Tight finishes have defined recent meetings between Wake Forest and North Carolina. Another thriller could unfold Saturday night in Chapel Hill, N.C.

“We’ve had some unbelievable games with Wake Forest since we’ve been back,” said North Carolina coach Mack Brown, who is in his second stint with the Tar Heels.

“They’ve come down to the end, just about every one of them, and expect this to be the same way on Saturday night. We’ll have our hands full.”

Wake Forest (4-5, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) is 3-0 in road games, winning those by a combined 10 points. The Demon Deacons are trying to bounce back from a 46-36 loss to Cal.

“You play with fire, you’re going to get burned,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said. “We’ve played with fire too much this year.”

However, there’s no time for the Demon Deacons to mope.

“There’s nothing like … when you play a Big Four game,” Clawson said of a matchup with an in-state ACC rival. “We still have goals this season.”

North Carolina (5-4, 2-3) won two in a row before having last weekend off.

“We’ve had a great week of practice,” Brown said.

The two-game winning streak was defined by a defense that collected a total of 17 sacks in those outings.

North Carolina quarterback Jacolby Criswell has thrown for 11 touchdowns with three interceptions this season, and his recent progress has been encouraging.

“He’s not turning the ball over,” Brown said. “He’s protecting the ball better. He’s making plays with his feet. I really like the decisions that he’s making.”

North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton has gained more than 100 yards in eight out of nine games this season for a total of 1,178 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.

“When you can run the ball, everything else works,” Brown said.

Wake Forest has a ground attack led by running back Demond Claiborne, who has 824 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.

“He’s a guy that can beat you because he’s quick, he’s fast, he’s tough, he breaks tackles,” Brown said.

The Tar Heels have won three consecutive matchups with Wake Forest, though the teams didn’t meet last year. The 58-55 final in 2021 and the 36-34 result in 2022 were full of momentum swings in both directions.

The programs don’t meet annually anymore, but Wake Forest hasn’t won in Chapel Hill since its 2006 ACC championship season.

–Field Level Media