Campbell at Wake Forest Betting Odds & Pick: Can the Camels Keep Up With the Demon Deacons? (Friday, Oct. 2)

Campbell at Wake Forest Odds

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Wake Forest has started the season with an 0-2 record. Needles to say, it could definitely use some home cooking after its bye week.

Truist Field in Winston-Salem will allow up to 7% capacity, which should serve as a small home-field advantage. Campbell shuffles into the game winless at 0-3 on paper; but to gamblers, the Camels are 3-0 on the humped back of quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams. This will be the end of Campbell's fall schedule, as this trip represents its fourth game in 20 days.

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Campbell Camels

As mentioned previously, Campbell has covered against Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State. A quick check of overall FCS statistics  shows Williams is sixth in passing yards and third in rushing yards for all teams. When reviewing Campbell, there is a bit of everything from the Wildcat, explosive passing and defensive havoc.

Campbell is a menace on the offensive side of the ball, converting more than 50% of its third downs and scoring on nine of 10 tries in the red zone. But despite the Camels' offensive potential, they do have several issues in other areas. Head coach Mike Minter's squad has accumulated 23 penalties for 180 yards. Also, Campbell's opponents have scored 13 times — including 11 touchdowns — out of 15 red-zone trips against the Camels defense.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

After losing key contributors in nearly every position group during the offseason, Wake Forest's 2020 campaign has had a rough opening stanza. A cover against Clemson produced zero explosive drives and a 29% overall success rate. The Deacs lost as a small favorite to N.C. State, which was playing its first game during a battle with COVID-19 issues.

The Wolfpack also allowed zero explosive drives in 12 Wake Forest possessions. Special teams is an issue — particularly in the punting department, where Wake Forest is 3-of-10 in efficiency. That's defined as punts with a net yardage of 38 yards or downed behind the opponent's 20-yard line.

Although the offense has not been successful, Dave Clawson is calling plays at a hyperspace pace. The Demon Deacons average 21.4 seconds per play, which ranks as one of the fastest in the nation. That is in stark contrast to Campbell's average of 27.2 seconds per play through 190 offensive plays.

While Wake Forest's defense struggles to stop the rush, the offensive line must improve on preventing the rush to protect QB Sam Hartman. The Demon Deacons rank near the bottom of FBS in total sacks allowed through two games.

Betting Analysis & Pick

When any college football team attempts its fourth game in 20 days, an element of fatigue must be factored into the handicapping equation. Wake Forest has brandished a terrible rush defense through two games and now draws a matchup against one of the more explosive ground attacks in the FCS.

Out of 72 active FBS teams, the Demon Deacons rank 70th in opponent rushing plays over 20 yards. Campbell's slow pace of play may enable it to control the clock via the ground game, and Wake Forest's rush defense is weak enough to allow the Camels offense to stay on time. Plus on top of that, the Demon Deacons' penchant for allowing big plays also bodes ominously against Campbell's explosive offense.

Wake Forest's best chance to boost its offensive success rate numbers will be against the Camels defense. Kenneth Walker III was able to rush for 131 yards and three touchdowns against NC State, while Hartman targeted Jaquarii Roberson a total of eight times for seven catches and a touchdown.

The Action Network Power Ratings make Wake Forest a -32.5-point favorite. The Demon Deacons should be well-rested after two weeks off and likely will not err by "looking past" the Camels with their next game against Virginia still 15 days away.

Conversely, Campbell may fall apart due to fatigue in the second half of this game. Playing the Camels in the first half is recommended rather than taking them to cover the full-game spread, but both numbers have value at the current number.

The Bet: Campbell +17 1H;  Campbell +35 or better full-game

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