Wake Forest vs. Tulane Prediction
Wake Forest will be led by a true freshman at quarterback in Sam Hartman. Can the youngster elevate the Demon Deacons to their first victory of the season on Thursday night when Wake visits Tulane at 8:00 p.m. ET?
Game Snapshot
139 Wake Forest Demon Deacons at 140 Tulane Green Wave
8:00 p.m. ET, Thursday, August 30, 2018
Yulman Stadium, New Orleans, LA
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Demon Deacons are 6-point favorites to beat the Green Wave. The total, meanwhile, sits at 55 points. As of this writing, 68% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Demon Deacons.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Wake Forest named freshman QB Sam Hartman starter for the opener against Tulane. Hartman (6’1/190) signed on with the Demon Deacons as a three-star recruit in the 2018 class. Rivals ranked him as the No. 13 pro-style quarterback prospect in the state of South Carolina for the cycle. While he has temporarily won the starting gig over redshirt sophomore Jamie Newman, he probably shouldn’t get too comfortable in the driver’s seat, as Kendall Hinton’s three-game suspension will run out before the end of September.
Tulane Green Wave
Tulane junior RB Darius Bradwell is listed as a co-starter at running back for Thursday’s game against Wake Forest. Bradwell gets the co-starter mark with fellow tailback Stephon Huderson. We’re a little surprised to see that Bradwell isn’t the clear number one at the position, as he seemed like the most logical option to replace Dontrell Hillard as the starter. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound junior should still get plenty of touches, as Tulane head coach Willie Fritz’s offense will allow for plenty of opportunities. It also stands to reason that with his size, he’ll serve as the running back in red zone situations.
Betting Trends
Wake Forest
The Demon Deacons are 10-4 against the spread in their last 14 road games.
Tulane
The Green Wave have covered the number in five of their last six home games.
Prediction
Laying points with a team playing on the road and starting a true freshman under center is a big risk but Hartman will be protected by five offensive linemen with 128 career starts. Hartman also received a ton of praise from his teammates this summer, including receiver Alex Bachman, who told the Winston-Salem Journal that Hartman makes anticipation throws that he’s never seen at Wake. With the benefit of playing an inexperienced Tulane defense, I like Hartman and Co. to cover the spread.
College Football Prediction: Wake Forest Demon Deacons -6