Wake Forest arrives at Saturday’s matchup with a very different personality than the one many fans may remember.
Under Dave Clawson, the Demon Deacons were known for track meets and scoreboard chaos. Jake Dickert’s first year changed that fast.
Wake went 8-0 last season when it kept opponents under 30 points, and 0-4 when it didn’t. In three of those wins, the offense didn’t even crack 17 points.
That defensive-first formula looks like it could stick again this fall, even if Gio Lopez gives the passing game a little more juice.
And there was a hint of that in Wake Forest’s opener against Akron. The Deacs were throwing early and often, piling up 300-plus passing yards in the first half alone before really leaning back into the run once they were already ahead 28-3.
Maybe the staff was hiding some of the good stuff for this week. Or maybe this offense is simply ready to let Lopez cook more than it did a year ago.
Lopez brings some useful stability to a position that usually doesn’t get much of it in college football. He already knows offensive coordinator Rob Ezell from their 2024 season together at South Alabama, so this isn’t a totally cold start for the quarterback. His calling card has been accuracy - he’s completed more than 65% of his passes in each of his three collegiate seasons - and he also brings enough mobility to matter as a runner when the scheme allows it.
It’s still early to pin down his full profile, though. Akron didn’t exactly stress him. Lopez was already at 313 passing yards and three touchdowns by halftime, and the second half didn’t reveal much more.
If Purdue is looking for the biggest threat beyond the quarterback, Carlos Hernandez is the name that jumps out. He’s the explosive piece in the Wake Forest passing game, the receiver who can turn a routine catch into a chunk gain with his legs and the one the Deacs lean on when they need a third-down conversion.
Against Akron, he caught five passes for 165 yards and a touchdown, and he didn’t even need to play after halftime. He was also one of the better punt returners in the country last season.
Wake’s defense, meanwhile, looks built around its linebackers. Former Dayton safety Vincent Firenze made the move to linebacker in the offseason and wasted no time making an impact.
In just 23 snaps against Akron, he posted nine tackles, one tackle for loss and a forced fumble, which earned him ACC Linebacker of the Week honors. Redshirt sophomore Frank Cusano also finished with nine tackles in the opener.
Senior Aiden Hall was quieter last week, but his 2025 line - 73 tackles and eight tackles for loss - suggests there’s plenty of confidence in that group.
The one area Akron touched a little was the ground game. The Zips ran for 149 yards against Wake Forest, though 67 of those came in the fourth quarter against second- and third-team defenders.
That’s part of why there isn’t much alarm in Winston-Salem over the run defense after one week. Purdue may be able to find some room simply because it has better players than Akron did, but the Deacs don’t appear rattled.
If Wake Forest stumbles, the biggest culprit may be self-inflicted damage. Turnovers and penalties are the obvious danger signs.
The Deacs were penalized 11 times for 115 yards last week, a total that is tied for the fifth most in the nation right now. That isn’t new territory for this team, either; Wake ranked sixth in penalty yards last season.
Turnovers weren’t much of an issue against Akron, but if the flags pile up on the road and the ball starts changing hands, that’s how a favorite gets tripped up.
Even with the limited sample size from Week 1, the read here is that Wake Forest is the better team heading into Saturday. The prediction: Wake Forest 27, Purdue 21.
In Other News...
Purdue Is Chasing A Fast-Rising Forward Worth Watching Early
Damian Mojicas rise has started to get the attention of some of the sports most recognizable programs, and Purdue is already part of the conversation. The 6-foot-8 forward from the Class of 2028, who plays for the PSA Cardinals, is set to go through open workouts at The Masters School while schools such as Syracuse, Stanford and UConn also keep close tabs on him. For the Boilermakers, the appeal is easy to see: Mojica has grown into an explosive scorer with the kind of versatility that makes him look more like a point forward than a traditional young frontcourt prospect.
Purdue has already backed that interest with a scholarship offer, and Mojicas profile fits the kind of early evaluation that can matter in this recruiting cycle. He has also made academics a priority, which only broadens the number of programs involved as he keeps building on strong recent competition results. The next step will be watching how he looks in those open workouts, where his development and ceiling should draw even more eyes. [Read more 🡒]
Purdue Faces Early Pressure To Prove Week 1 Wasn't Misleading
Purdue opened the season with a 44-19 win over Indiana State, enough to settle things down for a week but not enough to answer the bigger questions hanging over the program. The Boilermakers head into an important early-season matchup with Wake Forest needing to show that Week 1 was a step forward and not just a comfortable start against an FCS opponent, especially with the details that usually decide these September games still very much in play.
Penalties remain a concern, and Purdue will need cleaner work from both the offensive and defensive lines to hold up against a Wake Forest team that brings defensive strength and big-play potential at wide receiver. The Demon Deacons also have a quarterback who can create problems if pressure does not land cleanly, which puts even more weight on Purdue's front-seven discipline and its ability to keep the game from turning into a scramble. [Read more 🡒]
Purdues First Real Test Looks Tougher Than Fans Might Expect
Wake Forest opened its 2026 season by looking every bit like a team capable of making life difficult for Purdues first real test. The Demon Deacons rolled past Akron, piling up 559 yards of offense in a 38-16 win, and they did it with balance, pace and enough disruption on defense to make an opening-week statement. Seven tackles for loss, two sacks and a takeaway gave the defense a useful complement to an offense that stayed on schedule for most of the afternoon.
The most obvious concern for Purdue is how much the quarterback can tilt the game if he gets comfortable, especially against a secondary still searching for an early-season read on itself. Wake Forest has an attack that can stretch a defense horizontally and vertically, and it comes into this matchup with enough rhythm to make the Boilermakers respect every layer of the field. There is also the question of whether the Deacons can have one of their top receiving threats available after he left the Akron game early, a detail that could shape how aggressive they are when the ball goes up. [Read more 🡒]