Wake Forest overwhelms SMU to claim seventh straight win

Wake Forest built a 42-0 halftime lead and cruised past SMU 49-7 in Dallas on November 14, handing the Mustangs their first home loss in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Demon Deacons improved to 9-1 overall and 6-1 in the ACC; SMU fell to 7-3 and 5-3.

Quarterback Gio Lopez accounted for three touchdowns, rushing for two and throwing for another. He passed for 201 yards before giving way late in the third quarter. Carlos Hernandez caught a 44-yard touchdown pass and finished with 94 receiving yards, while Ty Clark led Wake Forest’s rushing attack with 77 yards.

Wake Forest gained 535 yards to SMU’s 275. The visitors opened the scoring with a touchdown on third-and-18, and four of their first-half scores came on third down. A 38-yard run by Jamar Searcy on fourth-and-1 set up another touchdown. SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings threw for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

The win strengthened Wake Forest’s playoff case after the team entered the week ranked 13th in the 12-team playoff standings. The Demon Deacons have scored 119 points across their past six quarters, including a 77-0 victory over Merrimack the previous week. They have also kept opponents from scoring before halftime in four straight games while scoring at least 20 points in each.

Wake Forest visits Georgia Tech next Saturday, while SMU travels to face No. 5 Notre Dame. The loss ended SMU’s run of 12 consecutive home victories in ACC games.