SMU scored on its first eight drives against Virginia Tech. Wake Forest hasn’t allowed more than 14 points in any of its last five games. The first sign of which team can impose itself Saturday in Dallas may come when SMU gets into scoring range. Wake Forest can afford to give up some yards if it makes enough of those drives end with a field goal.
SMU can score on the very next snap
Marques White forced and recovered a fumble in SMU’s 51–28 win over Virginia Tech. On the next snap, Kevin Jennings found Yamir Knight for a 46-yard touchdown. It was one of three scoring catches for Knight and four touchdown passes for Jennings. SMU also kicked three field goals during those eight scoring drives. Wake can live with a few of those if it keeps the Mustangs from turning short fields into quick touchdowns.
DraftKings had SMU favored by 1.5 in the pregame snapshot. The Mustangs scored 51 against Virginia Tech and 59 in their previous home game against California. Wake Forest has scored at least 30 in all six games of its winning streak, so it has a way to answer. Steele Pizzella threw for 432 yards before halftime in Wake Forest’s 77–0 win over FCS Merrimack. The final score included two return touchdowns, but a 96-yard drive that ended with a pass to Carlos Hernandez shows what the offense did with a long field.
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What each offense needs to contribute at 61.5
Both of SMU’s last two home games reached 79 combined points. Its home win over Virginia finished at 36. Wake Forest scored 51 against those same Cavaliers and the game still finished at 58 because Virginia managed only seven. That’s the distinction at DraftKings’ 61.5. If Wake can keep SMU kicking field goals, the Mustangs may need more scoring from the other side to push the total higher. If SMU starts turning its chances into touchdowns, the test shifts to whether Wake can sustain drives against a tougher opponent than the one it faced last week.
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