Wake Forest wasted no time putting Akron on its heels, and the Demon Deacons spent the first half piling up explosive plays on the way to a 28-3 halftime lead.
The opening possession set the tone. After winning the coin toss, Wake Forest leaned on the pass right away, and a Carlos Hernandez catch-and-run covered 34 yards to push the Deacs into Akron territory.
From there, Gio Lopez delivered a 27-yard touchdown strike to Cam Shanks. Lopez was sharp from the start, going 5-of-6 for 72 yards on that first drive.
Wake’s defense matched the energy early. Matt Herron, making his debut impact felt immediately, teamed with Dallas Afalava on a sack of Broughton that forced an Akron punt.
Braylon Johnson added another sack to close out the quarter. Even with the defense making plays, the first quarter wasn’t clean overall.
Penalties became a major storyline, with nine total flags thrown in the opening frame. Wake Forest accounted for five of them.
The second quarter turned into a showcase for the Deacons’ passing game. Starting from their own 12, Wake needed just four plays to go 88 yards, capped by a 72-yard bomb from Lopez to transfer Antonio Meeks. That score stretched the lead to three touchdowns and kept the pressure squarely on Akron.
The defense answered again. Vinny Firenze helped force a fumble, and Rushuan Tongue came away with the recovery. Wake Forest then moved the ball before settling for a field goal that pushed the margin to 20-0.
Then came another shot play. On the first snap of the next drive, Lopez hit Carlos Hernandez out wide, and Hernandez did the rest, racing 78 yards to the end zone. It was the kind of quick strike that kept Wake’s first-half rhythm humming.
Akron managed to mount a late drive before halftime, working all the way to the Wake Forest seven-yard line. The Deacs’ defense held firm, though, getting a key stop on a 3rd-and-one run and forcing the Zips to settle for points. That trimmed the damage, but Wake still controlled the game comfortably.
Wake had one more chance before the break and got into field goal range, but Calvert missed from 38 yards. Even so, the Demon Deacons headed into halftime with a commanding 28-3 advantage.
In Other News...
Wake Forest Mourns A Program Legend Whose Impact Went Beyond Records
Wake Forest lost one of the defining players in its football modern history with the death of Alphonso Smith on Sept. 2, 2026. Smith was more than a memorable name in the record book, although that part mattered plenty too, as the cornerback still owns the ACC career interceptions record and helped fuel the 2006 team that brought home an ACC championship.
His place in Wake Forest lore was already secure before his induction into the 2025 Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame, and his football path carried him from Winston-Salem to the NFL after the Denver Broncos drafted him in 2009. Smith later played for the Detroit Lions, but for Wake Forest fans, his legacy will always be tied to a program-changing era and the standard he set on and off the field. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Opens With One Big Test For Its Rebuilt Roster
Wake Forests offseason reset has been dramatic, even by modern college football standards. After losing 24 players to the transfer portal following the 2025 season, the Demon Deacons are set to bring in 18 new transfers as they try to rebuild quickly around a reshaped roster. The headliners are quarterback Gio Lopez and wide receivers Carlos Hernandez and Kam Shanks, additions that should give the offense a different look as the program tries to stabilize in a hurry.
The early test is interesting because the Deacons are also leaning on what remained intact. Running back Ty Clark III, along with defensive leaders Langston Hardy and Aiden Hall, gives Wake Forest some established pieces to anchor all the change. Akron arrives with its own problems, including quarterback eligibility concerns and the loss of key players on both sides of the ball, which makes this matchup a revealing first look at how much the Demon Deacons can trust their new mix right away. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Opens With A Chance To Prove Last Year Was Real
Wake Forest opens its season Thursday night with a home date at Allegacy Financial Stadium, a familiar kind of early test with a little extra edge to it. After last year gave the Demon Deacons something concrete to build on, the opener offers an immediate chance to show that progress was more than a one-off, and the setting should help frame the conversation right away with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET on The ACC Network.
Akron arrives as the first opponent, which is exactly the sort of game that can tell you a lot about where a team really stands in September. Even the preseason guesswork around the matchup points squarely toward Wake Forest, but the bigger question is whether the Demon Deacons can turn that expectation into the kind of clean, convincing start that makes the rest of the season feel more believable. [Read more 🡒]