The Demon Deacons shut out the Black Knights in the second half to pick up eighth straight win over Army.
For the eighth time in eight games, the Wake Forest football team defeated the Army Black Knights, this time in a 24-21 victory at BB&T Field on Saturday, September 20th. An impressive defensive performance saw the Deacs shut out the Black Knights in the second half, while on the other side of things, freshman place kicker Mike Weaver tied a Wake Forest record when he made his sixth straight field goal out of his first six attempts as a Demon Deacon.
First Things First
The first drive of the game was relatively uneventful for the Deacs, with only one first down, one rushing yard and 22 passing yards before redshirt junior Alex Kinal hit a 49-yard punt.
The next time around, redshirt senior wide receiver Matt James started off the drive with a 23-yard catch from freshman quarterback John Wolford to get things going for Wake Forest. Freshman tailback Isaiah Robinson would be the star of this drive, rushing for 40 total yards including his 15-yard rushing touchdown to put Wake on the board. Weaver's kick would be good to make it 7-0 Deacs 11 minutes into the game.
Army would counter the Deacs' lead by taking a five minute march down the field, culminating in a 5-yard rushing touchdown from senior running back Larry Dixon to tie it at 7-7 with under a minute left in the first quarter. As time ran out, Wake set themselves up nicely to start the second quarter as graduate wide receiver E.J. Scott caught a 36-yard pass from Wolford before rushing for 11 yards to put the Deacs at the 2-yard line when play would resume.
Second and Sacked
Just minutes into the second half, it was Scott again, this time catching a 1-yard pass up the middle to put Wake on the first yard line. Despite a loss of five yards on the next play, the Deacs would connect on third down, with redshirt freshman tight end Cam Serigne catching a six-yard touchdown pass from Wolford to double the Deacs' lead to 14-7.
From there, the Black Knights took control of things, as senior quarterback Angel Santiago rushed on four straight plays, and six total plays on the drive, leading to a 1-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown to make it 14 all. A false start penalty and a sack on Wolford saw the Deacs turn the ball back over on downs. Army took full advantage of having another chance to drive and sophomore wide receiver Jared Moss found himself in the endzone to make it 21-14 for the Black Knights. On the next Army drive, Santiago would also be sacked, making both of the quarterbacks finding themselves on the ground during the second quarter, but the Deacs couldn't do anything to get back on the board. Despite junior kicker Daniel Grochowski missing a 40-yard field goal with the clock running down, Army would hold onto their 21-14 lead over Wake Forest at the half.
Third and Nothing
Coming out after halftime, the Demon Deacon defense showed just how they came to play when they held the Black Knights to just 30 yards in the third quarter. While the Deacs couldn't find a way to score or really make any strong moves offensively, ending one drive with minus 2 yards, they didn't let Army score either, giving them a chance to stay alive and make a push in the fourth.
Four Timeouts in the Fourth
Looking to make his mark in Wake Forest history, Weaver would kick a 20-yard field goal, making it 21-17 with almost 15 minutes to play, and tie a Demon Deacon record by making his first six field goals in as many attempts in his career. Set in 1969 by Tracy Lounsbury, the record now belongs to both players, with Weaver having a chance to break the record in his next game.
Looking to pull ahead, the Deacs kept on rushing down the field to try and find a way to get themselves back on the board. Scott, who had been making himself known all game long, found himself on the receiving end of a 12-yard slant pass from Wolford to give the Deacs the 24-21 lead.
With just under three minutes left in the game, both teams were watching the clock. Trying to stop the Deacon drive, Army called two timeouts in a span of four seconds to try and throw Wake off balance; so the Deacs countered with two timeouts of their own to try and burn down the remaining time left. Ending their drive with just two seconds left in the game, it was all over for the Deacs as they held on to win 24-21 and go 2-0 at home in 2014.
