Ty Clark III scored three short touchdowns and No. 14 Wake Forest turned a Halloween afternoon into a rout on Saturday, beating Virginia 51-7 at Allegacy Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Demon Deacons scored on all six of their red-zone trips, piled up 538 yards of total offense and stretched their winning streak to five games, their longest since an 8-0 start in 2021.
Quarterback Gio Lopez threw for 229 yards and a touchdown and ran for 64 more, Carlos Hernandez caught eight passes for 136 yards and a score, and Connor Calvert kicked three field goals as Wake Forest built a 20-0 halftime lead and then scored 24 points in the third quarter. Virginia avoided a shutout only with 50 seconds left in the third quarter, and the Cavaliers lost their third straight game, falling to 4-5 and needing to win two of their last three games to become bowl eligible.
Wake Forest set the tone immediately. The Demon Deacon defense forced a quick three-and-out on Virginia's first drive, Kam Shanks returned the first punt 30 yards to midfield, and Lopez found Hernandez on back-to-back plays for a combined 49 yards before Clark capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. It was Wake Forest's seventh opening-drive touchdown of the year, tied for the most in the country.
The pattern repeated for most of the afternoon. Defensive back Braylon Johnson intercepted a fourth-down pass in the first quarter, and Calvert converted a 45-yard field goal with 2:30 left in the quarter to make it 10-0. After another quick stop, Wake Forest drove 81 yards in 10 plays, finished again by Clark from 4 yards out. Virginia reached the Wake Forest 6-yard line later in the half but was stopped on fourth-and-1, and Calvert's 25-yard field goal with 10 seconds left before the break sent the Demon Deacons into halftime ahead 20-0.
The third quarter was an avalanche. Calvert's 44-yard field goal made it 23-0, Shanks returned a punt 64 yards to the Virginia 19, and Lopez found Hernandez for a 10-yard touchdown with 7:07 left in the quarter. After a Virginia turnover on downs, Lopez connected with a receiver for 47 yards to set up Clark's third touchdown, and Jamar Searcy added a 7-yard scoring run to make it 44-0. Searcy led the Demon Deacons on the ground with 78 rushing yards.
Virginia finally answered when quarterback Beau Pribula, who passed for 212 yards with a touchdown and an interception, found Martin for a 47-yard touchdown with 50 seconds left in the third quarter, sparing the Cavaliers their first shutout since a 10-0 loss to Virginia Tech in 2017. Lopez limped off with 2:29 left in the third quarter after taking a hit to his lower right leg, and with the win assured he did not return; backup Steele Pizzella finished the drive that ended with Searcy's touchdown. Kyndall McCaleb closed the scoring with a 27-yard touchdown run with nine minutes left, his first career touchdown, for the 51-7 final.
Wake Forest's 51 points marked the second time this season the Demon Deacons have scored 50 or more against an ACC opponent, following a 57-3 win over Stanford on Oct. 3. It is the first time Wake Forest has scored 50 or more in two ACC games in the same season since 2018, and the 44-point margin was the second-biggest victory over Virginia in the 54-game history of the series.
The win also continued a remarkable season for Lopez. Through eight games, the Madison, Alabama, native has compiled 2,494 total yards, 24 touchdowns and just one interception. He ranks third in the ACC in both passing yards and touchdown passes, and he is one of only two active quarterbacks in the country with 20 or more total touchdowns and one or fewer turnovers. Last season, in 11 games at North Carolina, he totaled 1,880 yards and 13 touchdowns, so his jump this year has been one of the biggest in the conference.
Virginia, by contrast, is sliding at the wrong time. The Cavaliers have now lost three straight, were held to 16 rushing yards on 19 carries, converted only 1 of 12 third downs and were stopped on fourth-and-goal at the Wake Forest 5 in the fourth quarter. At 4-5, Virginia must win two of its final three games to reach bowl eligibility, a task that now looks considerably harder after a defeat this comprehensive.
The Wake Forest-Virginia result stood out because it was complete in every phase. The offense scored on its first five drives and finished 6 of 6 in the red zone. The defense forced turnovers, stopped Virginia on fourth down in its own territory and at the goal line, and held the Cavaliers to 16 rushing yards all afternoon. Special teams added three field goals from Calvert and two field-flipping punt returns from Shanks, who finished with 94 return yards.
Clark's efficiency was the headline within the headline. He needed only eight carries to score three times, and his 48 rushing yards came with a career high in touchdowns. Hernandez, meanwhile, recorded his fourth 100-yard receiving game in eight contests, giving Lopez a reliable target on the outside whenever Virginia tried to load up against the run.
Lopez's injury is the one concern to watch. He was able to limp off the field after the hit to his lower right leg, and Wake Forest said nothing after the game to suggest a long absence, but his health will be the story of the week for a team whose season now depends heavily on its quarterback. With the game already decided at 44-0 when he left, there was no reason to risk him further, and the Demon Deacons will hope the week off from full contact helps.
Wake Forest head coach Jake Dickert praised the completeness of the performance after the game. "Our guys came right back in a rhythm. I've got a lot of respect for Virginia's football team and we really dominated from start to finish. It starts at the line of scrimmage. The defense was lights out. Really proud of our football team and, most importantly, the mentality with which they carry. This team is on a mission. I want them to prove that we're not just a good team, but that we're a great team, and that's a day-in and day-out process. Our guys have to keep living in the dark, doing what we expect and we'll move right on to the next opponent next week."
The numbers backed up Dickert's assessment. Wake Forest's 538 yards included 309 on the ground, and the Demon Deacons held Virginia to 330 total yards despite the Cavaliers' late touchdown. The goal-line stands and fourth-down stops were as important as the scoring drives, and they reflected a defense that has grown stingier as the winning streak has grown longer.
For Virginia, there was little to celebrate beyond avoiding the shutout. Pribula's late touchdown pass gave the Cavaliers something on the scoreboard, but the offense's 1-of-12 showing on third down and its 16 rushing yards told the story of a team that was beaten at the line of scrimmage from the opening drive onward.
This game matters because it keeps Wake Forest firmly in the ACC race and in the broader playoff conversation. At 7-1 and 5-1 in conference play, with five straight wins, the Demon Deacons are no longer a surprise story; they are a team other contenders must take seriously. Their remaining schedule offers a chance to keep building a resume, and a quarterback playing at Lopez's level gives them a chance in any game.
For Virginia, the game matters in the opposite direction. A third straight loss, by 44 points, damages confidence as well as bowl hopes. The Cavaliers' offense has now been held down for consecutive weeks, and their path to six wins requires a quick turnaround against teams that will have watched this film closely.
More broadly, the result is a reminder of how complete teams win in November. Wake Forest did not rely on one star or one phase: the quarterback, the running game, the receivers, the kicker, the return game and the defense all contributed. That balance is what separates good teams from great ones, which is exactly the distinction Dickert challenged his players to prove.
Wake Forest returns to Allegacy Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7, hosting Merrimack in its annual Homecoming and Reunion Weekend game, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. and the game streamed on ACC Network. The week will be dominated by updates on Lopez's leg, but the Demon Deacons will also want to keep their momentum against an opponent they are expected to beat comfortably.
Virginia, meanwhile, must regroup fast. The Cavaliers need two wins from their final three games to become bowl eligible, and they will need far better line-of-scrimmage play and third-down execution than they showed in Winston-Salem. Their coaches face a week of hard conversations about an offense that managed only 16 rushing yards and a defense that gave up 51 points.
For the ACC, Wake Forest's rise adds another contender to a conference race that is still taking shape. If the Demon Deacons keep winning, their late-season games will carry real stakes, and their five-game winning streak will be remembered as the stretch when a good team started to believe it could be great.
What was the final score of Wake Forest vs Virginia?
Wake Forest won 51-7 on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, at Allegacy Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
How many touchdowns did Ty Clark III score?
Clark scored a career-high three rushing touchdowns, from 2, 4 and 2 yards, on just eight carries.
What happened to Gio Lopez in the game?
Lopez limped off late in the third quarter after taking a hit to his lower right leg. With Wake Forest leading 44-0, he did not return to the game.
What are Wake Forest's and Virginia's records after the game?
Wake Forest improved to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in ACC play. Virginia fell to 4-5 overall and 2-4 in ACC play.
Who is next on Wake Forest's schedule?
The Demon Deacons host Merrimack on Saturday, Nov. 7, in their annual Homecoming and Reunion Weekend game at Allegacy Stadium.
Related coverage: No. 8 BYU holds off Arizona State 27-20, Oregon rallies past No. 20 Northwestern 34-26, Indiana survives Minnesota 23-16 in overtime.
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