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FACTS & STATS: Site: Kenan Memorial Stadium (60,000) -- Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Television: ESPNU. Home Record: Wake Forest 3-1, North Carolina 4-1. Away Record: Wake Forest 2-1, North Carolina 1-2. Neutral Record: Wake Forest 0-0, North Carolina 0-0.Conference Record: Wake Forest 4-1, North Carolina 1-3. Series Record: North Carolina leads the series, 67-34-2.

GAME NOTES: The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will venture down Tobacco Road this weekend to Chapel Hill for an ACC showdown with the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Wake Forest took down Duke 24-23 last weekend in a thriller between the instate rivals. The Demon Deacons blew a 17-0 lead in the second half and needed to rally themselves in the fourth quarter to avoid the upset. It was the 100th career win for head coach Jim Grobe, and marked the fourth ACC win of the season for Wake Forest.

North Carolina has lost two consecutive games, including a 59-38 drubbing to Clemson last weekend. It was a error-prone day for the Tar Heels, who turned the ball over six times and were penalized nine times for a total of 62 yards.

Wake Forest is just one game behind Clemson in the ACC Atlantic Division race, as the Tigers are currently 5-0. North Carolina is in last place in the Coastal Division, trailing Virginia Tech's 3-1 conference mark.

Both teams would become bowl eligible with a win on Saturday. North Carolina leads the all-time series with Wake Forest, 67-34-2.

Wake Forest is currently averaging 285 passing yards per game, which is good for fourth in the ACC. Quarterback Tanner Price's efficiency is 149.1, and last weekend he completed 15-of-25 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Chris Givens had a big day for the Demon Deacons in the win, catching six passes for 147 yards (24.5 yards per catch) and two touchdowns.

On the year, Price is has thrown for 1,821 yards and 14 touchdowns against three interceptions, while Givens is averaging 6.5 catches per game for 126.5 yards, which is fourth best in the country. Michael Campanaro has also proved to be an effective target for Price, catching 29 passes for 346 yards and two touchdowns through seven games.

The Wake Forest run game only registers 101.5 yards per game, which ranks 11th in the ACC, and has missed starter Josh Harris the past two games. The Demon Deacons netted just 90 yards on 26 carries last weekend against the Blue Devils, a week after Virginia Tech allowed Wake Forest to rush for 59 yards on 31 carries. Brandon Pendergrass leads the team in rushing to date, averaging 38.7 yards per game.

Wake Forest's defense gave up 473 yards of total offense to Virginia Tech two weeks ago, including 280 passing yards by Hokies' quarterback Logan Thomas. Duke's Sean Renfree finished with 213 yards on 28-of-45 passing a week ago, and the Blue Devils added 148 yards rushing. Wake Forest was on the field for much of the contest, as Duke dominated the time of possession by over 16 minutes, but the Demon Deacon's defense still came up with a stand late in the fourth quarter after Price had found Givens for a 66-yard touchdown with just under seven minutes left.

Wake Forest ranks fifth in the ACC in total defense (352.5), and have been particularly solid against the run (allowing 121,5 yards per game). Wake Forest gives up alot of yards through the air at 231 per contest, but still rank 24th in the country in pass efficiency defense (150.3) and have recorded seven interceptions this season (including three from Josh Bush). Wake Forest has just eight sacks in seven games; Nikita Whitlock has nine tackles for loss this season, which ranks third in the ACC.

North Carolina's Bryn Renner threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns last week against Clemson, but his afternoon was marred by three interceptions on a day when the Tar Heels' offense converted just two-of-12 on third down. Renner still ranks seventh in the country in pass efficiency (166.4), and has thrown for over 1,800 yards this year, with 16 touchdowns against nine interceptions. Receiver Dwight Jones is fourth in the ACC in both receptions and yards per game, averaging six and 87.8.

North Carolina averages 395.7 yards of total offense per game, with 243.1 coming through the air and 152.6 on the ground. Giovani Bernard has been one of the league's best backs, ranking third in rushing (101.3 yards per game) and has given North Carolina durability (141 carries) and scoring (nine rushing touchdowns) this season. Bernard struggled against Clemson, however, posting just 44 yards on 11 carries. He had rushed for over 100 yards in the five previous games. Ryan Houston led in rushing last weekend for the Tar Heels, carrying 12 times for 63 yards and two scores.

North Carolina's defense had given up 267 yards passing to Miami's Jacory Harris two weeks ago, but it could hang its hat on the fact that the Hurricanes rushed for just 44 yards (including 29 from Lamar Miller). The Tar Heels once again shut down the run last weekend against Clemson, giving up just 77 yards on 36 carries. But it simply had no answer for Tigers' quarterback Tajh Boyd, who transcended Harris' numbers with a 367-yard and five touchdown passing day. North Carolina ranks 23rd in rushing defense (104.5) but is 101st in pass defense (263.3) and 90th in pass efficiency defense (138.5). And despite being in the middle of the pack in sacks (18) and tackles for loss (54) in the ACC, North Carolina has just 12 takeaways and is 103rd in turnover margin (-.75). Zach Brown and Quinton Coples both have 4.5 sacks this season, and Brown leads the team with 53 tackles.

Wake Forest looked shaky against Duke in the second half, but the defense came through in the final minutes of the game. This is still an offense that has big-play ability with Price and Givens. The same can be said about Renner, Jones and the Tar Heels, who have endured problems with turnovers and mistakes all season. The key is how each secondary will respond to the explosive ability of each offense. Wake Forest is playing better football at the moment and should win a close one.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Wake Forest 35, North Carolina 31