Wake Forest Leads No. 16 Georgia Tech at Halftime 17-3
In this story:
On Saturday afternoon, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-1) and the No. 16 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (4-0) squared off in Winston-Salem. The Deacons are coming off a much-needed bye week after the loss to NC State, while the Yellow Jackets enter the weekend after beating Temple 45-24.
With how Wake Forest looked in Week 2 against Western Carolina, many had imagined that both teams would be undefeated at this point in the season. Now, the Deacons are looking for their first win in ACC conference play, while the Yellow Jackets are looking to keep their college football playoff hopes alive.
Little did Georgia Tech know, Wake Forest's preparation for the Haynes King offense would prove to be more of a challenge for the Yellow Jackets than people thought.
1st Quarter
After Wake Forest winning the toss and deferring to the second half, Georgia Tech began today's game on offense. Starting from their own 20-yard line, the Yellow Jackets slowly made their way to midfield before Wake Forest forced the first punt of the day.
After a quick three-and-out for the Wake Forest offense, a poor punt by Cal Joseph gave the Yellow Jackets good starting field position in Demon Deacons territory. After slowly making their way inside the Wake Forest red zone, a few incompletions by Haynes King resulted in Georgia Tech settling for a field goal.
Robby Ashford and the Wake Forest offense finally found a rhythm on their second drive of the day, starting on the 25-yard line. Unfortunately, that rhythm from the offense would be short-lived after back-to-back incompletions, resulting in a punt.
The first quarter came to a close shortly after the Demon Deacons forced yet another Georgia Tech punt.
2nd Quarter
After quick punts from both sidelines, which included a fake punt attempt from the Yellow Jackets, Wake Forest finally found a chunk play when Ashford found Chris Barnes down the sideline for a 34-yard reception to the Georgia Tech 20-yard line. Demond Claiborne followed the big play up with a 16-yard run, taking the Deacons inside the 5-yard line.
On a quarterback keeper with Ashford, the Deacons found the endzone for the first time today, taking the lead 7-3.
After driving their way into Demon Deacons territory, Georgia Tech found themselves with another short 4th down scenario. After attempting the fake punt earlier in the game, the Yellow Jackets elected to put the football in the hands of King as they attempted a quarterback run, but the Wake Forest defense once again held strong with another turnover on downs.
After Jake Dickert's offense took the field, it only took the Demon Deacons five plays to find the endzone for the second time today. With just over five minutes left to play in the half, Georgia Tech began to have a sense of urgency offensively as they quickly made their way to midfield. Once again, the Yellow Jackets' drive would stall out, resulting in another punt.
By this point in the game, Nick Andersen and the Deacons' defense had established their dominance against the No. 16-ranked team in the country.
With another chunk play on a 37-yard catch by Micah Mays, Wake Forest made their way into the Georgia Tech red zone for the second time today. After a potential fumble from Ashford was overturned, Wake Forest was forced to kick a field goal for the 14-point lead.
After two rushing attempts from the Yellow Jackets, the first half in Winston-Salem came to a close with the Demon Deacons leading by multiple scores.
Wake Forest holds a 14-point lead over No. 16 Georgia Tech at the half 👀 pic.twitter.com/ovxkrVEDyA
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 27, 2025
Notable Player Stats
Robby Ashford: 7-14, 139 YDS
Demond Claiborne: 10 ATT, 73 YDS, 1 TD
Quincy Bryant: 7 TotTk, 1 TFL
1st Half Stats | Wake Forest | Georgia Tech |
|---|---|---|
Net Total Yards | 255 | 134 |
Net Rushing Yards | 116 | 79 |
Total 1st Downs | 10 | 9 |
3rd Down Conversions | 5-9 | 1-7 |
4th Down Conversions | 0-0 | 0-2 |
Time of Possession | 12:21 | 17:39 |
Recommended Articles
Carson, a 2025 TCU graduate, is a sports journalist who covers college athletics for several On SI sites. While most of his experience is with TCU On SI, he also writes with Wake Forest On SI and Houston On SI. He also has a passion for the college baseball scene, most notably being a fan of TCU Baseball. In 2023, Carson was in Omaha and reported on the Men’s College World Series, where TCU finished 4th in the nation. His past work not only consists of major sports like football, basketball, and baseball, but with others like track and field and cross country as well.