Wake Forest has spent the first half of this one putting Stanford in a bind from the jump, and Gio Lopez has been right in the middle of it. By halftime, the Demon Deacons had built a commanding lead, capped by a touchdown just before the break, with Lopez accounting for three total scores on the day.
The tone was set early by the Wake Forest defense, which opened with a quick three-and-out. Stanford got a short-lived break when a Wake player touched the preceding punt before the Cardinal recovered it, putting them inside the Wake 40-yard line. Even then, Stanford couldn’t cash in, missing a 46-yard field goal and leaving the door wide open for the Deacs.
Wake Forest’s offense didn’t waste much time taking control. A three-minute, eight-play march ended with Deuce Lawrence punching in a 12-yard rushing touchdown, and the group looked sharp moving the ball with ease.
Meanwhile, the defense kept applying pressure to Stanford quarterback Davis Warren. Creative blitzes and interior push kept him uncomfortable, and Vinny Firenze finished off one sequence with a sack that forced another Cardinal punt. The Deacs were dictating the pace on both sides of the ball.
Then Lopez took over again. He guided another scoring drive and finished it himself on a 5-yard run, and through the first two drives he was a perfect 7-for-7 passing for 110 yards. Stanford did eventually get on the board with a 43-yard field goal, but even that came after a 12-play drive that took just under six minutes, the Cardinal’s longest possession of the half.
Wake’s special teams also helped tilt the field. Ethan Hyams dropped a strong punt that pinned Stanford near its own goal line, and a quick three-and-out sent the ball back to Wake around midfield. The Deacs didn’t do anything with that field position, but Stanford was soon backed up near its own 10-yard line.
Wake Forest kept finding ways to stress the Cardinal defense, with Shanks and Meeks involved in a couple of useful passing plays that pushed the Deacs back into Stanford territory. When a passing play broke down, Lopez turned it into a 12-yard scramble, his third touchdown contribution of the day.
Then, in the final two minutes, Wake made the most of one last opening. Stanford punted it back with 1:34 left, and the Deacs carved out 82 yards in 1:26, finishing the drive with a 4-yard Jack Foley touchdown catch. It was a fitting close to a first half in which Wake Forest controlled just about everything.
In Other News...
Wake Forest Is Giving Fans A Real Reason To Demand Respect
Wake Forest has spent the first month of the season building a rsum that looks better than the attention it has gotten. The Demon Deacons are 4-1, they pushed a top-ranked opponent in a close loss, and they already have a road win over a ranked team. Add in the kind of offensive numbers and conference blowout that usually get a program noticed, and it is easy to see why there is a growing sense around Winston-Salem that the respect has not caught up with the results.
The gap is even harder to ignore because the Deacons have not exactly been perfect in other areas, with discipline issues still part of the conversation. Still, teams that play a quality schedule, beat ranked competition away from home, and keep stacking wins generally earn a spot in the Top 25 conversation. Wake Forest has done enough to make people look twice, and now the question is how long it can keep performing this way before the national polls finally have to acknowledge it. [Read more 🡒]
NC States Wake Forest Rivalry Test Just Got A Tougher Feel
The calendar just got a little more interesting for Wake Forest, which now knows its trip to NC State will come on Saturday, Oct. 3 at noon ET from Carter-Finley Stadium. The ACC also set the rivalry matchup for The CW, adding another layer to a game that already carries plenty of familiarity and history.
It will be the 119th meeting between the Demon Deacons and Wolfpack, with NC State holding the edge in the all-time series. Wake Forest heads into it coming off a strong win against Stanford, while the Wolfpack sit at 3-2, giving this one a little more bite than a typical early-October conference date. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forests Womens Golf Pipeline Just Delivered Another Huge Milestone
Rachel Kuehns path from Wake Forest standout to the professional ranks has moved another step forward, giving the Demon Deacons a fresh reason to take pride in what their womens golf program keeps producing. Kuehn won eight times at Wake Forest and was part of the schools 2023 national championship team, a run that already made her one of the most accomplished players in program history. Now, after earning her way onto the LPGA Tour through her work on the Epson Tour, she is set to become a rookie on the big stage in 2027.
For Wake Forest, it is another reminder that the pipeline from Winston-Salem to elite golf is not just a talking point. Kuehns rise through the developmental circuit shows the kind of steady progression that can turn college stardom into a lasting pro career, and it adds another notable name to a program that has built real credibility at the highest levels of the womens game. The next step will be seeing how she translates that success once her LPGA journey officially begins. [Read more 🡒]