABOUT WAKE FOREST (1-0): Wake Forest managed 293 total yards behind an offensive line that returns only one starter. The Demon Deacons needed a second-half rally sparked by A.J. Marshall's 60-yard interception return touchdown to survive against Liberty. Junior receiver Michael Campanaro was one of the few bright spots for the offense with nine catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. Campanaro has caught a pass in 13 consecutive games.
EXTRA POINTS
1. North Carolina K Casey Barth has made 53 field goals in his career and needs two field goals to surpass his brother, Connor, as the school's all-time leader.
2. The Tar Heels snapped a nine-game losing streak in ACC openers last season and have not won back-to-back conference openers since 1996-97.
3. Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe is 30-8 against in-state opponents during his tenure with the Demon Deacons, including 4-3 against North Carolina.
PREDICTION: North Carolina 38, Wake Forest 13