How Wake Forest Knocked Off 16th-ranked Louisville
In this story:
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons picked up a road victory over a ranked opponent for the second time in Jake Dickert's young tenure. The Deacs went into Louisville knowing they were in for an offensive battle, but special teams and defense proved to be key coming down the stretch. Coach said it was not the perfect performance, but it was certainly impressive. Let's break down how it happened.
Balanced Attack Offensively
One key to this Wake Forest offense was establishing the running game to take pressure off of Gio Lopez in critical situations. You could see they truly tried to establish the ground game in this one, and they did it successfully. They rushed it 42 times for 177 yards.
Ty Clark III had a fantastic game as the lead rusher. He carried it 21 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman Deuce Lawrence also chipped in with 10 carries for 64 yards. Credit also goes to the backs and the offensive line for being physical and establishing this run game.
This does not even get into how sensational Carlos Hernandez was. Out of Lopez's 12 completed passes, Hernandez caught nine for 194 yards and a score. This included a 77-yard bomb that gave the Deacs big momentum in the first half.
Defense Coming Through
You may look at the final score and think the Wake defense did nothing outstanding. However, this defense made timely plays to steal momentum and to ultimately secure victory. Freshman Somad Eaddy came up huge with his first college interception to halt a Cardinals' drive.
The defensive line dominated in the trenches as Gabe Kirschke, Langston Hardy, and Zach Lohavichan combined for six tackles-for-loss amongst the three of them. Kirschke also came up with maybe the biggest play of the game when he blocked Louisville's game-tying field goal attempt.
All out attack mode 🙌 pic.twitter.com/DIRbsqEXQA
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) September 27, 2026
The Cardinals were driving in the fourth quarter, down three, and looked to have their eyes set on the end zone. Then, on third down at the Wake 14, Kienholz was hit and sacked for a massive 11-yard loss courtesy of Zach Lohavichan. This pushed Louisville back and forced them to attempt a longer field goal, which they missed. Plays like this are massive in late-game situations. They did not play the perfect game, but the Deacs' defense really stepped up when it mattered.
It cannot go unmentioned that Connor Calvert was also a massive contributor to the victory, as he went 3/3 on field goals, including the one in the fourth that proved to be the decider. All three phases truly stepped up down the stretch to secure a massive road victory for Wake Forest's program.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Justin is a student at Wake Forest University. He is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and aspiring finance major interested everything sports. In his freshman year, Justin completed an internship with the Wake Forest Ticketing Department where he gained some valuable insight into the sales and operations aspects of collegiate athletics. Before working with Wake Forest On SI, Justin was a contributing writer for Wake Forest’s student publication The Old Gold and Black. Currently, Justin serves as a student manager on the Wake Forest Men’s Tennis team. In his free time Justin enjoys spending time with his family and friends on the golf course and traveling.