Wake Forest vs. Boston College Betting Line
Carrie Stroup here with your Wake Forest vs. Boston College betting line where the Eagles are listed as a -3 point favorite. Join Sportsbook.com here and receive a FREE $100 BET.
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Boston College -3 (-120) & 48
Opening Line & Total: Eagles -3 (-115) & 48.5
Wake Forest travels north to Boston College Friday night as the two schools look to get ACC play started on a positive note.
Since the Eagles arrived in the ACC, the two teams have split their 10 matchups, with the Demon Deacons holding the 6-4 ATS advantage. Boston College was able to get a 24-14 victory in their season opener over FCS school Villanova, but it was definitely a struggle. The Eagles found themselves down 14-7 in the first quarter after the Wildcats pulled off an incredible fake punt for a touchdown. However, the offense eventually got rolling behind quarterback Chase Rettig. The senior completed 23-of-30 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Eagles escape with a victory. Not only did the offense do a great job of passing the ball, but RB Andre Williams gave them 114 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He left with an apparent hamstring injury, but is still expected to play in the ACC opener. The defense of Boston College got things going as well, shutting out the Villanova offense for the final three quarters of the game. The secondary was especially key, intercepting three passes and giving up only 158 yards. The one negative was the 197 rushing yards allowed, but a nearly quarter of those came on that 47-yard fake punt. However, the defense will have to step up even more, as they are going up against a Demon Deacons offense that has some playmakers. One of those playmakers is freshman receiver Jonathan Williams, who had 143 receiving yards on five catches in the 31-7 season opening victory over FCS school Presbyterian. The 6-foot-4 freshman from Atlanta gives quarterback Tanner Price a big receiver that can go up and catch the ball at its highest point. He complements a rushing attack that had 189 yards in the opener, doing it by committee with eight players gaining more than a dozen yards. Like their offense, they have playmakers on defense, like sophomore LB Brandon Chubb who took back an interception 29 yards for a touchdown to go along with seven tackles. The defense had a dominating performance, allowing only 151 total yards of offense, including just 49 through the air. The Eagles were just 2-6 ATS in ACC play last year, but were 2-1 ATS as a favorite. The Demon Deacons were 2-3 ATS on the road and 4-4 ATS in conference games.
Tanner Price was outstanding in Wake's 28-14 victory over Boston College last season, throwing for 293 yards and three touchdowns. The Demon Deacons completely dominated the game last season, forcing four turnovers while also winning the time of possession by a wide margin of 34:46 to 25:14. Last year, WR Michael Campanaro pulled down three touchdown catches against the Eagles and finished with 16 receptions for 123 yards. He was inactive versus Presbyterian because of a hamstring injury, but said he is back to 100 percent this week and looking to have a game similar to last season. While Williams is the tall receiver, Campanaro is the short speedster at 5-foot-11. These two will complement each other very well and could prove to be one of the best receiving duos in the conference. With their performance in week one, Wake Forest will enter the game with the No. 1 ranked defense in both total yards as well as pass defense. Kicker Chad Hedlund was the one glaring negative though, making only one of three field goal attempts, and it will be interesting if Wake Forest’s coaching staff gives him another chance this week.
Even though it wasn’t pretty, Boston College was able to get the Steve Addazio era started on a positive note with Saturday's victory. In his career, Rettig has thrown for 6,538 yards and 37 touchdowns, and at 6-foot-3, he is able to stand in the pocket and make throws over the defensive line to his receivers. Rettig is 1-2 in his career against the Demon Deacons, and has struggled against the defense, throwing six interceptions. He must avoid turning the ball over like he did four times in the last loss to Wake, and manage the game, by letting Williams get a lot of carries in this game as well. On defense, the Eagles are going to have their hands full with the pass-catching duo of Campanaro and Williams. With his size, Boston College is going to have to have a safety over the top at all times. Not only is Williams big, but he also has a burst of speed that allows him to create separation from the cornerback. Rettig’s favorite target is receiver Alex Amidon, as he was able to catch 13 passes for 146 yards last week. Amidon has also had major success against Wake Forest in his career, including 10 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown against the Demon Deacons last season. Home field wasn’t kind to Boston College as they went 2-4 SU (but 4-2 ATS) at home. With a win on Saturday, they will have tied last season's victory total of two.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
