No. 19 Wake Forest, Liberty meet seeking 3-0 starts

Posted September 15, 2022 7:00 am

By The Associated Press

Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson waits for play to resume in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Vanderbilt Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) The Associated Press

Liberty (2-0) at No. 19 Wake Forest (2-0), Saturday, 5 p.m. ET (ACC Network)

Line: Wake Forest by 16 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Series record: Wake Forest leads 2-0.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

The Demon Deacons are considered one of the top teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference and want to keep building momentum ahead of next week's visit from No. 5 Clemson. The Flames are looking for a third straight 3-0 start, which has never happened before in program history.

KEY MATCHUP

Liberty's defense against Wake Forest's offense. The Flames are tied for third nationally with nine takeaways, six coming on fumble recoveries and three on interceptions in two games. They're facing a program that has traditionally taken care of the football under Dave Clawson as one of the Demon Deacons' keys to victory. Yet Wake Forest also ranked as one of the nation's top offenses last season and will have veteran quarterback Sam Hartman back from a blood clot that sidelined him for the opener.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Liberty: QB Kaidon Salter. The second-year transfer from Tennessee won his first career start against UAB last weekend. He threw for 202 yards and ran for 79 yards with a touchdown.

Wake Forest: WR A.T. Perry. The fourth-year wideout had a quiet opener but erupted with five catches for 142 yards and a touchdown in last week's win at Vanderbilt.

FACTS & FIGURES

Wake Forest has won its last six games against Virginia-based programs. ... The teams haven't met since Wake Forest's 20-17 win in the 2012 opener. ... The Flames are 1-4 against ranked Bowl Subdivision teams. ... Liberty's two wins against ACC teams came in 2020 at Syracuse and at Virginia Tech. The Flames are 2-10 all-time against the ACC. ... Wake Forest scored 89 points through the first two games. That was the program's third-best total ever, trailing 2010 (107) and 1940 (91). ... This will mark Hugh Freeze's 40th game as Liberty coach. He is 28-11 with the Flames.

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Liberty's Kaidon Salter, left, is tackled by UAB's Jaylen Key during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in Lynchburg, Va. (Paige Dingler/The News & Advance via AP) The Associated Press

Liberty coach Hugh Freeze watches during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (Hannah Ruhoff/The Sun Herald via AP) The Associated Press

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