Wake Forest Demon Deacons (1-0 SU, 0-1 ATS) vs. Boston College Eagles (1-0 SU, 0-1 ATS)
College Football Week 2
Date/Time: Friday, September 6, 2013 at 8PM EST
Where: Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
TV: ESPN 2
By Loot, NCAA Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Point Spread: WF +5/BC -5
Over/Under Total: 47
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On Friday, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons make the trip north to face the Boston College Eagles in this ACC Atlantic Division matchup. Each team defeated their opponents in their opening games last Saturday and this is where things get a bit more real. In one of Wake’s 5 wins last season, they beat BC at home by 14. One shouldn’t necessarily expect a repeat of that in this game.
It’s not easy to put Boston College’s difficult win over FCS school Villanova into proper perspective. Villanova carried a lead going into the second half, with Boston College spinning their wheels. New coach Steve Addazio is an enthusiastic leader, but it was disappointing to see him running all these cute running plays with an O-line that severely outweighed the opponent’s D-line. Eventually, they wore down Villanova and finished the game scoring 17 unanswered points. At the end of the day, they won, though they never threatened to cover the spread.
There was a time in the first half when Villanova had the ball inside the BC 5-yard line and a touchdown would have really put the Eagles behind the 8-ball. Boston College stepped up and kept Villanova from scoring. They might not be so lucky against a school with better tools on offense. Is Wake that team? We will soon find out.
Regardless, there were some troubling signs that point strongly to the possibility that Boston College will have some growing pains this season. They gave up nearly 200 yards on the ground to a Villanova team that lacks the size and explosiveness of some teams they will be playing this season. QB Chase Rettig was 23-30 for 285 yards, with 2 touchdowns and no picks. It was one of those performances where what he did on the field wasn’t quite as impressive-looking as his numbers. It was promising, however, to see him connect on 13 times with senior receiver Alex Amidon for 146 yards and a score, as well as establish a nice connection with linebacker-turned-receiver Bobby Wolford. So while there were bad signs, they did manage to win and there’s slivers of promise that lie between the lines. Still, if they managed to flirt with disaster at home against Villanova, that doesn’t bode well when they step up the level of competition. While you don’t want to base too much off of one game, the early signs weren’t terribly promising.
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Wake Forest beat Presbyterian 31-7, but like Boston College, they failed to cover the spread against their FCS opponent. They too fell behind early, but were pulling away by the second quarter. The defense buckled down and held Presbyterian scoreless for the final 3+ quarters of the game. 4th year starter, QB Tanner Price was efficient and made a meaningful connection with freshman receiver Jonathan Williams. It takes more than a 5 catch/143-yard performance against an FCS team to prove your worth, but Williams is at least a guy worth watching. And for Wake Forest, that’s a start.
It’s just such a slog with this Demon Deacons offense sometimes. Even at home against Presbyterian, they could only manage 189 yards rushing on a whopping 54 running plays. You’d like to see someone step up at RB and become a playmaker, but they couldn’t run the ball well last year and might struggle again in 2013. For those betting on Wake Forest, the problem is that they really like to run the ball and it can be frustrating to watch them do this for a whole game. In their favor is the fact that this Boston College run “D” looked awfully porous against Villanova. Maybe Wake Forest can establish something on the ground and continue dialing in their 6’4” freshman receiver. That right there might be enough to keep them squarely in this game.
Wake Forest’s secondary, which held Presbyterian to a meager 49 passing yards, might give Rettig some more issues than last season, when the BC quarterback went for 357 yards, though he did throw 3 picks and his offense only scored 14 points. Price also went for almost 300 and threw 3 touchdowns. We’re still talking about a Boston College that has scored a total of one win over a FBS opponent since November of 2011. It’s not easy to take a team like that and lay 5 points, even if it is against what looks to be a Wake Forest team that is mediocre at best.
Boston College is at home and that counts for something, though it didn’t seem to stop them from almost blowing it against Villanova and not covering the spread. If either team has a higher immediate ceiling, it may be Wake Forest. If all the stars line up right, they have a rising defense with an offense featuring a 4th-year starter coming into his own with maturing talent at the skill positions. Boston College will be able to move the ball and there is a potential that they control the action with a heavy dose of run. It’s a really tough game to call.
Loot's Pick to Cover the Point Spread: Take 5 points on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
