California Golden Bears vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 8th 2024
Preview and Prediction
Cal and Wake Forest are both teams with four wins, but they are in very different situations as they prepare for their first November match-up of the season.
After Friday night's game in Winston-Salem, NC, only one of these teams will have a winning record. This Atlantic Coast Conference game marks the first meeting between these two teams.
Wake Forest (4-4, 2-2 ACC) has won their last two games, while Cal (4-4, 0-4) is also coming off a victory.
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"I feel like this is a 4-4 team that is on the rise," said Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson about his team.
Both teams have had plenty of time to prepare for this game, as they have not played since October 26th. Wake Forest won their last game 27-24 against Stanford, while Cal defeated their former Pac-12 rival Oregon State 44-7.
The Bears have lost their four ACC games by a total of nine points, including two one-point losses.
"There are people out there who would have crumbled and not been able to bounce back," said Cal coach Justin Wilcox. "I am extremely proud and pleased with our team for fighting back."
According to Clawson, Cal and Wake Forest seem to be evenly matched in many areas.
"The team that executes the best will come out on top," he said. "This should be a highly competitive game."
Clawson believes that Cal is a stronger team than their record suggests, and he also acknowledges that Wake Forest has had a mix of good luck and bad luck this season.
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"You always look at the extremes of it," Clawson stated. "We could be sitting here with a record of 6-2 or 1-7."
The Demon Deacons are expecting a tough challenge from Cal's defense.
"I would put these guys defensively right up there with the Ole Miss-es and Clemsons of the teams we've faced," Clawson said.
In their last game against Oregon State, Cal's redshirt sophomore quarterback Fernando Mendoza had a career-high of 364 passing yards. Additionally, kicker Derek Morris tied a single-game program record with five field goals.
On Tuesday, Wilcox announced that linebacker Cade Uluave is expected to return from injury to play against Wake Forest.
Wake Forest's transfer quarterback Hank Bachmeier, who is from California, has been a valuable asset to the team.
"Some of the plays he has made with his feet have really helped us," Clawson said.
Cal's biggest advantage this season has been in the third quarter, where they have outscored their opponents 61-8. Wake Forest has a third-quarter scoring edge of 55-45.