Wake Forest Tramples the Tar Heels in Rivalry Win
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The Deacs conquered the Tar Heels to clinch Coach Dickert's first big four rivalry. Wake Forest scored on their opening possession and never looked back. The Deacs' defense held UNC to no touchdowns throughout the evening.
This win was especially nice, seeing major contributions from the offense, defense, and special teams. Let's go through some of the highlights from the game:
Bend Don't Break Defense
On offense, the Tar Heels made it into Wake Forest territory on six drives, but they never came away with a touchdown. Despite giving up some chunk pass plays, Wake's defense held firm all night when it mattered.
The Deacs had six tackles for loss, and most of them came on critical plays in their own end. Nuer Gatkuoth had a huge sack that backed the Tar Heels up and forced them to attempt a field goal; the Deacs blocked it. Aiden Hall seemed to be all over the field all night. He led the team with nine total tackles and also had a big tackle for loss.
In their six drives that advanced to Wake territory, UNC got just four field goals and two attempts that were blocked. This defense seems to be playing more connected every week and got tighter the closer UNC got to their end zone tonight.
Sustained Drives on Offense
The Deacs' offense showed they can convert when it matters. Tonight, they had two 10+ play drives that resulted in touchdowns. Robby Ashford and Demond Claiborne were both excellent on the ground. Ashford had 52 yards rushing in ten attempts, and Claiborne had 98 yards in 23 attempts. Both also finished with a rushing touchdown.
Wake dominated UNC on the ground the whole night as they outgained them 223 to 56 yards in rushing. This consistent running attack is something that is very promising for the Demon Deacon offense. It allows for opportunities to open up through the air, like Carlos Hernandez's 70-yard touchdown reception from Ashford.
Overall, the offense looked a lot cleaner tonight and much more capable of moving the football. Ashford looked confident, keeping plays alive with his legs, and the offensive line has come a long way since the start of the year.
Complementary Football on Special Teams
Man in the middle, @MateenIbi17 😤 https://t.co/ksW2zeGjYD pic.twitter.com/hCgO5Vd3SL
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) November 16, 2025
The Deacs' special teams unit has shown they can make plays week in and week out. This week, they blocked two UNC field goal attempts. On the first, Nick Andersen soared over the UNC line to get to the ball, and on the other, Mateen Ibirogba got his hand up and made a great play.
These blocks were huge to kill UNC's momentum after seven-play and thirteen-play drives, respectively. This is exactly what Coach Dickert must mean when he preaches complementary football. The defense was getting huge stops, and the special teams unit played off that intensity and blocked field goal attempts. These stops gave the offense momentum to march the ball down the field.
Overall, this is a great win for the Deacs that feels just a little sweeter being a rivalry win. Dickert said after the game that every alumnus of Wake Forest and citizen of the Triad area should be proud of this football team, and I could not agree more. They keep getting better week after week, and it was so good to see them put together such a complete game.
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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.