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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia -- Wake Forest rolled into Charlottesville and secured their first road win of the season 37-17 over Virginia. The Demon Deacons (4-0, 1-0) moved the ball early and often at Scott Stadium to start their Atlantic Coast Conference campaign 1-0. The Cavaliers (2-2, 0-2) dropped their second consecutive game against a conference opponent.
Virginia won the toss and differed, and immediately began the game playing catch-up as Wake Forest scored just under 3 minutes into the game with a 39 yard touchdown pass. Taylor Morin, the tight end, found himself wide open down the field in a blown coverage by the Cavaliers defense, which ended up being the theme of the night.
The Cavaliers tried to return the favor with a scoring drive of their own but a diving touchdown catch by the tight end, Grant Mirsch, was overturned by video review. Virginia ended up stalling out in a goal to go situation and turned the ball over on downs.
Wake Forest immediately started moving the ball again, using the hurry up offense to put the Virginia defense on their heels. A critical third down stop, forced by Cavalier defensive back Anthony Johnson, stopped the Demon Deacons short of the red zone and forced them to kick a 46 yard field goal.
UVA started to pick the tempo up themselves and ran 3 straight designed plays for speedy receiver Billy Kemp IV which helped them move the ball into Wake Forest territory. Once again, the drive stalled out in the red zone and the Cavaliers settled for a short 21 yard field goal.
Wake Forest came out with blistering pace in their next series as a 63 yard run by running back Justice Ellison put them in scoring position. The Demon Deacons would convert a 4th and 1 later in the drive with a QB sneak and then plunge into the endzone to extend a 17-3 lead.
Virginia would go on to punt in their next series and Wake Forest added on a 23 yard field goal with 1:31 remaining in the second quarter. The Cavaliers would leave the field at halftime to a chorus of boos from the home fans as the scoreboard favored the Demon Deacons 20-3.
Things started to look up for UVA in the early goings of the second half as quarterback Brennan Armstrong hit tight end Jelani Woods on a nice 17 yard deep slant route for a score. It was Woods’ third straight game with a touchdown, and when asked after the game about his recent hot streak, Woods said, “it feels great being part of this offense and I really make sure I capitalize on all of my opportunities no matter what.”
Unfortunately for Virginia, the good play did not continue as Wake Forest quarterback, Sam Hartman, found receiver Jaquarii Roberson for a big gain in a soft zone coverage. The Demon Deacons would run a reverse pass out of the Wildcat formation a few plays later for a 12 yard touchdown pass to tight end Blake Whiteheart to regain their 17 point lead.
Virginia got a fortunate break on the next possession as a Brennan Armstrong fumble was overturned to an incomplete pass by video review. The Cavaliers capitalized on this second chance and marched down the field to score on a 22 yard touchdown pass to receiver Dontayvion Wicks.
Once again, though, Wake Forest got the ball and ran their hurry up offense which continually put the Virginia defense on their heels. The Demon Deacons capped off another impressive scoring drive with a 12 yard touchdown pass by Hartman to receiver A.T. Perry, who made the back shoulder catch which was confirmed after video review.
The 4th quarter would leave much to be desired in terms of score as the lone points came on a 36 yard field goal by Wake Forest to give them a 37-17 lead. Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong was under siege all night as the protection in front of him could not hold up the opposing pass rush. In the end, Armstrong was sacked 6 times in the loss.
Virginia came into this season with hopes to contend for an ACC Coastal Division Title but now, at 0-2 in conference play, they will need a big turn around to realize those goals. Cavaliers running back Mike Hollins said after the game that, “right now no hope is lost, it's early on, only a third into the season, and we are still figuring each other out, our team out, and once we get there I don’t see anyone stopping us.”
The positive mindset will be needed for UVA as they travel to Florida on Thursday night to face off against Miami (1-2) in a primetime ESPN game on a short week.
For Wake Forest, they continue their winning ways and keep their undefeated season alive. The Demon Deacons are back in action next Saturday at home against Louisville at 12:30.
RED ZONE WOES
Virginia came away with just 3 points in their first two redzone trips of the game. The lack of efficiency close to the goal line is what ended up making the difference between a close game and a blow out.
DEFENSIVE DEFICIENCIES
Virginia gave up nearly 700 total yards of offense in their week 3 loss to North Carolina and hardly fared better in this one. The Cavaliers defense allowed nearly 500 total yards to Wake Forest, including 270 yards on the ground.
CRITICAL MISCUES
Virginia was uncharacteristically sloppy in this game as they racked up 11 penalties for 83 yards. Most of the infractions came at inopportune times including defensive stops on 3rd down and a big kickoff return that could have set them up with great field position.
