by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Oct 18, 2021
Game time: Noon ET
Venue: Michie Stadium, West Point, NY
Where to watch: CBS Sports Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Wake Forest -3
BetMGM: Wake Forest -3
Caesars: Wake Forest -3
Season record
No. 16 Wake Forest: 6-0 (4-0 ACC)
Army: 4-2
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Wake Forest - Army preview and analysis
Recent form
Wake Forest: won 40-37 (OT) at Syracuse on Oct. 9
Army: lost 20-14 at Wisconsin on Oct. 16
The last time the Wake Forest Demon Deacons started a season 6-0, World War II was still going on, FDR was serving his fourth term, and two teams from St. Louis played in the World Series.
Shoutout to all of you Cardinals fans and however many of you left that are St. Louis Browns fans.
But also what happened in 1944 saw the Army Black Knights being the national champions of college football. Something about Army and Navy meeting in the national title game in the midst of a world war just sounds American.
So of course fate would have it that Wake Forest puts its undefeated mark on the line Saturday as the 16th-ranked Deacons face the Black Knights in West Point.
Total honesty coming up here: I have not watched a single game of Wake Forest football in a very long time. Wake Forest’s games never seemed like must-see TV, but one visit to the College Football Reference page tells me they haven’t been completely horrible the last number of years. Hell, they made five straight bowl games before last season.
But it would appear that we have reached the apex of the Dave Clawson era with this 6-0 start. Whether or not the Deacons find themselves in the ACC title game when all is said and done remains to be seen, but seeing a program like Wake Forest make waves in this conference while Clemson is having a down year is good for the country.
The Deacons are coming off a 3-point overtime victory scare at the Syracuse Orange two weeks ago. Wake Forest needed a touchdown in overtime from A.T. Perry that won the game, capping off a 330-yard, 3-touchdown performance from quarterback Sam Hartman in the victory.
In all the talk of Heisman Trophy candidates, we should start including Hartman. His completion percentage is hovering over 60 percent, his yardage is on pace to smash last season’s mark and is on pace to smash his touchdown mark. He’s thrown for 300 yards in consecutive games and has 10 touchdowns as opposed to three interceptions in conference play.
Wake Forest has gotten off to a strong start in conference play with wins over Florida State, the Louisville Cardinals and Virginia Cavaliers.
After starting 4-0, the Black Knights have lost consecutive games on the road against the Ball State Cardinals and Wisconsin Badgers. Army held the Wisconsin offense to just 310 total yards and the turnovers game was even at one apiece, but Army’s offense failed to eclipse 270 yards. Army’s defense held Graham Mertz to just 112 yards passing, but ran for two touchdowns.
Braelon Allen had 108 yards and a touchdown. The Knights’ offense just didn’t look good but still found a way to cover.
Prediction
I’m just going to take this moment to jump on the Wake Forest bandwagon. No longer is it known as a basketball school. Army will present a tough test coming back home, but I really like Wake Forest’s offense to get things rolling. Wake Forest by 7
Betting trends
Wake Forest is 0-6 against the spread the last three seasons when a road favorite of 7 or less.
Wake Forest is 24-10 straight up as a road favorite since 1992.
Army is 8-1 ATS when allowing 125 passing yards or less in the previous game.
Statistical leaders
Wake Forest:
Passing: Sam Hartman -- 1,615 yards, 14 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Christian Beal-Smith -- 375 yards, 5 TD
Receiving: Jaquarii Roberson -- 515 yards, 2 TD
Defense: Luke Masterson -- 39 tackles, 2.5 sacks
Army:
Passing: Christian Anderson -- 187 yards, 3 TD
Rushing: Christian Anderson -- 431 yards, 5 TD
Receiving: Isaiah Alston -- 109 yards, 1 TD
Defense: Marquel Broughston -- 2 INT
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
