Wake Forest survives sloppy affair vs. SMU with last-second field goal

Connor Calvert drilled a 50-yard field goal as time expired to give Wake Forest a 13-12 win over SMU in a sloppy Atlantic Coast Conference matchup Saturday afternoon in Winston-Salem, N.C.

After the Demon Deacons fumbled twice inside the 10-yard line in the fourth quarter, a 25-yard pass from Deshawn Purdie to Kamrean Johnson with six seconds left to set Calvert up for his game-winning kick.

Wake Forest (5-2, 2-2 in ACC) overcame five turnovers to win its first conference home game since Oct. 21, 2023.

SMU (5-3, 3-1) turned it over three times and managed just 246 yards of offense, taking its first regular-season loss in an ACC game after winning its first 11 in the conference.

Purdie, who played the majority of the game at quarterback, completed 14 of 26 passes for 183 yards and two interceptions.

SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings was 21-of-39 passing for 171 yards and one interception. The Mustangs managed just eight first downs.

Saturday's game did not get off to the quickest start. Wake Forest was held to -1 yard in the opening 15 minutes and still held a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Demon Deacons took advantage of a shanked punt that gave them the ball at the SMU 20 with a 25-yard field goal by Calvert.

The Mustangs got on the board three minutes into the second quarter on a 36-yard Sam Keltner field goal.

But Wake Forest took advantage of another SMU mishap, this time a Jennings fumble, to reclaim the lead less than two minutes later on a 12-yard TD pass from Ashford to Eni Falayi with 10:09 left in the half.

SMU cut into the deficit with a 35-yard field goal with 3:53 left. That 10-6 margin remained the score at halftime despite a wild sequence of events that saw three turnovers within the final minute.

The Mustangs took their first lead with 2:58 left in the third quarter on a 6-yard run from Shaadie Clayton-Johnson that was set up by a failed fourth-down conversion by the Demon Deacons at their own 41. But a blocked extra point wound up being the difference in the result.

--Field Level Media