Wake Forest is ready for two years worth of growing pains to start paying off.The Demon Deacons begin Dave Clawsons third season Thursday night when they play host to a Tulane team debuting under new coach Willie Fritz.Wake Forest has finished 3-9 twice as part of Clawsons patient rebuild of the program, and last years Demon Deacons were one of the nations youngest teams.Now theyre a year older, with nine offensive starters returning, and theyre ready for the progress they made to show up in their record.This is the most talented group up front that weve had. This is the most cohesive group up front that weve had since I have been here, offensive lineman Tyler Hayworth said. We are a unit that has to work together and trust each other to be able to succeed. From last year to this year, we have built up that trust and built up these relationships with each other to where we are ready to play and we are prepared mentally and physically.John Wolford will start at quarterback for the Demon Deacons, but Kendall Hinton also will play. Wolford has started 22 of the 23 games hes played at the school, throwing for 1,791 yards last season while completing 61 percent of his passes with 11 interceptions and nine touchdowns. Hinton made two starts as a freshman in 2015 and rushed for seven touchdowns with four TD throws and five interceptions.Fritz is taking over a Tulane team that -- like Wake Forest -- is coming off consecutive 3-9 seasons, the latter of which cost fourth-year coach Curtis Johnson his job. His Georgia Southern teams led the Bowl Subdivision in rushing in both of his seasons there, and he led the Eagles to a Sun Belt title in his first season and a bowl game to end Year 2.The main thing I really want to see is incredible effort, Fritz said. We talk around here about, `The Wave dont beat the Wave. Lets stay away from those pre-snap penalties ... and just play a clean game.---Some things to know about the Tulane-Wake Forest opener:- RUNNING WAVE: The Green Wave figure to cycle in four running backs as part of a run-heavy system, with Dontrell Hilliard, Sherman Badie, Josh Rounds and Lazedrick Thompson getting most of the work. Theyll look to replicate what Fritzs Georgia Southern team did last year, averaging 363 yards per game and nearly 6.5 yards per carry. Tulane ranked 119th last year in the FBS in rushing, averaging just 115.8 yards.- DEMON DEACONS D: Wake Forest returns seven starters from their defense, but must replace three members of their front seven, including mainstay LBs Brandon Chubb and Hunter Williams. DL Duke Ejiofor will be important up front, after he recorded a sack in four of the seven games he played last year and had a team-best 4.5 sacks.- RUNNING WAKE: The Demon Deacons have struggled to get their ground game going under Clawson, mainly because of a young offensive line and injuries that mounted at key positions. Wake Forest was 123rd nationally in rushing last year and 127th in 2014. Theyve got more options this year, with freshman Cade Carney earning the start over redshirt freshman Rocky Reid and sophomore Matt Colburn. Freshman Tyler Bell, who rushed for a team-best 451 yards last year, was the first freshman to lead the team in rushing since 1982 but dealt with injuries during camp.- THE SERIES: Tulane has won both previous meetings between the schools with similar profiles -- small, private, academically elite -- but they havent met since 1995. Cheap Washington Redskins Jerseys . Carey Price didnt, but he still came out on top against one of his rivals for the No. 1 job at the Sochi Games. The Anahim Lake, B.C., native was stellar in making 39 saves in his home province and Lars Eller got credit for a bizarre short-handed winner as the Canadiens defeated the Canucks 4-1. Cheap Oakland Raiders Jerseys . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. http://www.cheapjerseys-wholesalechina.com/ . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. 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Sunday, October 2Melbourne Storm ($1.77) vs Cronulla Sharks ($2.10), ANZ Stadium at 7:15pmTeam news:The Storm look set to go into the NRL Grand Final with a clear bill of health after coming through their preliminary final win over the Raiders unscathed.The match will also represent the final game in Melbourne colours for a number of players who have signed elsewhere including Blake Green (Manly), Marika Koroibete (Melbourne Rebels rugby) and possibly Ben Hampton (linked with North Queensland) and Kevin Proctor (linked with Gold Coast).Cronulla are also relatively injury-free and could be boosted further by the possible return of hard-running forward Sam Tagataese from a shoulder injury.The NRL Integrity Unit are investigating Andrew Fifitas comments about having no remorse for his public support of convicted killer Kieran Loveridge but it has placed unnecessary attention on the Sharks ahead of the biggest game in the clubs 50 year history.Key head-to-head: Cooper Cronk vs Chad TownsendThis clash throws up several key confrontations including Cameron Smith vs Michael Ennis, Cameron Munster vs Ben Barba and Jesse Bromwich vs Andrew Fifita but I believe the two No7s hold the key.Townsend demonstrated great mental strength to bounce back from being hooked during the Sharks Week 1 finals win against the Raiders to outplay the NRLs best player Johnathan Thurston against the Cowboys last Friday.Cronk will pose another challenge; many might say he will be a bigger challenge based on this years form. The Storm halfback has a reputation for being one of the most professional athletes in rugby league and its a safe bet to assume his preparation will be timed perfectly and he looms as the biggest danger to the Sharks.Cronks impact can never be eliminated completely but if the Sharks, in particular Townsend, can limit his input then they will go a long way to finally adding the biggest prize of all to their barren trophy cabinet.TeamsSharks: 1. Ben Barba 2. Sosaia Feki 3. Jack Bird 4. Ricky Leutele 5. Valentine Holmes 6. James Maloney 7. Chad Townsend 8. Andrew Fifita 9. Michael Ennis 10. Matt Prior 11. Luke Lewis 12. Wade Graham 13. Paul Gallen Interchange: 14. Gerard Beale 15. Chris Heighington 16. Sam Tagataese 17. Jayson Bukuya 18. Kurt Capewell 19. Joseph Paulo.Storm: 1. Cameron Munster 2. Suliasi Vunivalu 3. Will Chambers 4. Cheyse Blair 5. Marika Koroibete 6. Blake Green 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith 10. Jordan McLean 11. Kevin Proctor 12. Tohu Harris 13. Dale Finucane Interchange: 14. Kenny Bromwich, 15. Tim Glasby 16. Christian Welch 17. Ben Hampton 18. Young Tonumaipea 19. Slade Griffin 20. Matt White 21. Felise Kaufusi 22. Ryan Morgan.OfficialsLeead Referee: Matt CecchinAssist Referee: Ben CumminsSenior Review?Official: Bernard SuttonReview Officials: Luke Patten and Ashley KleinTouch Judges: Jeff Younis and Brett SuttorKey Stats:The Storm have won 11 of their previous 13 meetings with the Sharks dating back to 2008The Storm boast an overall 65.dddddddddddd.6 percent winning record against the SharksThe Storm have won the only previous finals meeting between the two clubsUBET verdict:$1.77 Storm, $2.10 SharksMelbourne has won in covered in five of their last six against Cronulla, but none of those contests were Grand Finals, and punters appear content to confine history to the dustbin.Our traders werent entirely sure which team the cash would come for as both are brimming with villains and struggle with support outside of their catchment areas, but it would appear the Sharks will be the ones adopted by the bandwagoners.As it stands, Gallen, Fifita Maloney and Co. have captured 75% of the head-to-head investment and 66% of the bets, with Melbourne struggling to garner much in the way of financial support.That said, the expectation is the betting will flatten out closer to Sunday as the serious money comes for the Storm.Weather: Sunny day with a clear night. A?5 percent chance of rain, light 15 to 20 km/h northerly winds with an expected temperature of 22 degrees at kick-off.Prediction:?Melbourne won the minor premiership by beating Cronulla and I expect them to produce a repeat performance to claim the NRLs major prize and their third premiership.The Storm have too many winners in their side that know how to win the big-games -- Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith are proven performers under pressure. Melbourne arguably has the best pack in the NRL, the best prop in the game in Jesse Browwich and in my opinion the most dangerous back three in Cameron Munster, Markia Koroibete and?Suliasi Vunivalu so I just think they will have too much class.Cronulla have surprised everybody this season -- probably even themselves and their most loyal fans. Any team that goes unbeaten for 16 consecutive rounds is a genuine premiership contender but three wins from the previous eight starts isnt the most convincing form guide heading into a premiership decider.In addition, one of those losses was against the Storm less than a month ago and if the Sharks dont start well, the mental demons could start to creep in. I think Cronulla can go with Melbourne early but once the emotion subsides and the arm-wrestle takes over, I expect the Storm to prevail.?Tip: Storm by 10Enter your ESPNfootytips NRL selections Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jersyes Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '