Louisville Blasts No. 10 Wake Forest Behind Turnover-Filled Third Quarter
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Riding their first win streak of the 2022 season, the Louisville football program built on that streak with authority, blasting No. 10 Wake Forest 48-14 Saturday at Cardinal Stadium with one of the most incredible defensive quarters of football you will ever see.
Trailing 14-13 at the halftime, the Cardinals (5-3, 3-3 ACC) forced an astounding six turnovers in the third quarter, with five of them coming on consecutive drives out of the locker room.
Defensive backs Kei'Trel Clark and Quincy Riley each came away with interceptions that were returned for touchdowns, going 46- and 90-yards respectively; inside linebacker Monty Montgomery notched a pick as well; while outside linebacker Yasir Abdullah and defensive linemen Mason Reiger & Caleb Banks each forced a fumble.
All but Abdullah's fumble resulted in a Louisville touchdown the other way, giving the Cardinals 35 points off turnovers in this quarter alone. Quarterback Malik Cunningham tallied a nine-yard rushing score, running back Tiyon Evans broke open a 52-yard rushing score, and wide receiver Braden Smith threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Jaelin Carter.
The victory over the tenth-ranked Demon Deacons (6-2, 2-2 ACC) gave the Cardinals their first victory as an unranked team over an AP Top-10 opponent since their infamous 26-20 overtime win over No. 4 Florida State on Sept. 26, 2002. Louisville has now won three games in a row after falling 34-33 at Boston College earlier this month.
As you can imagine, Louisville's front seven smothered Wake Forest at the line of scrimmage all night long. While the Demon Deacons had 402 yards of offense, that came with the Cardinals logging eight sacks from eight different player, and eleven tackles for loss. The secondary, on top of the three interceptions, also came away with five pass breakups.
For the game, Louisville forced eight turnovers. The latter two came in the fourth quarter, with Riley coming away with his second interception of the game and defensive end Ashton Gillotte recovering a bad snap by Wake Forest.
Wake quarterback Sam Hartman was held to 20-of-35 passing for 271 yards, a touchdown and three picks, while the Deacs as a whole only rushed for 92 total yards. They had only five lost turnovers on the year and were averaging 41.4 points per game entering this matchup.
Offensively, Louisville put up 410 yards on a Wake Forest defense that had been holding teams to 375.6 yards and 24.0 points per game. Cunningham was 15-of-23 through the air for 164 yards, while also rushing for 38 yards and a score.
Making his return to action for the first time since the game against Boston College, running back Tiyon Evans rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Tyler Hudson led all pass catchers with six receptions for 77 yards.
Louisville had Wake Forest on the ropes early on in the game. While the offense had trouble moving the ball right out of the gates, their first two drives did end with a pair of 29- and 39-yard field goals from James Turner. Their third drive culminated in a one-yard rush from Cunningham, which had been set up by an incredible trick play to Ford, that put the Cardinals up 13-0 just inside the second quarter.
After getting bottled up by Louisville's defensive pressure in the opening quarter, Wake Forest responded and was able to find a little bit of a rhythm. Ellison punched it in from three yards out to break the shut out, then Hartman found Banks for a 16-yard go-ahead touchdown, although both drives were marred by questionable officiating from the referees.
Louisville had a chance to take the lead before half, but two consecutive field goal tries - and makes - were negated by penalties. The third attempt, a 47-yarder, sailed wide right to ensure the Cardinals would trail by one at the half.
Following the 35-point third quarter, Louisville inserted most of their backups for the fourth. Quarterback Brock Domann was 2-of-3 for seven yards, and Wake Forest scored a garbage time touchdown with 14 seconds left in the game.
Next up, Louisville will conclude their three-game home stand against James Madison. Kickoff against the Dukes is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. EST.
(Photo of Malik Cunningham: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)
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