Deadspin: Gio Lopez Helps No. 14 Wake Forest Rout Virginia 51-7
Wake Forest controls the game
Wake Forest took a 10-0 first-quarter lead on Ty Clark III’s 2-yard touchdown run and Connor Calvert’s 45-yard field goal. Clark scored again from 4 yards in the second quarter, and Calvert added a 25-yard kick.
The Demon Deacons widened the gap to 44-0 in the third quarter with another Calvert field goal, Lopez’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Carlos Hernandez, and Clark’s third rushing score, from 2 yards. Jamar Searcy later ran for a 7-yard touchdown, and Kyndall McCaleb added a 27-yard scoring run with nine minutes left.
Lopez and Clark lead offense
Clark set a career high with three rushing touchdowns. Hernandez caught eight passes for 136 yards and a score, while Calvert made three field goals. Searcy led Wake Forest with 78 rushing yards.
Virginia struggles to keep pace
Wake Forest converted nine of 14 third downs; Virginia converted one of 12. The Demon Deacons improved to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, and the five-game streak is the program’s longest since it opened 2021 with eight consecutive wins.
Key points
- Wake Forest scored on its first nine possessions in a 51-7 win.
- Gio Lopez threw for 229 yards and a touchdown before leaving in the third quarter.
- Ty Clark III recorded a career-high three rushing touchdowns.
- Virginia has lost three straight and needs two wins in its final three games to become bowl eligible.