Boy was that a heck of a game. To call it a track meet is an understatement, but the Wake defense stepped up when it counted, and John Wolford was able to finish his career as a GOAT rather than a goat, as well it should be.
It was unquestionably a game of runs. Texas A&M went up 14-0 inut a hurry off of back to back blocked punts (seriously, how?) but the Deacs answered with a nuclear 31-0 run, ending up with a 38-28 halftime lead. The third quarter was dominated by A&M, who took the lead in the third on a 14-3 run. The lead was then extended by an Aggie field goal in the fourth, at which point the teams exchanged three touchdowns to flip the lead repeatedly, thankfully the last of which was scored by the Demon Deacons on a fantastic Matt Colburn scamper with 2:18 remaining. Colburn racked up 150 yards on 21 carries, including an incredible 66 yard scamper. John Wolford was the hero of the day, finishing his career with a spectacular 32-49 for 400 yards, 4 touchdowns, and no picks (though he did cough up a fumble). It also included 68 rushing yards on 15 carries for a solid 4.5 YPC. Only three players in the BCS Era have tallied 400 passing and 50 rushing yards in a bowl: Deshaun Watson, Tim Tebow, and now John Wolford.
The defense gave up a ton of yardage and points, including 499 passing yards for Nick Starkel, and a beastly outing for future NFL talent Christian Kirk, who feasted all day, 13 snags for 189 yards and 3 TDs. It was an instant classic, and multiple players, including Cam Serigne, carved their names into all-time record books on their way out the door. This game had pretty much everything but a trick play and a safety.
I’m exhausted. All I have left to say is thank you seniors, thank you coaches, great game Aggies, keep building, and Go Deacs. In terms of football, on to the next...season. And what a way to go out.
