Game Summary: North Carolina defeats Wake Forest 36-34
Behind an unbelievable performance from quarterback Drake Maye, North Carolina came out on top in a 36-34 shootout in Winston-Salem. Maye accounted for over 500 yards on the ground and through the air, adding four touchdowns.
Read below for our full game summary.
First Quarter:
Starting with the ball, the highlight of Wake Forest’s opening drive was a 20-yard run by Justice Ellison on the first play from scrimmage. That carry alone totaled more than the Deacs’ entire net yardage on the ground against NC State. But, a holding penalty and a false start moved Wake behind the sticks, and the team was forced to punt.
After converting on 3rd-and-four for the team’s initial first downs, quarterback Drake Maye took to the air to advance the Tar Heels down the field — passes of 25 and 14 yards pushed UNC into Wake Forest territory. Then, a 17-yard sideline pass to a wide-open TE Bryson Nesbit and a 12-yard connection with Josh Downs got the Heels on the board first.
The Deacs maintained the ground game on their second drive, but a controversial no-call on a face mask stalled any momentum Wake Forest had. For the second time in as many possessions, Wake punted.
Following a 24-yard rush by Elijah Green, Maye uncorked a 45-yard bomb to Antoine Green to take UNC deep into Wake Forest territory. From there, the former Green finished the job with a five-yard run, going untouched into the end zone to give North Carolina an early two-touchdown lead.
On their third possession, Sam Hartman and the Wake Forest offense finally found their footing. On a drive that included several productive rushes from Ellison, Hartman worked the intermediate routes to his receivers — completing passes of 16, 14, 6 and 13 yards. Inside the Heels red zone for the first time in the game, Hartman then found Taylor Morin in the flat, and he waltzed in for the score.
After starting on the 36 on a nice kick return, Maye and the Heels offense beat a 3rd-and-10 with a 12-yard completion to Downs. Two more passes combining for 27 yards put the Deacs on their heels within their own 10-yard line leading into the second quarter.
Second Quarter:
After being sent back 15 yards on a block below the waist, North Carolina still found a way to earn the first down on an 11-yard completion to Elijah Green and a 7-yard rush up the gut. In a coverage breakdown, Downs easily found the end zone on a pass from Maye for his second score of the game.
After a 15-yard completion to Banks, Hartman just missed Banks again on a deep pass. On fourth-and-short, Hartman found Ke’Shawn Williams in the slot for what initially appeared to be a small gain for the first down. But, Williams escaped across the middle of the field and rumbled 40 yards down to the goal line. After being unable to find pay dirt on their first three attempts, Wake Forest elected to go for the score on fourth down on the goal line. Behind a big push in the back from Hartman, Christian Turner bounced in and brought the Deacs back within a touchdown.
After making the initial first down on the drive, the Deacons’ defense buckled down to stop Maye and the offense. Jasheen Davis stunned the Heels with two sacks to stop North Carolina for the first time all game. Then, a short punt was whittled down even more on a face mask that allowed Wake Forest to start at the UNC 36.
Facing a tough decision on fourth-and-three, head coach Dave Clawson kept his offense on the field and was rewarded with a 22-yard completion over the middle to Morin. On the very next play, Hartman patiently waited for an open teammate, and found Donavon Greene alone for the score. With that, the score was even again for the first time since kickoff.
Aided by a targeting call against Wake Forest safety A.J. Williams, North Carolina again marched down the field behind Maye. After completions of 14 and 12 yards, Maye took the ball himself for 19 yards on the ground. Then, with the best ball of the first half, the redshirt freshman hit Downs on a deep-left post for their third touchdown connection of the night.
After a quick three-and-out that ended with a 14-yard Hartman sack, the Heels started at their own 40 with a chance to get a final score before half, but several big stops gave the Deacs the ball back with a minute remaining on the clock and a full complement of timeouts.
Third Quarter:
After beating the first third down of the half, Maye did so again on third-and-seven, evading the rush and finding J.J. Jones on a 25-yard over-the-middle dime. After an unsuccessful third-down pass in Wake Forest territory, LB Ryan Smenda broke up a fourth-down attempt for a critical turnover to open the half.
Behind a balanced attack, Wake Forest marched their way down the field — Hartman completed passes of seven and four yards, then Ellison rushed three-straight times for 21 total yards. On the following play, Hartman perfectly led A.T. Perry into the end zone to give the Deacs their first lead of the game.
Trailing for the first time, Maye immediately went back to the air, hitting tight ends John Copenhaver and Bryson Nesbit for a combined 46 yards. Then, on a daunting third-and-five, Maye evaded the Wake Forest pass rush and scampered for the score. With the previously missed extra point, North Carolina elected to go for two, which was no good on a swing run.
On the third play of the following drive, Hartman uncorked a perfect pass that found Donavon Greene right in stride for a 60-yard touchdown, giving Wake Forest the 34-33 lead.
Again, Maye mixed together runs and passes well to work the offense down the field. After completing a 22-yard pass, he scrambled for 15. Then, after an 11-yard connection, he rushed for another 18. The Heels were then stood up at the goal line, entering the fourth quarter with a key third-and-short.
Fourth Quarter:
After another goal-line stop on the run, North Carolina kept the offense on the field for fourth down — on a design pass to the left, DB Isaiah Wingfield tipped the ball on the way towards its intended receiver, giving Wake Forest another key turnover and allowing them to retain the lead.
To get off the goal line, Wake Forest relied on the never-stopping legs of reserve running back Quinton Cooley — on four-straight rushes, Cooley gained 34 yards. On third down, Hartman found Morin over the middle, who turned a short catch into a 46-yard gain. Then it was Ellison’s turn — he took four rushes for 17 yards to get to the UNC nine-yard line. On fourth down, Hartman came just short on the scramble, giving the ball back to the Heels.
After allowing one first down, Wake Forest shut the door on the Tar Heels’ offense, stuffing Maye on two consecutive rushes to force a punt.
With an opportunity to run clock, the Deacs got the initial first down from the legs of Turner. Then, on the ensuing third down, Wake Forest earned a bail-out pass interference call on a pass to Greene. At the worst possible moment, Hartman failed to see a safety undercutting his receiver and threw his first interception of the game.
On the first play from scrimmage, Maye found Downs for 43 yards to get into the Wake Forest red zone. But, a critical sack and false start pushed UNC back 11 yards. On third down, Maye threw the ball out of bounds, sending his kicking team out. From 34 yards, Noah Burdette split the uprights, giving North Carolina a two-point lead.
With a holding call putting Wake Forest behind the sticks, Hartman was forced to toss a desperation ball on fourth down. The incompletion gave North Carolina the ball back in Deacs territory with just over a minute remaining on the clock. Wake Forest had three timeouts remaining.
North Carolina was successful running out the clock, allowing them to walk away with a hard-fought 36-34 victory.
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Essex is the lead football writer and a managing editor for Deacons Daily. Essex served as the Sports Editor for the Old Gold & Black for two years, in addition to roles as a beat and feature writer.