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Wake Forest vs. Duke prediction and game preview. The Demon Deacons and Blue Devils will meet at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday in an ACC contest.

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Wake Forest vs. Duke Game Preview

The Demon Deacons continued to struggle on offense in their 7-3 opening win over Tulane. The defense certainly played well, as the unit was put in some less-than-enviable positions, but there is no chance for Wake to get to that six-win mark this fall unless the offense makes a lot of progress from last season. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils won their first bowl game since 1960 last year, and redshirt freshman Daniel Jones looked very comfortable as the team’s new starting quarterback in the season opener against North Carolina Central. He had two touchdown passes and ran for another in his first college start in a 49-6 win. A year after gaining 655 total yards against NC Central, Duke gained 535 yards and improved to 5-0 in the series.

What To Know About Wake Forest

The Demon Deacons offense gained only 175 total yards in the opener, as John Wolford and Kendall Hinton were used at quarterback. The junior Wolford started and completed 9 of 17 passes for 79 yards, and he added 15 yards on five carries. The sophomore Hinton, who directed the Deacons’ only scoring drive, completed 3 of 4 passes for 17 yards and carried eight times for 24 yards. For being in on only 16 plays, Hinton was much more efficient. For Wake to have a chance against Duke, it must be able to sustain drives and put points on the board with more regularity.

What to Know About Duke

The Blue Devils received a strong opening effort from Jones, who was poised and in command of the offense. He finished 10-of-15 passing for 189 yards, while running back Jela Duncan had 115 yards and two scores on the ground. The duo of Jones and Duncan on the ground will make opposing ACC defensive coordinators very nervous. The Duke defense looked great in the opener, but the competition needs to be taken into consideration. However, Wake cannot afford to be sluggish once again versus this unit.

Advantages

Offense: Duke. Jones looks very capable of running the show without Thomas Sirk, who was lost once again for the season.

Defense: Even. Wake Forest senior cornerback Brad Watson led the ACC in passes defended last season (18).

Special Teams: Duke. Senior DeVon Edwards is an all-conference kick returner.

Coaching: Duke. Just look at what David Cutcliffe has done in Durham.

Intangibles: Even. Wake knows that it must play much better than it did in the opener if it wants to have a chance to start ACC play 1-0.

Matchup To Watch

Wolford vs. Hinton

Yes, this is a battle between Wake Forest quarterbacks. Which signal-caller will end up getting the bulk of the playing time against the Blue Devils? The Demon Deacons offense was very unimpressive in the opener, but Hinton was the one who directed the Deacons’ only scoring drive despite playing a significantly lower number of snaps. Head coach Dave Clawson is going to have to handle this QB situation with care.

Wake Forest vs. Duke Betting Odds

Spread: Duke -8.5

Over/Under: 47.5

Wake Forest vs. Duke Prediction

This should be a classic ACC nail-biter. Jones, Duncan and this Duke offense will find some resistance against the Wake defense, but the Devils have enough firepower to put together a couple of scoring drives. However, how much production can we expect to see from a Wake offense that left a lot to be desired in the opener? Duke gets the job done at home.

Wake Forest vs. Duke Score Prediction: Duke 23, Wake Forest 16

MORE: Week 2 College Football Bowl Projections