Louisville Rallies, Falls Short at Wake Forest
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - With control of the Atlantic Division on the line, the Louisville football program could not extend their three-game win streak, falling 37-34 to No. 24 Wake Forest at Truist Field.
Trailing by 10 heading into the fourth quarter after 17 points unanswered by the Demon Deacons (5-0, 3-0 ACC), the Cardinals then went on a 17-7 run to tie the game in the final three minutes. But that was plenty of time for Wake Forest placekicker Nick Sciba, as he drilled a 29-yard field goal with 22 seconds left.
Louisville (3-2, 1-1 ACC) out-gained their host 540-501, and averaged 7.7 yards per play compared to Wake Forest's 6.0, but had several missed opportunities and mistake. They committed nine penalties, were 4-12 on third down, and had a pair of overthrows that would have been good for touchdowns.
Quarterback Malik Cunningham was 19-of-26 passing, accumulated 378 total yards of offense, and four total touchdown - two on the ground and two through the air. Running backs Jalen Mitchell and Trevion Cooley combined for 150 yards on 29 rushes.
On the other side, inside linebacker CJ Avery led the charge with a game-high 12 tackles. Derek Dorsey and Jack Fagot each tallied a sack, and safety Qwynnterrio Cole logged the game's only interception.
Like against Florida State the week before, Louisville got off to a methodical start on offense. They scored on their first three drives, with Cunningham securing a pair of goal-to-go 7- and 5-yard rushing scores, and James Turner hitting a 42-yard field goal.
After taking a 17-10 lead in the second quarter, momentum starting to swing in Wake Forest's direction. Cunningham had to briefly exit the game facing 3rd & 3 on their fourth drive, and did not convert after an Evan Conley pass fell incomplete. On the ensuing Deacs drive, the Louisville defense failed to hold them on fourth down at midfield, then gave up a touchdown on the next play.
The Cardinals then missed a 50-yard field goal, and a muffed punt from Josh Johnson set up a Wake Forest field goal to give them a 20-17 lead heading into the half - although there was some play clock drama on a Louisville goal line stand. With four seconds left, the Cardinals held strong with a goal line stand to end the half, but the officials allowed a Wake Forest timeout with one second left.
Momentum continued to favor Wake Forest when the teams reconvened after halftime. Louisville's first three drives of the second half failed to go farther than 20 yards, with the Deacs adding a touchdown in between for 17 unanswered points.
But Louisville wasn't done fighting. Cunningham found Ahmari Huggins-Bruce for a 10-yard score on their first fourth quarter drive to bring it within one possession, then a Qwynnterrio Cole interception would set up a 46-yard field goal from Turner to tie things up at 27.
Wake Forest then fired off a methodical 11-play drive to re-take the lead on an A.T. Perry score, but Louisville immediately responded with a 75-yard catch-and-run touchdown from Tyler Harrell. Unfortunately, it left just enough time for the Deacs to drive down the field and set up Sciba's game-winning field goal.
Next up, Louisville will return home to host Virginia at Cardinal Stadium. Kickoff against the Cavaliers is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 9 at either 3:00 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. EST.
(Photo of Luiji Vilain, Malik Cunningham: Reinhold Matay - USA TODAY Sports)
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