Wake Forest (2-0) at Old Dominion (1-1), Saturday, noon ET (ESPN2)
Line: Wake Forest by 14 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Wake Forest leads 1-0.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
The Demon Deacons look to wrap up their nonconference schedule unbeaten against a Monarchs team that is coming off a 38-31 victory against Louisiana-Lafayette. QB Grant Wilson threw for four touchdowns and ran for another as ODU snapped a seven-game losing streak.
MATCHUP
Wilson against the Wake Forest defense. The Demon Dacons lead the nation in turnover advantage at plus 1.5 per game and have four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. They've also sacked the quarterback six times. Wilson has thrown just one interception in 44 attempts, but has been sacked eight times.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Wake Forest: RB Demond Claiborne. The second-year runner has had two strong performances to open the season. First came 70 yards with a touchdown against Elon. Then, pressed into a larger role due to injuries, he had 26 carries for 165 yards against Vanderbilt.
Old Dominion: LB Jason Henderson. He led the country last season with 186 tackles, eight shy of the single season FBS record set in 2002 by Lawrence Flugence of Texas Tech. He led the Monarchs with 17 tackles against the Ragin' Cajuns and has double-digits stops in 14 of his last games.
FACTS & FIGURES
Wake Forest is 15-2 during the past five seasons in nonconference play and 22-6 in September since the start of 2016. … The Demon Deacons haven’t given up a first-quarter point through two games. … Wake Forest won the only previous meeting 42-10 to start the 2021 season. … This is Wake Forest’s first game in the state of Virginia since beating the Cavaliers 37-17 in September 2021. … Demon Deacons quarterback Mitch Griffis has five touchdown passes compared to one interception through two games as the fulltime starter. ... Wilson became the ninth different starter to open the season at QB for Old Dominion when he started their opener at Virginia Tech. ... The Monarchs share the national lead with 10 blocked kicks over the past two seasons. ... Old Dominion hasn’t won two of its first three games since 2017.
___
AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
