It was apropos that the Wake Forest-SMU game was played on Homecoming in Winston-Salem. The style of play and execution harkened back to another era…maybe the 1930s. In a game that lacked offense, had an abundance of turnovers and punts, Wake Forest had one final play that mattered more than the rest. Connor Calvert squeezed in a 50-yard field goal with no time left on the clock to give Wake the 13-12 win
The two teams combined for more punt yards (669) than they had total offense (547). They combined for seven turnovers. Four of them were in the last 1:30 of the second quarter. There were eight total turnovers, six of them by Wake, including a seemingly critical one at the end of the game as the Demon Deacons were driving for a potential game-winning score.
It truly was some of the ugliest football imaginable. But at the end of the morass, all that matters is that Wake goes to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play. SMU drops to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the ACC. It was the first regular-season loss as a member of the ACC for SMU.
It was an emotional post-game press conference room after the Deacs’ win. Head coach Jake Dickert was intense and fired up, talking about his team. That emotion turned to silence and then tears as Wake benefactor Bob McCreary walked in and took a seat in the front row. Dickert thanked McCreary for believing in him as he choked up talking expressing his appreciation.
The mood was dramatically different than what it would have been just a few minutes earlier.
Early in the first half, starting quarterback Deshawn Purdie had to come out of the game when his helmet came off. But Robby Ashford stayed in for far longer than just a play or two. He “engineered” Wake’s first scoring drive. We use that term loosely. Wake needed seven plays and 3:12 off the clock to go just 12 yards and get the 25-yard field goal from Calvert.
That 3-0 Wake Forest lead was the only scoring in the entire first quarter. SMU had 32 yards of offense. Wake Forest had -1 yard of offense. The Mustangs had managed two first downs, and Wake got only one.
On its first drive of the second quarter, SMU had the ball third and eight on the Wake Forest 18-yard line. Deac defensive back Davaughn Patterson batted down a Kevin Jennings pass in the end zone. That forced SMU to settle for a 36-yard field goal that tied the game at 3-3.
Later in the quarter, Wake defensive end got a strip-sack on Jennings deep in SMU territory. Jayden Loving recovered the fumble at the SMU 14-yard line. Two plays later, Ashford hit Eni Falayi at the six-yard line, and the tight end walked into the end zone untouched for the 10-3 Wake lead.
The 14-yard drive was the longest of the game for either team to that point.
SMU added a 35-yard field goal to make it 10-6, Wake Forest. The two teams spent the rest of the half turning the ball over and having their offenses stall out.
At the half, Wake Forest had 73 yards of offense (averaging 2.4 yards per play), and SMU had 165 yards (averaging 3.9 yards per play).
Purdie was back at quarterback to start the second half, and on his third play of the third quarter, his pass was intercepted by Isaiah Nwokobia and returned 43 yards to the Wake Forest 29-yard line. An offensive face mask penalty and four plays netted SMU all of four yards of offense. The Mustangs settled for a 43-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide right.
Missing, that was the theme. The two teams, missing any real offense, traded go-nowhere drives. Wake put together a 21-yard drive. But on fourth and one at its own 41-yard line, Purdie threw an incompletion and Wake lost the ball on downs. SMU finally capitalized. Jennings completed the 41-yard drive with Shaadie Clayton-Johnson running the final six yards up the middle for the touchdown. The PAT was blocked by Wake’s Dallas Afalava, so SMU held a 12-10 lead.
The two teams spent the fourth quarter putting up more yards but no points. Wake looked like it was going to end the touchdown void. Wake started the drive at its own 34-yard line. The Deacs were down at the SMU six-yard line with under two minutes to go. Running back Demond Claiborne carried the ball up the middle and fumbled, with SMU recovering.
After the game, Dickert blamed himself for that call. He said they should have been working on getting the ball to the center of the field for a game-winning field goal.
But SMU went three and out before having to punt again.
Wake had the ball on its own 42-yard line. Purdie completed a 25-yard pass to tight end Kamrean Johnson to the SMU 33-yard line. With no timeouts left, the clock stopped with the first down. Purdie rushed the team to the line to spike the ball and stop the game clock with four seconds left.
From there, it was Calvert’s leg that was the difference. He said he was confident when he went out there and confident after kicking the ball. Replays show the ball barely made it over the crossbar and bounced off the rubber padding under the uprights.
That bounce led SMU to think the kick was no good. Mustang players stood on the field looking at the Jumbotron for the replay. A reporter on the field confirmed that the game referee had already been told in his ear by the replay center that the kick was good.
It was the first walk-off kick for Wake Forest since the win over Army in 2015.
Dickert acknowledged that the game was ugly, saying there were times the Deacs “disrespected the football.” But it did not erase the value or the emotion of the win.
Last Word will have more post-game coverage on Sunday afternoon.
Main Image: Wake Forest
