Wake Forest spent the first half in complete control Saturday in Winston-Salem, building a 27-0 lead over Virginia behind a fast-starting offense and a defense that kept showing up when it mattered.
The Demon Deacons piled up more than 250 yards in the opening half, turning that production into two touchdowns and two field goals. On the other side, Virginia had trouble cashing in on fourth down, finishing the half 2-for-4 in those spots as Wake’s defense made several timely stops.
The tone was set right away. Cam Shanks gave Wake a lift with a 30-yard punt return to near midfield, and the Deacs quickly went to work.
Gio Lopez completed two passes to Carlos Hernandez for 49 combined yards, pushing the ball inside the five before Ty Clark III finished the drive with a touchdown run. Wake needed just five plays to cover 51 yards.
On the next Virginia possession, the Cavaliers rolled the dice twice on fourth down. They converted once deep in their own territory, but later, with the ball at the Wake 40-yard line, Pribula was unable to handle the blitz and Braylon Johnson stepped in front of an errant throw for the interception.
Lopez was active with his legs throughout the half, escaping the pocket and taking part in several designed quarterback runs. The movement appeared to be part of the plan, and it paid off as Wake kept finding ways to stress the Virginia defense on the ground.
The Deacs struck again before the first quarter could fully settle in. Lopez and Ty Clark III each broke off big runs to get Wake inside the five, and Clark punched in his second rushing touchdown of the game. That pushed the lead to 17-0 early in the second quarter.
Virginia finally put together a promising drive after that, moving inside the Wake 10 and burning more than six minutes off the clock. But when the Cavaliers needed one yard on fourth down, Wake’s defense slammed the door. Zach Lohavichan made the stop at the Wake six-yard line and handed the ball back to the offense.
Wake then put together a 14-play march that lasted more than four minutes and covered 87 yards before settling for a field goal. The drive featured key completions from Lopez to Jack Foley and Kam Shanks, helping add two more receivers into the mix.
At halftime, Wake Forest held a three-score lead and had all the momentum. The Deacs were also set to receive the second-half kickoff.
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