The Demon Deacons, per usual, are an afterthought among pundits heading into the 2023 season. No Wake Forest players were named to the Preseason All-ACC Football first or second teams, and the Deacs were picked to finish ninth in the conference by ACC writers.
Chances are those opinions won’t change after Week 1 when Wake hosts nearby FBS foe Elon, but coach Dave Clawson — starting his 10th season of proving doubters wrong in Winston-Salem — will likely want a clean and convincing win to start the year.
The Game
Elon at Wake Forest
Winston-Salem
7 p.m., ACC Network
Records
Wake Forest: 8-5 (3-5 ACC) in 2022
Elon: 8-4 (6-2 CAA of FCS) in 2022
Head-to-head
Wake Forest 11-0-1 all-time
Players to Watch
Wake Forest quarterback Mitch Griffis: Griffis got a brief audition leading the Deacons at the start of last season when Sam Hartman was unavailable, and he performed well. Griffis completed 21 of 29 passes for 288 yards and three scores against VMI in last year’s opener. He’ll need to do more than light up Elon to get out of the shadow of Sam Hartman, who transferred to Notre Dame for his final year of eligibility, but a good performance could springboard the sophomore to success in his first season as starter.
Elon running back Jalen Hampton: The Phoenix sophomore rushed for 1,053 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first season at Elon, earning Freshman All-America honors. Hampton, who spent two seasons in the ACC at Virginia Tech but did not play, runs behind a veteran offensive line that returns four starters from a year ago.
Odds
Action Network: Wake Forest -31.5, over/under 53
