Wake Forest had to ride out a wild one against Louisville, and the Demon Deacons answered every time the game started to tilt. They won 30-27, but this was not a clean, comfortable finish. It was a game built on explosive offense, stubborn defense, and one last massive stop when Louisville had every chance to force overtime.
The turning point came late in the first half, with Wake Forest trailing 14-10. Gio Lopez dropped back and found Carlos Hernandez for a 77-yard touchdown strike, the kind of play that flips a game in a blink. That catch put the Demon Deacons ahead 17-14 and gave the offense a jolt it carried into the break.
Ty Clark III was doing heavy lifting throughout the night, too. He scored twice on the ground, including a second touchdown before halftime that stretched the lead to 24-14. Louisville didn’t fold, though, and the Cardinals answered with a long touchdown pass of their own to trim the margin to 24-21 at the half.
From there, it turned into a fourth-quarter fight. Louisville tied it at 27-27, and neither side could separate until Wake Forest finally broke through with 6:20 left. Connor Calvert drilled a 32-yard field goal to put the Demon Deacons back in front 30-27, and that kicked off a tense final stretch.
Louisville still had chances. The Cardinals moved into Wake Forest territory and lined up for a 42-yard field goal that could have tied it, but the kick missed with 2:29 remaining.
They got the ball back again, advanced to the Wake Forest 40, and had one more shot with 18 seconds left. This time the attempt was from 57 yards, and Gabe Kirschke blew it up, getting through to block the kick and help Wake Forest run out the clock.
Hernandez was the headliner on offense. The senior caught nine passes for 194 yards and a touchdown, turning in one of the best receiving performances in Wake Forest history. That outing earned him ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Kirschke’s night was just as big on the other side of the ball. In addition to the blocked kick, he finished with three tackles and two sacks, good enough for ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors.
Lopez was efficient and steady, completing 12 of 19 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown. Clark finished with 91 rushing yards and two scores, while Aiden Hall led the defense with 11 tackles.
As a unit, Wake Forest came up big when it mattered most. The defense produced four sacks and nine tackles for loss, and it held Louisville to 75 rushing yards. The win moved the Demon Deacons to 3-1 and added another ACC victory to their start.
In Other News...
Wake Forest Fans Finally Get A First Look At This New Roster
Wake Forest fans will get their first chance to see the new mens basketball roster in action on Sunday, when the Demon Deacons host Georgetown in an exhibition game at LJVM Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 12:30 p.m., and the afternoon is being set up as an easy entry point for supporters to get a look at the team before the games begin to matter.
The exhibition will not count toward official records, but it does bring a little extra intrigue to the building since the two programs have not met since 1997. Tickets are priced at $10 for general admission, children 12 and under are free with a family-friendly plan in place, and it should give Wake Forest an early read on what this group looks like in a game setting. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Just Saw Why Wake Forest Looks Like A Real ACC Threat
Wake Forest went on the road and left with a win over one of the ACCs better teams, and the biggest reason was the way Gio Lopez handled the moment. The quarterback helped set the tone by getting the run game going early, then kept Louisville from settling in by reading coverages cleanly and delivering accurate throws when the pocket tightened.
Lopezs performance gave the Demon Deacons a reminder that they can travel and still look composed against quality conference opposition, which is usually the first real test of whether a team belongs in the ACC conversation. Stanford is next on the schedule, and Wake Forest will be looking for Lopez to keep that same rhythm as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]
Davis Warren Is Rising Fast As Stanford Faces A Real Week 5 Test
Through four weeks of the 2026 season, the ACC quarterback picture has already started to sort itself out, and that matters for Wake Forest as it keeps an eye on how the league stack-ups are forming around it. The latest review of the conferences passers leaned on recent game performances, individual production, and where each team stands heading into a busy Week 5 slate, giving a clearer sense of which quarterbacks are moving the needle and which matchups could reshape the conversation.
The upcoming schedule brings several tests that should tell us even more about the leagues pecking order, with quarterback play again set to drive the biggest outcomes. For Wake Forest, the value is in tracking not just who is rising right now, but who might keep building momentum when the pressure gets heavier next week. [Read more 🡒]