Wake Forest scores an upset on the road, takes down No. 16 Louisville 30-27
Connor Calvert kicked three field goals, including a 32-yarder with 6:20 remaining, to lift Wake Forest to a 30-27 upset win over No. 16 Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Connor Calvert kicked three field goals, including a 32-yarder with 6:20 remaining, to lift Wake Forest to a 30-27 upset win over No. 16 Louisville on Saturday.
Gio Lopez threw for 225 yards and a touchdown on 12 of 19 passing for the Demon Deacons (3-1, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who scored their first conference win of the season. Carlos Hernandez caught nine of those for 194 yards, just three yards off the career best he set last season against Delaware.
Ty Clark III carried the ball 21 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns.
Louisville (2-2, 1-1) played without two starting defensive backs, and Lopez and Hernandez took full advantage. The duo connected on a 77-yard touchdown pass to put the Demon Deacons up 17-14 with 5:49 left in the first half. After the defense picked off Louisville quarterback Lincoln Kienholz, their 31-yard pass led to Clark’s second score, a 6-yard run that made it a 10-point lead with 1:19 to go in the half.
The Cardinals rallied to tie the game, using a 61-yard touchdown pass from Kienholz to Jaleel Skinner to make it a three-point game just 22 seconds after Clark’s last score. Carson Hilbert tied it with 9:37 left in the third on a 41-yard field goal.
Hilbert, who also made a 54-yarder late in the third to tie the game at 27, missed a 42-yarder with 2:29 remaining. Nick Keller lined up for a 57-yarder with 15 seconds remaining, but Gabe Kirschke blocked it to seal the upset.
Kienholz completed 27 of 36 passes for 324 yards with a touchdown and his first interception of the season. He also ran for two scores.
The takeaway
Wake Forest: Despite being a two-score underdog, the Demon Deacons went toe-to-toe with the Cardinals to upset a ranked foe on the road for the second straight year. They took advantage of every Cardinals mistake and held a rushing attack that averaged 229 yards per game this season to only 75 yards.
Louisville: The Cardinals under coach Jeff Brohm have been known to lose a winnable game after beating a ranked opponent, and usually by their own making. Personal fouls, busted coverages in the secondary, an interception and a missed makeable field goal late all contributed to the latest bad loss.
Up next
Wake Forest hosts Stanford.
Louisville visits N.C. State.
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