Wake Forest spent the first half in complete command in Winston-Salem, building a three-score cushion and putting Virginia on its heels with a mix of explosive offense and timely defense.
The Demon Deacons piled up more than 250 yards in the opening frame, turning that production into two touchdowns and two field goals. At the same time, the defense kept Virginia from finding any rhythm, limiting the Cavaliers to 2-for-4 on fourth down and delivering in the biggest moments.
Wake wasted no time getting on the board. Cam Shanks sparked the opening possession with a 30-yard punt return that flipped field position and set the Deacs up near midfield.
From there, Gio Lopez completed two passes to Carlos Hernandez for 49 combined yards, pushing Wake inside the five. Ty Clark III finished the drive with a touchdown run, and it took just five plays for Wake to go 51 yards for the score.
On the previous Virginia possession, the Cavaliers gambled twice on fourth down. They converted once deep in their own end, but the second attempt went badly when Pribula couldn’t handle the blitz and Braylon Johnson stepped in front of an errant throw for an interception.
Lopez was active with his legs throughout the half, escaping the pocket and working in designed quarterback runs. The movement appeared to be part of the plan, and Lopez kept showing the same efficient rushing ability he has flashed multiple times this season.
Wake struck again soon after. Lopez and Clark both broke off big runs to move the ball deep into Virginia territory, and Clark punched in his second rushing touchdown of the game to make it 17-0 early in the second quarter.
Virginia finally put together a promising drive of its own, moving inside the Wake 10 and taking more than six minutes off the clock. But the Deacons slammed the door on fourth-and-goal from the one, with Zach Lohavichan making the stop at the Wake six-yard line to force a turnover on downs.
Wake then answered with a 14-play march that covered 87 yards and chewed up more than four minutes. That drive ended with a field goal, and it featured key completions from Lopez to Jack Foley and Kam Shanks to keep the offense moving.
By halftime, Wake Forest was up by three scores and in full control. The Deacons will also get the ball to start the second half.