Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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GAME PREVIEW: WAKE FOREST TD), senior tight end Tyler Eifert (28 for 403 yards and three TD) and senior running back Theo Riddick (25 for 217 yards and one TD) are still ahead of Dan- iels on the season receptions list, and they provide a balanced corps of weapons for Golson. Sophomore cornerback Merrill Noel is one of the top defensive backs in the ACC this season, giving Wake Forest a shutdown defender on one half of the field. The secondary in general was supposed to be the Demon Deacons' strength on defense. Redshirt sophomore Kevin Johnson broke up a team-high 11 passes in his first nine games to go along with three interceptions. Still, opposing teams have found a way to pass for an average of 261.2 yards per game against a defensive backfield full of capable athletes. Advantage: Wake Forest SPECIAL TEAMS successful formula on special teams in its three years in South Bend. In a narrow victory over Pittsburgh, the Irish missed two important kicks and got nothing out of their punt return unit. That group ranks 115th in the nation with an average of 2.62 yards on the rare occasions that freshman Davonte' Neal has at- tempted a return. Wake Forest has not been stellar in the third phase Notre Dame's coaching staff has yet to figure out a Oct. 20 at Virginia Sept. 8 North Carolina (RSN) W, 28-27 Sept. 15 at Florida State (ESPN) Sept. 22 Army Sept. 29 Duke Oct. 6 Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 1 Liberty at Maryland (ESPNU) Nov. 3 Boston College (RSN) W, 28-14 Nov. 10 at NC State (RSN) Nov. 17 at Notre Dame (NBC) Nov. 24 Vanderbilt Oct. 25 Clemson (ESPN) 3:30 p.m. TBA L, 37-6 W, 49-37 L, 34-27 L, 19-14 W, 16-10 L, 42-13 2012 WAKE FOREST SCHEDULE W, 20-17 L, 52-0 either this season. The Demon Deacons attempted only nine field goals through nine games and made only five of them. They rank 115th in kick returns, averaging 16.2 yards each time one of their returners opts to take the ball out of the end zone. Advantage: Even Deacons' head coach, has won his tenure at Wake Forest. He consistently manages to put together a team that outperforms its athletic bounds. He is, however, in jeopardy of posting his fourth straight losing season in Winston-Salem, which would be the longest drought of his career there. Brian Kelly's most impressive feat as Notre Dame Jim Grobe, now in his 12th year as the Demon COACHING head coach so far has been getting his team to be- lieve they will win in close games. He and an upbeat group of assistants helped pull Notre Dame through a number of close calls in its 9-0 start. Advantage: Notre Dame INTANGIBLES Pittsburgh. The Irish have won their five homes games so far this season by an average margin of 4.6 points and none by more than a touchdown against lesser competition. Kelly and his team are still searching for the root cause of that problem, let alone a solution. Senior Day will bring even more distractions than Notre Dame's woes at home continued against normal for a group of veterans that have played a major role in turning around the Irish program. Emo- tions could lead to a slow start and give Wake Forest a chance to build its confidence. Advantage: Wake Forest Lou Somogyi: Notre Dame 30, Wake Forest 0 Jason Sapp: Notre Dame 34, Wake Forest 10 Wes Morgan: Notre Dame 38, Wake Forest 17 Dan Murphy: Notre Dame 28, Wake Forest 13 PREDICTIONS