“They made more plays than us — we just needed to make plays.”

Although Head Coach Dave Clawson and Wake Forest football (1-1, 0-1 ACC) won their first matchup of the year last week against North Carolina A&T, the Demon Deacons were truly tested by an opponent for the first time this Saturday night — and they failed, losing to the Virginia Cavaliers, 31-30.

After winning the coin toss and electing to defer, the Demon Deacon defense hit the field, notably without two key starters — star defensive end Jasheen Davis and cornerback Demarcus Rankin. Despite their absences, Wake Forest still found quality snaps out of their defense, including a wrap-up tackle from linebacker Branson Combs and a third-down stop at the hands of defensive lineman Kevin Pointer.

Wake Forest’s offense came out hot, continuing its momentum from last week under quarterback Hank Bachmeier. A long 31-yard find to tight end Harry Lodge set the Demon Deacons on the Cavaliers’ side of the field. Two plays later, running back Demond Claiborne used his trademark agility and quickness to burst through a hole in the offensive line, break a tackle and dash into the endzone to get the first score on the board.

The Virginia offense would get their chances on the next drive, including a long bomb from Cavaliers quarterback Anthony Colandrea toward receiver Trell Harris that looked set for six points. Despite the broken coverage, the ball fell through Harris’ hands at the Wake Forest six yard line, and the Hoos’ drive turned unsuccessful — though they wouldn’t remain empty-handed for long.

After going three and out, the Demon Deacons found themselves reeling from a pair of Colandrea throws to star receiver Malachi Fields. The receiver got the offense going with 21 and 45-yard gains, setting up the Cavaliers within three yards of the goal line. After a trio of goal-line stops by the Demon Deacon defense, Cavaliers’ kicker Will Bettridge knocked in a field goal for their first points.

Colandrea had a bit of trouble on his next drive, however. On a third-and-seven from his own 41 yard line, the quarterback attempted a short throw toward one of his receivers — only to have his pass tipped and caught by Pointer, who returned the ball into the Demon Deacon red zone. It took a pair of carries for Claiborne to find the end zone again — taking it two yards for his second touchdown score of the night.

After the Cavaliers’ offensive issues, they looked to flip their momentum. After a flurry of Colandrea throws and scrambles, Virginia found the endzone for their first touchdown of the night on an 18-yard pass to tight end Tyler Neville. 

After halftime, the Demon Deacon offense executed their game script seemingly to a T — nailing a 14-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a three-yard touchdown by wideout Donovan Greene. Greene slipped out from the line of scrimmage as Bachmeier rolled right of the pocket, and the former raced to the pylon for six points.

“Hank [Bachmeier] played really well,” Clawson said postgame. “He moved the offense well and made good decisions.”

The Demon Deacons had several unsuccessful drives offensively in the last half. Despite a few quality plays, the Deacons were stopped just past midfield. A sack on fourth-and-nine allowed the Cavaliers to retake possession in plus territory.

Colandrea and his offense continued their short gains and converted on fourth-and-two in their own red zone to force a goal line drive. After an initially unsuccessful play, the Cavaliers substituted in backup quarterback Grady Brosterhaus to sneak the ball in for the one-point lead.

“We blew two coverages,” Clawson said of the secondary postgame. “You know, that’s 14 points right there. We guessed on a route, and blew a coverage.”

The Demon Deacons had a two-minute drill to respond. After starting within their own 25-yard line, Bachmeier found Taylor Morin for a 19-yard gain. The two connected again afterward, as Morin was found open streaking across the field — that’s when chaos struck.

Morin, after receiving the ball, was in the process of being tackled by the Virginia secondary when the ball popped out of his hands, fumbling the ball on the Virginia 33 yard line. Greene was able to seemingly beat the defenders to the ball, but attempted to scoop the ball up with his hands — allowing Cavaliers’ defensive back Antonio Clary to fall on the ball and regain possession for the Hoos.

“There’s no reason to try to pick that up, just get on [the football],” said Clawson of the fumble. “If we do, it might be a different game.”

After the Cavaliers’ offense drained Wake Forest of their timeouts, they punted to Wake Forest’s five yard line, setting up a daunting task ahead. The Demon Deacons ran out of time and suffered their first loss of the season, 31-30.

“It’s something where you have to move on, because there’s another great team [Ole Miss] coming up,” Bachmeier said. “It’s only week two, so you have a lot of games ahead of you.”