Wake Forest rides Carlos Hernandez’s big plays, defense past North Carolina 28-12

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Wake Forest’s Carlos Hernandez scored two touchdowns, including one by returning a teammate’s fumble, on plays that caught North Carolina off guard and the Demon Deacons didn’t allow a touchdown in a 28-12 victory Saturday.

Hernandez racked up 100 receiving yards on six catches and Robby Ashford threw for a touchdown and ran for another for Wake Forest (7-3, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). Demond Claiborne ran for 98 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown.

It marked the first victory for first-year coach Jake Dickert against an in-state conference rival.

“I could feel a difference,” Dickert said. “I could feel the energy.”

North Carolina’s Rece Verhoff kicked four field goals, including a record-setting boot, but he had two other attempts blocked. The Tar Heels (4-6, 2-4) had a two-game winning streak snapped. They’ll have to win their final two games against in-state rivals to reach bowl eligibility in coach Bill Belichick’s first season as a college head coach.

“We just didn’t have a good night,” Belichick said. “It certainly wasn’t enough here.”

Ashford was 15-for-25 passing for 191 yards and also picked up 50 yards on the ground, with his 2-yard, fourth-down TD run coming with 22 seconds left.

Gio Lopez went 21 for 36 for 201 yards for the Tar Heels, who had 56 rushing yards compared to Wake Forest’s 223.

“Our physicality took over and I thought our mentality took over,” Dickert said. “… This is a gutty, gritty team.”

Hernandez scored the first touchdown after recovering Ashford’s fumble, scooping the ball near a pile of players and racing 50 yards to the end zone to conclude the game’s opening possession.

Verhoff booted a school-record 57-yard field goal on the last play of the first half, pulling North Carolina to within 14-6. He had other field goals from 40, 42 and 47 yards.

The Demon Deacons went up 21-9 in the third quarter on a flea flicker, with Hernandez going 56 yards down the sideline to complete a 70-yard play.

“We had a couple of trick plays in the bag,” Dickert said. “Our guys went out there and made big plays.”

The Takeaway

North Carolina: The Tar Heels got away with stretches of sluggish offense against Syracuse and Stanford, but that wasn’t the case in the first of three consecutive games against in-state opponents.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons went 2-2 in ACC home games and assured themselves of a winning season.

No TD zone

It marked the second game in a row that Wake Forest’s opponent didn’t score a touchdown following an upset a week earlier at Virginia. The Demon Deacons recorded two sacks, but there was regular pressure applied on Lopez.

North Carolina came up empty after recovering a fumble at the Wake Forest 31-yard line. The Tar Heels converted on their lone fourth-down gamble, but it didn’t matter.

“We need to finish those drives,” Belichick said. “We got the ball down there and just didn’t have enough to show for it.”

Getting his kicks

Verhoff’s 57-yarder instantly became a career highlight for the senior transfer.

“It was a great hit,” Verhoff said. “From my angle, I’m not going to lie, it looked like it was going to hit the upright. … All of a sudden I saw people hold their hands up ‘good’ because I couldn’t see it go in. I was ecstatic because I’ve worked a lot to hit one of those.”

Verhoff, who previously kicked for Marshall, tied the North Carolina single-game record with the six attempts.

Up Next

North Carolina: Saturday at home vs. Duke

Wake Forest: Saturday at home vs. Delaware

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