No. 14 Wake Forest beat Virginia 51-7 on Saturday in Winston-Salem, and the game was decided on the ground. The Demon Deacons ran for 309 yards. Virginia managed 16.
That gap shaped everything else. Wake Forest converted 9 of 14 third downs and held the ball for more than 33 minutes. Virginia went 1 for 12 on third down and never found a way to stay on schedule.
How It Happened
Wake Forest struck first when Ty Clark III ran in from 2 yards out at 12:29 of the first quarter. Connor Calvert added a 45-yard field goal late in the quarter.
Clark scored again early in the second quarter, this time from 4 yards. Calvert closed the half with a 25-yard field goal with 10 seconds left, and Virginia went to the locker room without a point.
The third quarter ended any doubt. Calvert opened the scoring with a 44-yard field goal, then Gio Lopez hit Carlos Hernandez for a 10-yard touchdown. Clark added his third score on another 2-yard run, and Jamar Searcy followed with a 7-yard touchdown run.
Virginia finally broke through with 50 seconds left in the third. Beau Pribula found Da'Shawn Martin for a 47-yard touchdown, the Cavaliers' only points of the afternoon.
Wake Forest answered in the fourth quarter. Kyndall McCaleb broke a 27-yard touchdown run, and Calvert's kick was his last of a perfect day on extra points.
Key Performers
Ty Clark III, Wake Forest: TD runs of 2, 4 and 2 YDS
Connor Calvert, Wake Forest: FGs of 45, 25 and 44 YDS, perfect on extra points
Gio Lopez, Wake Forest: 10-YD TD pass to Carlos Hernandez
Wake Forest rushing: 51 ATT, 309 YDS, 6.1 per carry
Wake Forest passing: 13-21, 229 YDS, 10.9 per pass
Beau Pribula, Virginia: 47-YD TD pass to Da'Shawn Martin
Virginia passing: 32-45, 314 YDS, 1 INT
Virginia rushing: 19 ATT, 16 YDS, 0.8 per carry
Virginia actually threw for more yards than Wake Forest, and it did not matter. With under 1 yard a carry, the Cavaliers could not set up manageable downs, and all those passing yards produced just one touchdown.
Wake Forest was the opposite: efficient in both phases. It averaged about 6 yards a rush and nearly 11 yards a pass attempt, and it did not turn the ball over once.
What It Means
Wake Forest moves to 7-1 and looked every bit like a ranked team handling an unranked visitor. The Demon Deacons are 3-1 at home and 4-0 on the road, so they have won in both settings. A turnover-free performance like this one is what keeps the Demon Deacons in the conversation.
Virginia falls to 4-5, and the split in its record is the story of its season. The Cavaliers are 4-1 at home and 0-3 on the road. This was not a close road loss, and it extended a pattern that has held all year.
The Cavaliers did show some fight on fourth down, converting 3 of 7. But a team that goes 1 for 12 on third down and cannot run the ball has to live on those gambles, and that is not a sustainable way to win away from home.