Wake Forest spent most of Saturday looking like the team in command, then spent the final stretch surviving Purdue’s charge and finally escaping with a win that came down to the wire, then overtime, then double overtime.
The Deacs opened fast and kept the Boilermakers chasing. Wake Forest’s offense was rolling early, the ball moved consistently, and the team didn’t have to punt until two minutes were left in the third quarter. That kind of control helped the Deacs build a two-score cushion and stay in front for most of the afternoon.
Purdue, though, kept punching back. The Boilermakers got the ball first and scored right away, then turned the game into a grind late.
By the end of regulation, they had possession at the Wake Forest eight-yard line with nearly a minute left and a chance to steal it. The Deacs’ defense held on three straight snaps and forced a tying field goal, sending the game to overtime.
That’s where Wake Forest’s offense answered again.
In the first overtime, Gio Lopez hit Bryce Kania for 24 yards to put the Deacs on top. Then in the second overtime, after Purdue scored on a three-yard touchdown run, Lopez finished the job himself by running in both the touchdown and the two-point conversion.
Lopez was the difference all day. He threw for 225 yards and ran for 59, and he delivered in the biggest moments, including the critical fourth-and-fifteen in overtime when Wake Forest needed a play to keep the drive alive. A Gio Lopez-to-Carlos Hernandez big-time connection got them inside the two, and Wake converted from there.
The defense had a rough afternoon overall, allowing 455 total yards and looking stretched at times. But it made the stops that mattered most.
The stand at the end of regulation kept Wake Forest alive, and the second-overtime stop on Purdue’s two-point attempt proved just as important. Rushaun Tongue’s tackle on that conversion attempt ended up being a huge piece of the win.
Wake Forest still has plenty to clean up, especially with the top-five Miami Hurricanes next on deck. But after a game like this, the Deacs can at least take the positives and move on with a much-needed victory in hand.
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