Notre Dame at Wake Forest

Notre Dame (5-3) at Wake Forest (5-3)

When: 7 p.m. at BB&T Field

TV: ABC

Radio: WLS 890-AM

Series: First meeting

Coaches: Jim Grobe (67-63, 11th year at Wake Forest); Brian Kelly (13-8, second year at ND)

Players to watch: Wake Forest senior WR Chris Givens is on pace to shatter the school record for receiving yards in a season. He has 926 yards in eight games and is just 117 behind Ricky Proehl’s single-season record. Freshman CB Merrill Noel leads the nation in passes defended with 16. ... Notre Dame senior RB Jonas Gray, the team’s leading rusher the past two weeks, is averaging 8 yards per carry.

The skinny: Wake Forest’s 4-2 record in the ACC is excellent by school standards, but it’s tough to find anything that stands out about the Demon Deacons. They throw the ball better than they run, behind sophomore QB Tanner Price from Austin, Tex. Wake suffered lopsided losses against Virginia Tech and North Carolina in two of its last three games, but upset Florida State, ranked No. 23 at the time, 35-30 on Oct. 8. Notre Dame’s steadier play of late may be credited to the offensive line, which allowed no sacks in the month of October.

Fast fact: Wake Forest’s seating capacity is 31,500, making it the smallest venue Notre Dame has played in since Dec. 1, 1945 when the Irish played Great Lakes Naval Training Station before 23,000.

— Mike McGraw