PFF Grades From Wake Forest's Dominant Win in California
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The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are coming off a 41-7 victory and are heading into the bye week with a 6-1 record. As we do every week, we will now break down some of the deeper analytics of last weekend's game.
It was yet another successful weekend from an analytical standpoint. Gio Lopez, once again, made the PFF team of the week and was joined by offensive lineman Clinton Richard. Tight end Dominick Barry and linebacker Vincent Firenze made the ACC team. Let's continue to dive deeper into some of the trends and takeaways.
Showed out in Week 7 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Dj7TRPLkep
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) October 19, 2026
Balanced Offensive Display
Two members of the Wake Forest offense graded out at elite-level performances according to PFF. Freshman tight end Dominick Barry finished with a grade of 90.7, and QB Gio Lopez finished with a team-high grade of 91.2.
With this performance, Gio Lopez is officially the nation's highest-graded quarterback, ahead of Darian Mensah, according to PFF. He is well-rounded, with the fourth-best passing grade and the third-best rushing grade. Lopez's trajectory has taken off like a rocket since the start of the season, and he just continues to raise his level.
Similar to what we saw last season, the offensive line continues to take strides to improve connectivity and protection up front. Clinton Richard was the best of the bunch, with a terrific 82.9 overall grade and an 87.7 grade in pass blocking. Aidan Martin has taken big strides, and PFF is starting to reflect that. He was stellar in pass blocking with an 86 grade. Will Way was not far behind with an 84.4 pass protection grade. Obviously, plenty of attention is paid to the skill position guys, but the offensive line has shown consistent improvement and has been key to success.
Linebacker Standout
For another week, linebacker Vinny Firenze was the highest-graded defensive player, and his performance landed him on the All-ACC PFF team. He had a great grade of 81.1 overall and was exceptional in coverage at 81.4, Wake's best coverage grade in this one. He only allowed two receptions on four targets and had a stop. Vinny has really been a diamond in the rough for this team and has been a consistent riser defensively.
Vinny's solid play is evident in the PFF total numbers. He has the sixth-best overall grade among all FBS linebackers and the third-best run-defense grade among active linebackers. His play has been key for this defense, as he always seems to have his nose around the ball.
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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.