Winston-Salem, NC – NC State outgained Wake Forest’s potent offense, but despite WFU’s turnovers, errant passes, and multiple muffs, this 45-42 win by the Demon Deacs leave NC State Wolfpack trailing and howling after CFF.com’s 628th college football game. The No. 13 Deacs (9-1,6-0) opened up their lead over the Pack (7-3,4-2) in the Atlantic Division race of the ACC. They seek the championship game in Charlotte on December 4. Also, for the ninth time in the last ten confrontations between the two squads in Winston-Salem, the Deacs continued their dominance over their nearby ACC rival.
Wake WR A.T. Perry grabbed this 24-yard pass from QB Sam Hartman for a first quarter 7-3 Demon Deacon lead.
First half winds down
As time expired at the end of the first half, PK Nick Sciba booted a 45-yard FG to extend Wake’s lead, 24-20. His score came right after State’s Devin Carter caught a 21-yard TD pass from Devin Leary. The Wolfpack got to within one. Thanks to Deacon Taylor Morin’s 43-yard kickoff return to State’s 49, the Deacs got Sciba into range within 15 seconds.
Under pressure, NC State QB Devin Leary fires a 28-yard TD pass to WR Devin Carter (seven receptions for 132 yards, two TDs) to close the gap, 21-13, in the second period.
Second half winds up
To start the third period, the Wolfpack’s Zonovan Knight gave his team the lead, 27-24, with a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown. The Deacs offense, led by QB Sam Hartman, seemed to get things under control again. On the next drive, he connected with Brandon Chapman on a third and long and on a fourth and long to Donald Stewart to keep the drive alive. He finished it off with a five-yard TD pass to Chapman to recapture the lead.
The two teams played to a standstill through the balance of the third. Sure-handed WR A.T. Perry (according to Guest Game Analyst and WFU fanatic, Jim “Bug” Harton) dropped two consecutive passes before Hartman short-tossed him. Wake punted the ball away. Nick Anderson intercepted a Leary pass, but Wolfpack DB Tyler Baker-Williams returned the favor on the very next play picking off Hartman. State’s FG attempt thereafter went wide left.
Tales of two defenses
Wake’s ensuing drive resulted in a pick in the end zone by DB Derrick Pitts. The Wolfpack now leads the ACC in INTs with 13, close to the top in all of college football. They held Hartman to 20 of 47 for passing with 290 yards with three TDs and three INTs. State’s Devin Leary outgunned him with 37 of 59 for 408 yards and four TDs. Surprisingly, Wake held State to 74 rushing yards and no TDs. Whereas the Deacs gained 116 on the ground and ran it in three times for short runs to finish long drives. The score heading into Q4 showed the Demon Deacons ahead, 31-27, in front of a very enthusiastic crowd of 34,503 garbed in colors of both schools.
The Deacs held NC State RB Ricky Person, Jr., stuffed here, to 36 of the 74 total yards they allowed on the ground this evening.
Air strikes
In the fourth quarter, Morin’s 35-yard punt return to the NC State’s 46 brought the Deacs some needed momentum. The ensuing drive resulted in a screen pass right to Justice Ellison from the four for a 38-27 Demon Deacon lead. Following a targeting call and ejection on the kickoff, the Wolfpack started out at the 50. We questioned Sciba’s condition as all his kicks seemed intentionally short now enabling State to return for extra yards and decent field position to start.
Justice Ellison takes in a four-yard TD pass to open the WFU led in the fourth, 38-27.
Leary went strictly to the air with 10:05 remaining. His third completion of the drive to Emeka Emezie (10 snares for 133 yards and two TDs) put the Pack into the end zone for a quick response with 8:07 left. The same pair reconnected on the two-point conversion to close the gap now, 38-35. Wake retaliated to widen the gap to ten completing a clock-eating, scoring drive of 75 yards. Ellison (17 carries for 56 yards and two TDs, one TD reception) carried the ball in from the four. Wake took the clock down with 1:47 left to play. However, game not over!
Ellison takes it in from the four for his third TD of the game.
Fight to the Finish!
Starting from the 25, NC State HC Dave Doeren had Leary still focused on an attack through the air. On his sixth completion on nine attempts, the drive culminated with a scoring strike to Devin Carter from the eight. State jumped to within three, 45-42, with 45 seconds left. Wake HC Dave Clawson had his hands team ready for an onsides on the kickoff. With a case of the dropsies this evening, we noted where A.T. Perry lined up. Sure enough, that is where the onsides kick was aimed. As the ball approached him, the Wolfpack’s Baker-Williams snatched the bounce close to his 45. The replay confirmed that the ball did not travel the full 10 yards. It was close! Wake ball.
Every second counts
Wake possessed the ball at State’s 44. In victory formation, Hartman took a quick knee. The Pack called it’s second time-out of the half. Realizing he had to run more time off the clock to avoid turning the ball back over, Hartman delayed his knee-drop on the two subsequent snaps to delay the clock stoppages to let the clock expire.
Victory for the Deacs, 45-42! They held off the Wolfpack’s challenge for the Atlantic Coast division lead. With two more Divisional games remaining, the Deacs still have their work cut out! They still have two fights on their hands going forward. If they win both, there will be a third game for the ACC Championship on December 4.
Wake celebrated Veterans’ Day with a night parachute leap on to Truist Field prior to kickoff!
Next up for college football Week 12 (and 13)
No. 25 NC State closes their season at home against Syracuse Saturday and follows against archrival North Carolina in Week 13 of college football. It they take wins from both and the Deacs falter, they can be back in the hunt to play the winner of the Coastal Division in Charlotte. Wake’s work is cut out for them next week at Clemson. The Tigers (7-3, 5-2) have captured the last six ACC titles. Wake has not beaten them since 2008. The last time they ever won at Clemson dates back to 1998.
NC State defeated Clemson earlier this season, 27-21. The following week, Wake visits Boston College (6-4, 2-4), and luckily for them, we plan to be there! Why is that lucky for them? Read “Extra Points” below!
For Collegefootballfan.com, we will attend our college football Game 629 this Saturday when we will see Liberty (7-3) host the No. 22 Louisiana Ragin Cajuns (9-1) at Lynchburg, VA. Our first game there should be a fun battle between two improving FBS programs! Check out our Game Review for Game 629 next week.
Extra Points!
Jim “Bug” Harton and his crew of Wake Forest Alumni Fans including “Goober”, “One-Iron”, “Wheels”, and Earl(?) among others, welcomed Collegefootballfan.com when we first met a few years ago to tailgate at Truist Field. Telling them that we’d seen their beloved Wake Forest play six times previously, we let them know their Deacs had won them all. They knew of no one else who could ever stake that claim. Hence, they tagged me with their latest Wake Forest nickname, “6-0 Koreivo”.
The Demon Deacons won two more in our presence, but then we let them down in a 62-59 loss to Louisville two years ago. However, they’ve still kept me tagged with an updated nickname despite the lone loss and with the latest victory. I’m now known as “9-and-almost-0” Koreivo. We need to get to Chestnut Hill next week since we’ll be having Thanksgiving in Rhode Island with Family. Hopefully, the moniker “10-and-almost-0” can be updated with a win over Boston College to get the Deacs to the ACC title game in Charlotte.
Crimson Tide? Deacon Blues? Not in this outfit!
To the contrary of Steely Dan’s 1977 hit “Deacon Blues”, in our annals of collegefootballfan.com history, The Demon Deacons do not take a back seat to The Crimson Tide of Alabama. As a matter of fact, having attended 10 games played by both, they share the highest winning percentages and exact same W-L record of all teams we’ve seen play at least 10 games or more since 1979. Both sit atop our record book with record of 9-1.
Alabama has recorded wins in our presence over Auburn (2), Rutgers, Ohio State (Kick-off Classic), Penn State (2), Notre Dame (2013 National championship), Washington (CFP Peach) , and Oklahoma (CFP Orange). Their lone loss came at Penn State in 1985, 19-17.
Deacs on top
As for the Deacs, here’s what they’ve done to reach 9-1 so far and in some of our most exciting college football games ever:
The early years on the road
1981 W 34-22 at Richmond
1987 W 17-13 at Army
2007 W 44-24 at Navy
2008 W 29-19 vs. Navy in Eagle Bank Bowl
2013 W 25-11 at Army
2016 W 34-26 vs. Temple in Military Bowl
The recent history with Wake Forest Alum
2017 W 42-32 vs. Louisville (w/ QB Lamar Jackson)
2017 W 55-52 vs. Texas A&M in Belk Bowl
2019 L 62-59 vs. Louisville
2021 W 45-42 vs. NC State
By Steve Koreivo, ed. Author of “Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ’em all!”
As us Wake Forest fans cheer, “Go Deacs!”
