Wake Forest vs Elon football first look: Key players to watch, matchups, odds
Wake Forest football’s high-powered offense returns Thursday night.
The Demon Deacons averaged 36.8 points per game to lead the ACC during their 8-5 campaign in 2022, a season that culminated in their seventh consecutive bowl game appearance, a 10-point win over Missouri in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Wake Forest will kick off its season before a sold-out crowd at Allegacy Stadium against Elon at 7 p.m. Thursday. Selling out every game has been a goal for coach Dave Clawson, who enters his 10th season at the helm, and this game will mark the program’s sixth sellout since 2021, according to the school.
“We’re starting to sell out because of who we are and not because of who we play,” Clawson said. “When we sell out, it’s mostly black and gold. That’s very rewarding.”
While the Demon Deacons will field 11 new starters this year, Clawson noted that they are inexperienced but not young, adding that only four of his starters will be as young as their third year in the program.
On the other side of the field, Elon is coming off an 8-4 campaign in which it reached the FCS playoffs. But against their in-state foes from Winston-Salem, the Phoenix are 0-11-1 and have never posted a double-digit point total.
Redshirt sophomore Mitch Griffis will start at quarterback for Wake after three-year starter Sam Hartman’s departure for Notre Dame via the transfer portal. Griffis will have a variety of weapons, despite Donavon Greene’s knee injury, including redshirt junior Taylor Morin and junior Jahmal Banks.
Justice Ellison, last year’s leading rusher, returns at running back and said he weighs a bit more than he did at the start of last season. The junior said he’d always eat candy and other sweets throughout the season, and it made his weight increase over the course of the year.
“I felt like, this season, I was going to have to carry a bigger load than I did last season,” said Ellison, who knew Griffis growing up in Ashburn, Virginia. “Every year, I was eating candy, doing whatever. This year, I made a sacrifice to cut that out.”
Wake Forest Player to Watch
Ellison was an important part of the Demon Deacons’ offense last year, totaling a career-high 707 yards on the ground, including a 114-yard performance in a 31-21 win over No. 22 Florida State on Oct. 1. He achieved third team All-ACC honors and was named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List.
Previously part of a committee with Christian Turner, who transferred to Indiana, and Quinton Cooley, now at Liberty, Ellison figures to be the team’s featured back in his third year.
Elon Player to Watch
The Phoenix have a new quarterback in graduate transfer Matthew Downing, who previously made stops at Georgia, TCU and Louisiana Tech.
Downing played in four games for Georgia in 2018, backing up Jake Fromm. He completed 8-of-10 passes for 88 yards. He redshirted a year for the Horned Frogs before seeing action with them and Louisiana Tech, but this year could be his first full season as a starting signal-caller.
Key matchup: Keeping Elon’s offense quiet
Elon’s 31-6 loss to Furman that eliminated it from the FCS playoffs last November was its lowest point total of the season. The Phoenix put up at least 20 points in 10 of their 11 regular-season games. Even its season-opening loss to Vanderbilt was a 42-31 shootout in which the Phoenix posted nearly 500 yards of offense.
While Elon has a new man under center, redshirt sophomore Jalen Hampton returns at running back after rushing for more than 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Like Ellison and Griffis, he hails from the Washington, D.C., area, playing at powerhouse Georgetown Prep, and achieved third-team All-CAA honors last season.
In his comments earlier in the week, Clawson noted that many of Wake Forest’s wins last year came by simply outscoring its opponents, and believes his offense this fall will be much more balanced. It’ll begin with a test against one of the most balanced offenses in the FCS.
Vegas betting odds
A line is currently not available for this matchup. However, Wake Forest’s win total over/under is set at 6.5.
Elon at Wake Forest game and TV info
Who: Elon (0-0) vs. Wake Forest (0-0)
Where: Allegacy Stadium, Winston-Salem
When: 7 p.m., Thursday
TV: ACC Network
Stream: ACCNX
