Series History: Wake Forest Football vs Syracuse

Last year's game between the two teams was an overtime classic

After two weeks of historic rivalries, Wake Forest has a brief intermission from the North Carolina Big Four. This Saturday, the Demon Deacons take on Syracuse for the 12th time in program history. Although they haven’t played each other often, there are quite a few memorable results between the Deacs and the Orange on the gridiron.

The two programs first met in 2006, when Wake Forest foreshadowed their eventual Orange Bowl appearance with a 20-10 season-opening victory over Syracuse. The Deacs and the Orange didn’t play again until 2011, when Syracuse began a four-game win streak, including the first three seasons where the teams met as ACC rivals.

Overall, the series is very evenly matched. Syracuse leads 6 wins to 5, but have only outscored Wake by five points (302-297). Since Dave Clawson took over in 2014, the series is tied 4-4. Since Dino Babers became head coach at Cuse in 2016, Wake Forest leads 4-2.

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In anticipation of this week’s matchup, let’s take a look at the last four years of Syracuse vs Wake Forest — all exciting games that should help inform what we see this weekend.

2018

The last time these two schools met in Winston-Salem, Syracuse was in complete control. Wake Forest jumped out to an early 10-0 lead behind a Nick Sciba field goal and a Cade Carney touchdown run. However, the Deacs were then held scoreless until midway through the third quarter, and by that time, the game was over.

The Syracuse running game was dominant. The Orange finished with 60 rushes for 264 yards and five touchdowns. More importantly, they did not turn the ball over. Wake Forest, on the other hand, threw an interception and coughed up two fumbles on the way to a 41-24 loss.

Syracuse finished the year 10-3 ranked No. 15 in the final AP poll, a truly special season in upstate New York.

2019

A close game from start to finish, 2019 is the last time Syracuse beat Wake Forest. In the final week of the season, the two ranked teams met at the Carrier Dome for an instant classic.

The game was low-scoring, with the two teams locked at 20 points apiece heading to the fourth quarter. Each team scored a touchdown in the final frame, before Syracuse took a 30-27 lead with 44 seconds left in the game. Kicker Andre Szmyt nailed a 49-yard kick, giving the Deacs one last chance. Sam Hartman, who filled in for injured Jamie Newman, led the Deacs down the field on an eight-play, 50-yard drive — the game was tied by a Sciba field goal to force overtime.

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Overtime saw one of the strangest football plays in recent memory. After a Syracuse field goal to begin the frame, Wake Forest drove inside the ten-yard line with a chance to win. However, Kendall Hinton was stripped of the football, and Syracuse ran the fumble back for a touchdown to seal the victory.

It was an unfortunate ending to an otherwise solid year for the Deacs. This game included one of the only missed field goals from Nick Sciba’s storied college career.

2020

An unremarkable contest from a strange season, Wake Forest won comfortably in 2020. The Demon Deacons took a 10-0 lead on a Kenneth Walker touchdown run to end the first quarter and never looked back.

The highlight of the game came in the third quarter. Following an 80-yard touchdown pass from Hartman to Jaquarii Roberson, Gavin Holmes took an interception 32 yards to the house for a 31-7 lead. The pick-six capped a 21-0 third quarter for Wake Forest.

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Syracuse scored in the fourth quarter to make it a bit closer, but the final score remained 38-14. Wake Forest forced three turnovers and outgained Syracuse 438-221, including a whopping 188-79 margin on the ground. While the Deacs advanced to a bowl game in 2020, Syracuse finished the year with an awful 1-10 record.

2021

One of the games of the season from a year ago, the last edition of Wake Forest-Syracuse was truly incredible. Once again meeting at the Carrier Dome, the Deacs had a 5-0 record, while the Orange came in at 3-2. No one expected what happened next.

A back-and-forth battle in the first half resulted in a 21-17 Syracuse lead. In the second half, the game got even more wild. A Nick Sciba field goal and 69-yard A.T. Perry touchdown briefly gave Wake Forest the lead. The Orange answered right back with a Sean Tucker touchdown run. After a few punts, Tucker ran Syracuse back into scoring range, but reminiscent of 2019, Syracuse missed a crucial field goal.

A long touchdown drive and two-point conversion gave the Deacs a 34-27 lead with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Tucker and the Orange responded once again. Given one last drive to tie the game, quarterback Garrett Shrader found Tucker on a 28-yard pass to tie the game with 21 seconds to go.

READ: Syracuse head coach Dino Babers on season, upcoming game against Wake Forest

Just like two years prior, Syracuse kicked a field goal in overtime. This time, however, the Deacs got the last laugh. On the second play of the overtime drive, Perry caught his third touchdown of the game to give Wake Forest the victory. Perry’s outstanding play is worth watching again:

🏈 2021 College Football Unlikely Wins # 21(t)

Week 6

Wake Forest 40
Syracuse 37

Post Game Win Expectancy: Wake Forest 14%

📓: https://t.co/AI6ktZhYLb
📓: https://t.co/YRC9gO7hVZ pic.twitter.com/GF6lGWSMoY

— Gary Segars (@GaryWCE) April 19, 2022

Shrader finished the game with 178 yards rushing and a touchdown, adding 160 yards and two scores through the air. Tucker had 153 yards rushing and two touchdowns, in addition to his receiving touchdown. And Perry somehow topped them all, ending the game with three catches for three touchdowns and 137 yards. It was one of the most remarkable performances by a receiver that we will ever see.

There you have it — a short yet exciting series history. Syracuse and Wake Forest are once again evenly matched teams as they meet this Saturday for senior night. Expect Sean Tucker and the Syracuse run game to battle A.T. Perry and the Wake Forest air attack. And if history tells us anything, this game might be decided once more by a missed field goal or a miraculous play in overtime.

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