Wake Forest is 2-0, but this one came with a whole lot more stress than the Deacs ever should have needed.
Wake outlasted Purdue 38-36 in double overtime, surviving a game it controlled for most of the afternoon before nearly letting it slip away in the final minutes. The Deacs opened hot, scoring on their first four drives, and built what looked like a safe 23-13 lead after a field goal with nine minutes left in regulation. From there, the cushion disappeared fast.
Purdue answered with a 10-play, 75-yard march to trim the margin to three. Wake then went nowhere on its next possession, with the drive lasting just 22 seconds after two drops from Kam Shanks and an incomplete pass forced a punt. That gave Purdue the ball back with 3:30 remaining, and the Boilermakers made the most of it, piecing together an 11-play, 59-yard drive before tying the game on a field goal from the 3-yard line as time expired.
Even then, Wake still had a chance to settle things in the first overtime. The Deacs got the ball first and needed only two plays to score, as Gio Lopez found Bryce Kania for a 25-yard touchdown. But Purdue answered by converting a 4th and goal from the 9-yard line, keeping the game alive with a touchdown pass into the middle of the end zone after Wake sent the house and didn’t get home.
The second overtime turned into another test of Wake’s ability to close. Purdue struck first with a 3-yard touchdown run from Fame Ijeboi, who finished with 27 carries for 114 yards and 3 touchdowns.
He was a problem all day, and especially in the fourth quarter, when he piled up 59 rushing yards and a score. Wake had trouble bringing him down in space, and he kept turning near-stops into chunk gains with broken tackles and sharp cuts.
Purdue’s two-point try failed, giving Wake one last shot. On 4th and 15, Lopez hit Carlos Hernandez for a 15-yard gain that was initially ruled short of the sticks.
After a lengthy review, Wake was awarded the first down, and Lopez ran in the tying touchdown two plays later. Then Ezell kept the same approach for the conversion, and Lopez again ran it in to finish the job.
The result was a win, but not a clean one. Wake’s defense, which was the team’s strength last season, had a rough afternoon with missed tackles, open receivers, and costly penalties.
Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne carved up the Deacs, completing more than 75% of his passes for 329 yards and 1 touchdown. Wake did not allow a team to throw for more than 300 yards all of last season, and that kind of breakdown is a real warning sign with Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney headed to Winston on Friday night.
The offense did enough, but there were also drives that stalled in scoring position and ended in field goals, including possessions that reached 2nd and 5 from the 8-yard line and 1st and 10 from the 2-yard line. With a mobile quarterback like Gio Lopez, Wake probably needs to get more out of his legs near the goal line in those spots.
Still, the Deacs found a way to survive. It was messy, it was shaky, and it was far closer than it needed to be - but Wake Forest walked away with a gutsy win and a 2-0 record.
In Other News...
Gio Lopez Just Gave Wake Forest A Reason To Believe
Gio Lopez gave Wake Forest something it has been searching for early in the season: a quarterback performance that could travel. In the double-overtime win at Purdue, the redshirt junior did plenty through the air and even more with his legs, accounting for three touchdowns and steering the Demon Deacons through one of those September games that can define a teams mood for weeks.
The ACC took notice, naming Lopez its Week 2 Quarterback of the Week, and the numbers behind the honor only added to the appeal. He hit several statistical milestones for Wake Forest quarterbacks and stood out nationally among ACC passers through the first two weeks, but the part that will linger most in Winston-Salem is the late-game finish that helped turn belief into an actual road victory. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forests New-Look Roster Gets Another Early Test Before Opening Night
Wake Forests rebuilt mens basketball roster is getting plenty of early run before the games start counting, and the next stop brings another familiar Southeastern challenge. After opening its preseason with a trip to Georgetown, the Demon Deacons are set for another exhibition tune-up in mid-October, a useful measuring stick for a team still blending returning pieces with new additions as it works toward the regular season.
South Carolina offers a similar chance to see where the lineup stands, especially with both rosters still taking shape for 2026-27. For Wake Forest, these exhibition dates are less about the final score than about how quickly the new-look group can settle in, find roles and build some momentum before the opener arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Faces Its First Real Test As Darian Mensah Stays Red Hot
Wake Forest heads into Week 3 with the kind of unbeaten start that forces people to pay attention, even if the bigger spotlight belongs to Miami. The Hurricanes have rolled through the first two weeks, but the Demon Deacons have done enough to put themselves in a rare early-season position: undefeated, still believing they can make noise, and now staring at a far more polished opponent that has already looked every bit like a contender.
Darian Mensah has been central to that buzz, with the Miami quarterback drawing Heisman Trophy attention as the Hurricanes keep piling up points. Still, this matchup gives Wake Forest a chance to measure itself against a team that has separated from the pack quickly, and the Deacons defense will be under real pressure to prove it can hold up when the talent level rises. [Read more 🡒]