Wake Forest Football vs Western Carolina: Halftime Report
In this story:
At the end of the first half here at Allegacy Stadium, the Demon Deacons (1-0) lead the Catamounts (0-1) by a score of 21-3.
Here is how it happened...
First Quarter Highlights
The Catamounts won the toss and deferred to the second half, giving Robby Ashford the ball to start the game. The redshirt Senior looked to give his team a lift this week on offense after a tough first start in Deactown.
The first drive started with two plays that both went for a loss, followed by an Ashford 16-yard scramble on third down for a Deacon first down. This momentum was quickly halted by the Catamount defense, which found a stop on 3rd and 6. However, this was not the only thing that was halted to a stop.
After about a two-hour rain delay, the game resumed with fewer fans in the stands. Western Carolina's offense saw the field for the first time with 11:59 left in the first.
After an unsuccessful attempt at a flea flicker, the Catamounts found a way to convert on 3rd and 10 with a pass to Malik Knight. However, a Langston Hardy sack followed by a near interception forced the Catamounts to send the ball back to the Deacons.
Both the Deacs and the Catamounts went three and out on their second drives. The Wake Forest defense continued to impress with constant pressure on Catamount Quarterback Bennett Judy.
The first play on Wake Forest's third drive was an unsuccessful deep ball attempt to a wide-open Carlos Hernandez down the seam. Ashford found a way to bounce back with a third-down conversion pass to Sterling Berkhalter for a first down. Robby Ashford got another opportunity to show off his speed as he scampered for a 40-yard touchdown run.
Wake Forest 7 - Western Carolina 0 - 5:57 left in the 1st Quarter.
The Catamounts could not get much going on their third drive. Dallas Afalava came up with a massive run stuff on second down, and Western Carolina was forced to send the ball back to Rob Ezell's offense.
Ashford looked deep for Berkhalter early in the next drive, and the Deacons got a pass interference call. Demond Claiborne got the ball in his hands and showed his rushing ability as he took the ball straight into the end zone.
Wake Forest 13 - Western Carolina 0 - 2:59 left in the 1st Quarter. 33 yards
The Deacs got a takeaway via a Zamari Stevenson interception, and 12 seconds after getting into the end zone for his first touchdown of the season, Demond Claiborne made yet another statement for six. The two-point conversion failed.
Wake Forest 19 - Western Carolina 0 - 2:47 left in the 1st Quarter. 27 yards
The emerging unspoken hero of the first quarter was the Deacon defensive front. The Catamounts continually looked uncomfortable and only gained two first downs in the 1st quarter. Not to mention, they carried -20 rushing yards into the end of the 1st.
This defense continued to impress as the Western Carolina offense had no response. The Catamount offensive line was clearly overwhelmed as they snapped the ball through the end zone for a safety.
Wake Forest 21 - Western Carolina 0 - 0:27 seconds left in the 1st Quarter.
Demond Claiborne almost found the end zone again as he broke free for a 34-yard carry to end the first quarter.
A sentence to sum up the first: Demond Claiborne is really fast, and the Wake Forest defense seems to be well improved.
Second Quarter Highlights
The second quarter started from the Catamount 41-yard line for the Deacs, but Robby Ashford threw his first interception of the year on the first play of the second quarter. The Catamounts regained possession and looked to put some numbers up on the scoreboard.
Bennett Judy began to find his groove through the air to start the second quarter. The Catamounts ran into a fourth down but picked it up on the ground with Pat Boyd Jr. Western Carolina found its way into the Demon Deacon half for the first time today with 10:35 left in the quarter.
The drive continued as Catamount running back Camury Reid showed his ability out of the backfield and by way of the screen pass. The Deacon defense thought they had forced a fourth down, but Zach Lohavichan grabbed hold of Bennett Judy's facemask, giving the Catamounts a new set of downs. The Demon Deacon defense found a way to force fourth down and hold the Catamounts to three points.
Wake Forest 21 - Western Carolina 3 - 5:46 left in the 2nd Quarter.
The next Wake Forest drive began at the 25-yard line. One play later, Chris Barnes brought the Deacs to the Catamount 11-yard line on a wide receiver screen. Claiborne seemed to have found his third touchdown on the day, this time coming via the screen pass. However, a Carlos Hernandez holding penalty took the points off the board. Freshman kicker Connor Calvert came out to attempt a 36-yard field goal, which was blocked. The Deacs held onto their 18-point lead with under four minutes to play.
A three-and-out gave the Demon Deacon offense the ball back with 3:20 left in the half. Ashford and company got the ball on the 18-yard line for their ninth possession following a massive boot and roll from Western's Stephen Brantley.
The Ashford to Barnes connection was humming on the Deacs' ninth offensive drive following two connections from #2 to #10. However, the drive was stopped after a Wake Forest turnover due to a botched snap.
The Catamounts found their footing yet again on the ensuing drive. Dallas Afalava knocked the Catamounts back off their feet on third and long with a sack, his second big stop of the half. On fourth down, Bennett Judy found Dominic Dutton and also nearly found a first down, but Dutton was brought down just shy of the line to gain. The Deacons' offense took the field with 31 seconds to go in the half.
The Deacs were content bringing their 18 point lead into the locker room. The first half was a major improvement from the first week for the Deacs. There still are plenty of things to fine tune for Jake Dickert and company in the second half, but overall, the team has looked much better. Having a healthy Demond Claiborne surely helps the Deacs out.
Scoring Summary | 1st Quarter | 2nd Quarter | Halftime |
|---|---|---|---|
Wake Forest | 21 | 0 | 21 |
Western Carolina | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Team Stats | Wake Forest | Western Carolina |
|---|---|---|
First Downs | 11 | 9 |
Third Down Efficiency | 2-6 | 2-10 |
Fourth Down Efficiency | 0-0 | 1-2 |
Total Yards | 281 | 108 |
Passing Yards | 142 | 119 |
Rushing Yards | 139 | -11 |
Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
Time of Possession | 11:11 | 18:49 |
Penalties - Yardage | 3-22 | 3-23 |
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Ryder is a Junior at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. He is studying Accountancy but has a passion for college athletics. He serves as the Treasurer of the Old Gold and Black, Wake Forest’s Student-Run newspaper. He has also served as a play-by-play analyst for his high school’s football and basketball games.