Riley Skinner and the Demon Deacons will be the difference-maker today when Wake Forest travels to Beantown to take on the rebuilding Boston College Eagles.
After we cashed an easy play against a troubled Boston College team with Clemson last week, are we going to come right back again with many of the same notions this Saturday? Of course, especially now that the markets have taken such a limited Eagle offense to -1.5 for this one.
Boston College has problems galore, which is what can happen when you are under your third head coach in as many seasons, but nowhere is the issue as serious as the most important position on the field, the QB spot. We broke it down in detail last week, as Frank Spaziani had four inexperienced players vying for the job in fall practice, and all four played in the first two games. You know what happens, of course – when that many players are sharing the snaps in practice and games it means that no one gets enough time with the first team offense to establish any rhythm or chemistry, while at the same time the coaching staff can not tweak the offense around the particular skills of the #1 guy, since there is not a #1 guy.
Fast forward to the first real challenge at Clemson last week and what did we see? A complete disaster. In an offensive performance for the ages, literally, B.C. was held to four first downs and 54 yards of total offense. Justin Tuggle got the start and was awful, going 4-20 with three interceptions, and while Davis Shinskie was the only reserve that played, he fumbled on both of his possessions, although at least the Eagles recovered one of them. That duo was so uninspiring that Spaziani has freshmen Mike Mascovetra back in the mix at practice this week, and the coach is bluntly honest about what is going on.
"It’s an ongoing project over there, and with a capital P. We’re going to have to evaluate where we go and how we do it … but it’s a project, we have to coach our way through it."
Rarely do we ever hear a coach say something like that when his team is favored to win a game, but the marketplace has not recognized where Spaziani’s team rates right now. And it is that QB battle that ultimately decides this outcome, with Wake Forest bringing savvy veteran Riley Skinner at the position. This will be Skinner’s 41st game in a Deacon uniform, and note that in that span he has led the team to outright A.C.C. road wins at Florida State (twice), N. C. State, North Carolina, Maryland, and Duke, and non-conference wins at Connecticut, Mississippi, Navy, Vanderbilt and Baylor.
And while Jim Grobe has been better than a 60 percent play as an underdog since taken over the Wake Forest program, note that elevates to 11-3 in that role in the 3+ seasons with Skinner in charge of the offense. It is the combination of the tactical ability of this particular coach to win close games, and Skinner to not make the kind of mistakes that gives anything away, that makes the Deacons a standout in this pointspread range.
Free Pick: Wake Forest +1½ (-110)