Football: Virginia Cavaliers fall to Wake Forest 51-7 on the road

The Virginia Cavaliers lost 51-7 to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem. Virginia (4-5, 2-4 in conference) fell to 0-3 on the road. Wake Forest improved to 7-1.

Wake Forest builds the lead

The Demon Deacons scored on their first possession, a 5-play, 51-yard drive capped by a 2-yard Ty Clark III run with 12:29 left in the first quarter. Connor Calvert added a 45-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead. Clark scored again from 4 yards in the second quarter, and Calvert's 25-yard kick with 10 seconds left in the half made it 20-0 at the break.

The third quarter was Wake Forest's biggest. Calvert hit a 44-yard field goal, Gio Lopez found Carlos Hernandez from 10 yards, Clark ran in from 2 yards for his third rushing score, and Jamar Searcy added a 7-yard touchdown run. That put Wake Forest ahead 44-0 with 1:57 left in the quarter.

Virginia's lone score

Virginia got on the board with 50 seconds left in the third. Beau Pribula threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Da'Shawn Martin, and Will Bettridge's kick made it 44-7. The drive took 4 plays and covered 75 yards in 1:07. Kyndall McCaleb answered with a 27-yard touchdown run with 9:08 left in the fourth for the final margin.

Martin finished with nine catches for 119 yards and the touchdown. Pribula went 20 of 29 for 212 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Eli Holstein completed 12 of 16 passes for 102 yards.

Ground game decides it

Wake Forest ran 51 times for 309 yards, 6.1 per carry, and finished with 538 total yards. The Demon Deacons converted 9 of 14 third downs and did not turn the ball over. Searcy led them with 78 yards on eight carries, and Lopez added 64 yards on 13 carries and threw for 229 yards. Hernandez had eight catches for 136 yards.

Virginia managed 16 rushing yards on 19 carries, 0.8 per attempt, and went 1 of 12 on third down. The Cavaliers were 3 of 7 on fourth down. They finished with 330 total yards, 314 of them through the air, and held the ball for 26:17 to Wake Forest's 33:43.

Virginia turned the ball over on downs three times, including at the Wake Forest goal line in the fourth quarter. Holstein threw four straight passes inside the 6-yard line, the last three falling incomplete, and Wake Forest took over with 5:52 left. Virginia's final drive ended with a Holstein sack and fumble at the Wake Forest 31 as time expired. Virginia's A. Payne recovered it.

Defensive notes

Montino Williams led Virginia with 10 tackles, and Christian Ellis had nine. Matthew Fobbs-White and Kam Robinson each had a sack. Daniel Sparks punted four times for a 48.0 average, with two landing inside the 20.

Virginia's next game is at home against the California Golden Bears.