Western Carolina at Wake Forest - 2025 Matchup Preview

Western Carolina Catamounts at Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Saturday, September 6th 2025 (2:00 PM EDT)
Wake Forest -17.5 (60.5) (-1400) Open: -20.0 | 61.5
Wake Forest 42 - Western Carolina: 10

Catamounts (0 - 1) (0 - 1 - 0)
Coach ( - )
Avg Score : 10 - 42 (10 - 42 on Road)
Wins: (Elite: ) (Good: ) (Avg: ) (Bad: 0)
Losses: (Elite: ) (Good: ) (Avg: ) (Bad: 0)
Future: (Elite: ) (Good: ) (Avg: ) (Bad: 0)

WAKE 2nd straight Home Game
Our Line: Wake Forest -5 (SP+ WAKE -2)
WAKE Win prob: 89% | Cover: 51%

Demon Deacons (2 - 1) (1 - 2 - 0)
Coach Jake Dickert (0 - 0)
Avg Score : 25 - 18 (25 - 18 @ Home)
Record Prediction: 6.1 - 5.9 (#79)
Wins: (Elite: 0) (Good: 0) (Avg: 0) (Bad: 1)
Losses: (Elite: 0) (Good: 0) (Avg: 0) (Bad: 0)
Future: (Elite: 0) (Good: 5) (Avg: 3) (Bad: 3)

Matchup
Schedules
WCU Players
WAKE Players
Stats
Run/Pass
Ratings
Scoring
History

Western Carolina's 2025 Schedule
Date	Matchup	Spread	Total	Result	O/U	Cover
	BYE WEEK
Sat 9/6	Western Carolina at Wake Forest	+17.5	60.5	L 10 - 42	U	N

Total: Elite: , Good: , Avg , Bad , Poor
Played: Elite: , Good: , Avg , Bad , Poor
Future: Elite: , Good: , Avg , Bad , Poor
Wins: Elite: , Good: , Avg: , Bad: , Poor:
Losses: Elite: , Good: , Avg: , Bad: , Poor:

Predictions for Western Carolina's Schedule

Wake Forest's 2025 Schedule
Date	Matchup	Spread	Total	Result	O/U	Cover
Fri 8/29	Wake Forest vs Kennesaw State	-17.5	51.5	W 10 - 9	U	N
Sat 9/6	Wake Forest vs Western Carolina	-17.5	60.5	W 42 - 10	U	Y
Thu 9/11	Wake Forest vs NC State	+7.5	52.5	L 24 - 34	O	N
	BYE WEEK
Sat 9/27	Wake Forest vs Georgia Tech	+7.5
Sat 10/4	Wake Forest at Virginia Tech	-4.5
Sat 10/11	Wake Forest at Oregon State	-2.5
	BYE WEEK
Sat 10/25	Wake Forest vs SMU	+6.5
Sat 11/1	Wake Forest at Florida State	+20
Sat 11/8	Wake Forest at Virginia	+9
Sat 11/15	Wake Forest vs North Carolina	-3
Sat 11/22	Wake Forest vs Delaware	-13.5
Sat 11/29	Wake Forest at Duke	+5.5

Total: Elite: 0, Good: 5, Avg 3, Bad 1, Poor 3
Played: Elite: 0, Good: 0, Avg 0, Bad 0, Poor 1
Future: Elite: 0, Good: 5, Avg 3, Bad 1, Poor 2
Wins: Elite: 0, Good: 0, Avg: 0, Bad: 0, Poor: 1
Losses: Elite: 0, Good: 0, Avg: 0, Bad: 0, Poor: 0

Predictions for Wake Forest's Schedule

Important Stats (2025)

Teams	Off Explosive.	Off Success	PPG	Rush Success	OL Yds Per Att	Rush YPG	Pass Success	Pass YPG	Off ScoreZone	Def Explosive.	Def Success	Def PPG	RunD Success	Pass D Success	Def ScoreZone	Penalty YPG	TO PG	Def TO PG
WCU		0%	10	0%	0	0	0%	0	0		0%	42	0%	0%	0	0	0	0
WAKE	#81 (.16)	37% (112)	25.3	38% (107)	2.36 (118)	154	37% (107)	246	3 (116)	#30 (.01)	33% (20)	17.7	33% (22)	33% (34)	2.94 (49)	59.7	1.7	0.7

Teams	Off Explosive.	Off Success	PPG	Rush Success	OL Yds Per Att	Rush YPG	Pass Success	Pass YPG	Off ScoreZone	Def Explosive.	Def Success	Def PPG	RunD Success	Pass D Success	Def ScoreZone	Penalty YPG	TO PG	Def TO PG
WCU		0%		0%	0	0	0%	0	0		0%		0%	0%	0	0	0	0
WAKE	#104 (.13)	42% (81)		43% (79)	3 (79)	131	41% (75)	240	3.2 (121)	#118 (.27)	51% (134)		48% (110)	53% (133)	4.12 (99)	45.9	1.8	1.4

Overall Stats 2025

Teams	Games	PPG	PPG H/R	Success Rate	Pts PerOpp	TO	1stD PG	TotalYds PG	RushYds PG	PassYdsPG	RYPA	Run Rate	Pass Rate	Run Success	Pass Success	Havoc Rate	Total PPA
WCU Offense	1	10	10	0%	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
WAKE Defense	3	17.7	17.7	32.7%	2.94	0.7	-	-	-	-	-	48%	52%	33%	33%	21%	.01

Teams	Games	PPG	PPG H/R	Success Rate	Pts PerOpp	TO	1stD PG	TotalYds PG	RushYds PG	PassYdsPG	RYPA	Run Rate	Pass Rate	Run Success	Pass Success	Havoc Rate	Total PPA
WCU Defense	1	42	42	0%	0	0	-	-	-	-	-	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
WAKE Offense	3	25.3	25.3	37.1%	3	1.7	18	400	154	246	4.6	48%	51%	38%	37%	16%	.16

Additional Stats 2025

Teams	Games	Possession Time	1st Downs PG	3rd Down %	4th Down %	Penalties PG	Penalty Yds PG	Off TO PG	Def TO PG	TFL PG	Sacks PG	D/ST TDs	Avg Field Pos
Western Carolina	1	0:00	0	NAN%	0%	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	100
Wake Forest	3	26:59	17.7	38%	40%	6.3	59.7	1.7	0.7	9.3	2.7	1	29.7

Run Game Stats (2025)

Teams	Games	Run Play Rate	Run Play Success	Rush Att PG	Rush Yds PG	Rush Yds Per Att	Rushing TDs	Run Pred Pts Added	OL Yds Per Att	3rd/4th & Short	Front 7 Havoc	Run Play Explosivness
WCU Offense	1	0%	0%	0	0	0	0		0	0%	0%	0
WAKE Defense	3	48% (55)	33% (22)	-	-	-	-	-.06 (33)	2.44 (39)	62% (39)	14% (21)	1 (81)

Teams	Games	Run Play Rate	Run Play Success	Rush Att PG	Rush Yds PG	Rush Yds Per Att	Rushing TDs	Run Pred Pts Added	OL Yds Per Att	3rd/4th & Short	Front 7 Havoc	Run Play Explosivness
WCU Defense	1	0%	0%	-	-	-	-		0	0%	0%	0
WAKE Offense	3	48% (85)	38% (107)	33.3	154	4.6	7 (38)	.21 (44)	2.36 (118)	67% (86)	11% (100)	1.51 (7)

Pass Game Stats (2025)

Teams	Games	PassPlay Rate	PassPlay Success	Comp PG	Att PG	Yds PG	Yds PA	Yds PC	TDs	Ints	PassPlays PPA	PassPlays Expl	PassDowns Rate	PassDowns Succ Rate	PassDowns PPA	DB Havoc	PassDowns Expl
WCU Offense	1	0%	0%	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	0%	0%		0%	0
WAKE Defense	3	52% (83)	33% (34)	-	-	-	-	-	-	1 (87)	.09 (36)	1.6 (87)	40% (6)	28% (61)	.11 (34)	7% (51)	1.8 (47)

Teams	Games	PassPlay Rate	PassPlay Success	Comp PG	Att PG	Yds PG	Yds PA	Yds PC	TDs	Ints	PassPlays PPA	PassPlays Expl	PassDowns Rate	PassDowns Succ Rate	PassDowns PPA	DB Havoc	PassDowns Expl
WCU Defense	1	0%	0%	-	-	-	-	-	-	0		0	0%	0%		0%	0
WAKE Offense	3	51% (53)	37% (107)	19	29.7	246.3	8.3	13	2 (102)	3 (92)	.15 (100)	1.6 (53)	32% (82)	15% (133)	-.04 (127)	5% (72)	3.1 (2)

Western Carolina's Power Ratings
Western Carolina's Power Rating: #NR
Western Carolina's Offense Rating: #NR
Western Carolina's Defense Rating: #NR
2025 Talent Rating: #
Blue Chip Ratio: 0% #NR
Western Carolina's 2025 Expected Record: -
Western Carolina's 2025 Overall SP+ Rating: #N/A
Western Carolina's Offense SP+ Rating: #N/A
Western Carolina's Defense SP+ Rating: #N/A

Average Talent
Average Southern Talent Rating is 0
Average Power Five Talent: 877.82
Average FBS Talent: 715.85

Power Ratings Matchup
Western Carolina: Wake Forest: 4.905

SP+ Ratings Matchup
Western Carolina: Wake Forest: -1.8

Wake Forest's Power Ratings
Wake Forest's Power Rating: 4.905 #65
Wake Forest's Offense Rating: 8.86 #85
Wake Forest's Defense Rating: 2.25 #36
2025 Talent Rating: 866.00 #35
Blue Chip Ratio: 3 #65
Wake Forest's 2025 Expected Record: 6.1 - 5.9
Wake Forest's 2025 Overall SP+ Rating: -1.8 #75
Wake Forest's Offense SP+ Rating: 25.0 #86
Wake Forest's Defense SP+ Rating: 26.7 #68

Average Talent
Average ACC Talent Rating is 852.82
Average Power Five Talent: 877.82
Average FBS Talent: 715.85

Western Carolina Scoring
Offense: 10 PPG
Offense on Road: 10
Defense: 42 PPG
Defense on Road: 42

Western Carolina's 2025 Record
Record: 0 - 1
Record vs Spread: 0 - 1 - 0
Record on Road: 0 - 1
Record vs Spread on Road: 0 - 1 - 0
Record as Dog vs Spread: 0 - 1 - 0
Record as Road Dog vs Spread: 0 - 1 - 0

Projected Score
Wake Forest 30
Western Carolina 25

Total Points: 54

Wake Forest Scoring
Offense: 25.3 PPG
Offense at Home: 25.3
Defense: 17.7 PPG
Defense at Home: 17.7

Wake Forest's 2025 Record
Record: 2 - 1
Record vs Spread: 1 - 2 - 0
Record at home: 2 - 1
Record vs Spread at home: 1 - 2 - 0
Record as Fav vs Spread: 1 - 1 - 0
Record as Home Fav vs Spread: 1 - 1 - 0

Year	Date	Home	Score	Away	Score	Winner	Spread	Cover	Total	O/U
2025	09/06	Wake Forest	42	Western Carolina	10	Wake Forest	Wake Forest -17.5	Wake Forest	60.5	Under

Team	Wins	Covers	O/U
Wake Forest	1	1	0 Overs
Western Carolina	0	0	1 Unders

	Wins	Covers	Favs	Dogs
Home Teams	1 - 0	1 - 0	1 - 0	0 - 0
Road Teams	0 - 1	0 - 1	0 - 0	0 - 1

(#NR) Western Carolina Info
Power Rating: #NR
Offense Rating: #NR
Defense Rating: #NR
Overall SP+ Rating: #N/A
Offense SP+ Rating: #N/A
Defense SP+ Rating: #N/A
Talent Rating: #
Blue Chip Ratio: 0% #NR
Expected Record: -

Record on Road: 0 - 1 (0 - 1 - 0 vs Spread )

Western Carolina Highlights

Western Carolina Deficiencies
Western Carolina has a really bad Offense
Western Carolina Defense Gives up a Lot of Points

Performance GradesPerf Grades
CategoryCat	WAKE	WCU
OverallOver	#61	—
OffenseOff	#91	—
DefenseDef	#46	—
Special TeamsST	#42	—
PassingPass	#68	—
RushingRush	#99	—
Run BlockRBLK	#103	—
Pass BlockPBLK	#40	—
Route RunningWR Rt	#69	—
TacklingTkl	#68	—
Run DefenseR Def	#72	—
Pass Rush DefPRush	#13	—
Coverage DefCov	#43	—

Rematch from Week 2
Wake Forest -17.5 (60.5)
Wake Forest won vs Western Carolina this year (42-10)

Weather Forecast
Playing in BB&T Field
Conditions:
Temp: 0°

Team Information
Injuries: WCU | WAKE
Depth Chart: WCU | WAKE
Rosters: WCU | WAKE

(#65) Wake Forest Info
Power Rating: 4.905 #65
Offense Rating: 8.86 #85
Defense Rating: 2.25 #36
Overall SP+ Rating: -1.8 #75
Offense SP+ Rating: 25.0 #86
Defense SP+ Rating: 26.7 #68
Talent Rating: 866.00 #35
Blue Chip Ratio: 3 #65
Expected Record: 6.1 - 5.9

Team Profile
Balanced offense, Pass: 51%, Run: 48%
Awful Offense Success Rate of 37%
Bad Offensive Explosiveness
Awful in Scoring Position 3 PPO
Poor Run Success 38%
Poor Pass Success 37%
Bad OL Grades, Awful OL Yds Per Rush
Good DL Grades, Great Sacks/Turnovers
Great Defense Success Rate of 33%
Avg in Scoring Position 2.94 PPO
Great Run Def Success 33%
Good Pass Def Success 33%
Great Pressure/Havoc/Forcing TOs
Bad Field Position

Wake Forest has won 1 straight
Wake Forest has won 1 straight at Home
Record at home: 2 - 1 (1 - 2 - 0 vs Spread)

Wake Forest Notes
(9/11) LBs are small, DL has to run fit well or busted
(9/11) Ashford 4 passes for 164, 32 others for 88 yds
(9/5) Def a bottom P5, Kenn St moved the ball
(8/30) Ashford decent #'s vs Kenn., but not an FBS QB
(8/24) QB1 Robby Ashford won starting job in camp
(7/31) HC Dickert good hire, but year 0, real bad
(7/30) OL 0/5 back. 5 portal starters added, all G5
(5/15) 89% of OL exp is from G5 portals
(5/15) 50% of DL exp is from G5 portals.
(5/15) Can L Webb (UTSA) be a lockdown CB?

Wake Forest Highlights
Wake Forest offense is explosive (#9)
Wake Forest has a really good defense (#20)
Wake Forest has a good run defense (#22)
Wake Forest Stuffs a lot of Run Plays (#7)
Wake Forest Front 7 is disruptive (#21)

Wake Forest Deficiencies
Wake Forest has a bad TO Margin (#107)
Wake Forest offense is really bad (#112)
Wake Forest Runs Get Stuffed a Lot (#103)
Wake Forest offense is bad in Scoring Opportunities (#116)
Wake Forest run game is really bad (#107)
Wake Forest pass game is really bad (#107)

Western Carolina's OC

Player Name	COMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	TD	INT	YPA
Bennett Judy	50	83	60%	420	3	2	5.1
Isaac Lee	30	50	60%	263	2	2	5.3

Player Name	CAR	YDS	TD	YPC	LONG
Patrick Boyd Jr.	29	203	1	7.0	70
Branson Adams	16	73	0	4.6	11
Isaac Lee	16	62	0	3.9	31
James Tyre	0	62	1	0.0	62

Player Name	REC	YDS	TD	YPC	LONG
James Tyre	16	182	2	11.4	25
Malik Knight	11	153	1	13.9	69
Dominic Dutton	9	71	1	7.9	11
Marcus Striggles	8	67	0	8.4	17

View Western Carolina's Full Roster

Western Carolina's DC

Top Def	Tack	TFL	PD
Samaurie Dukes	5	3	1
Darian Anderson Jr.	4	1	0
Ryan Mckinnis (Tr)	4	0	0
Jeno Junius Jr.	3	0	0

Sacks	Tack	TFL	PD
Samaurie Dukes	5	3	1
Marseille Taylor	1	0	0
Isaac McLellan	1	0	0
Emmet Rhoades	1	0	0

Pass D	Tack	TFL	PD
Hayward McQueen III	3	1	1
Samaurie Dukes	5	3	1
Hasaan Sykes	1	0	0

Wake Forest's OC Rob Ezell

Player Name	COMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	TD	INT	YPA
Robby Ashford (Tr)	54	85	64%	697	1	3	8.2
Deshawn Purdie (Tr)	3	4	75%	42	1	0	10.5

Player Name	CAR	YDS	TD	YPC	LONG
Demond Claiborne	25	247	4	9.9	85
Robby Ashford (Tr)	34	129	3	3.8	41
Ty Clark III	18	56	0	3.1	7
JaMario Clements (Tr)	12	30	0	2.5	9

Player Name	REC	YDS	TD	YPC	LONG
Chris Barnes (Tr)	12	248	0	20.7	70
Sterling Berkhalter (Tr)	8	149	1	18.6	51
Eni Falayi (Tr)	5	94	0	18.8	42
Micah Mays Jr.	4	59	0	14.8	26

View Wake Forest's Full Roster

Wake Forest's DC Scottie Hazelton

Top Def	Tack	TFL	PRESS	PD
Nick Andersen	23	2	0	2
Dylan Hazen	19	4	1	0
Aiden Hall	17	2	0	0
Davaughn Patterson	16	1	1	4

Sacks	Tack	TFL	SACKS	PRESS
Langston Hardy (Tr)	15	5	3	3
Jayden Loving (Tr)	10	5	2	1
Gabe Kirschke (Tr)	5	2	1	1
Mateen Ibirogba	7	2	1	1

Pass D	Tack	TFL	PRESS	PD
Davaughn Patterson	16	1	1	4
Nick Andersen	23	2	0	2
Zach Lohavichan	6	3	1	2