Wake Forest blows out Western Carolina despite multiple delays

Field Level Media|published: Sat 6th September, 20:46 2025

Jan 25, 2025; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; New Wake Forest Demon Deacons football coach Jake Dickert speaks to the fans during the first half between the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Duke Blue Devils at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Wake Forest's 42-10 blowout of visiting Western Carolina on Saturday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, took more than six hours to complete, but the Demon Deacons didn't even need one minute to score on any of their six touchdown drives.

Wake Forest (2-0) scored on drives of 57, 42, five, 42, 37 and 41 seconds. Each quick-strike trip to the end zone came on a play of 27 yards or more, including three such runs from running back Demond Claiborne.

Claiborne carried for touchdowns of 27, 33 and 85 yards to highlight his 10-carry, 193-yard day.

Quarterback Robby Ashford got the scoring started following a weather delay of more than two hours, rushing 42 yards to pay dirt.

Wake Forest piled up 21 points in a stretch of just 5:30 of first-quarter game time and took a 21-3 lead into halftime over Western Carolina (0-2).

Another weather delay of almost an hour at intermission did not help the Catamounts, who surrendered Demon Deacons touchdowns on Claiborne's 85-yard carry, Ashford's 51-yard pass to Sterling Berkhalter and back-up quarterback Deshawn Purdie's 27-yard throw to Jeremiah Melvin.

The third-quarter deluge wrapped up a lopsided win in which Wake Forest totalled 542 yards of offense, split almost perfectly between 269 through the air and 273 on the ground. Ashford contributed on both fronts, running for 66 yards and finishing 13-of-22 passing for 227 yards.

Chris Barnes hauled in six passes for 149 yards, including a 64-yard reception.

Western Carolina finally broke through into the end zone late in the fourth quarter when Markel Townsend capped a 14-play, 75-yard drive with his fourth-down carry at the goal line.

Freshman reserve quarterback Isaac Lee led the scoring drive after subbing in for starter Bennett Judy. Judy finished 18-of-32 for 155 yards and an interception.

Lee went 8-of-10 for 49 yards and carried for a team-high 40 yards. The Catamounts officially managed just 34 yards, the result of five Wake Forest sacks decimating Western Carolina's already paltry output on the ground.

--Field Level Media