CFBSep 26
Wake Forest blocks late field goal to upset No. 16 Louisville
Connor Calvert supplied the decisive field goal and Gabe Kirschke denied Louisville’s final attempt as the Demon Deacons secured a 30-27 road victory.
By OddsListing wire desk
· 2 min read
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Special teams settle the finish
Wake Forest survived Louisville’s comeback and delivered the final stop on special teams, beating the No. 16 Cardinals 30-27 on Saturday for its first Atlantic Coast Conference victory of the season. Connor Calvert’s 32-yard field goal with 6:20 remaining put the Demon Deacons ahead for good. Louisville had chances to answer, but Carson Hilbert missed from 42 yards with 2:29 left before Gabe Kirschke blocked Nick Keller’s 57-yard attempt with 15 seconds remaining. Calvert finished with three field goals as Wake Forest improved to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play. Louisville dropped to 2-2 and 1-1.
Lopez and Hernandez stretch the defense
Facing a Louisville secondary missing two starters, Gio Lopez completed 12 of 19 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown. Carlos Hernandez accounted for nine catches and 194 yards. Their 77-yard touchdown connection gave Wake Forest a 17-14 advantage with 5:49 left before halftime. After an interception of Lincoln Kienholz, Lopez found Hernandez for 31 yards to help set up Ty Clark III’s 6-yard touchdown run. Clark finished with 91 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.
Cardinals’ rally falls short
Louisville responded with Kienholz’s 61-yard touchdown pass to Jaleel Skinner just 22 seconds after Clark’s second score. Hilbert later tied the game with a 41-yard field goal and pulled the Cardinals level again at 27 with a 54-yarder late in the third quarter. Kienholz threw for 324 yards and a touchdown and ran for two scores, but Wake Forest limited Louisville to 75 rushing yards. The Cardinals entered averaging 229 yards on the ground, and their late kicking failures left the comeback unfinished.
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