Wake Forest University
Presbyterian
Deacons Roll Presbyterian 51-7
8/31/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Final Stats | Quotes | Photo Gallery 
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeFB)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Wake Forest opened the 2017 season in style with a 51-7 dominating win over Presbyterian.
In the biggest win of the Dave Clawson era, the Demon Deacons worked a balanced attack of rushing (248) and passing (239). The Deacon defense held Presbyterian to 248 yards of total offense and limited the Blue Hose to just two pass completions.
Quarterback John Wolford earned the starting nod and went 11-for-15 complete with three touchdown passes and 107 yards passing. Wolford also rushed six times for 47 yards and one touchdown. Kendall Hinton took over for Wolford late in the second quarter and went 7-for-8 passing with two touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown. Redshirt freshman Jamie Newman took over for quarterback in the fourth quarter.
Receiver Greg Dortch and tight end Cam Serigne each caught two touchdown passes. Dortch had a team-high 55 yards receiving. It was the first time since 1950 that Wake Forest had two players with two touchdown catches in the same game. Alex Bachman added a receiving touchdown in the contest. Dortch flashed his playmaking ability with 76 punt return yards on four chances and had a 25-yard kickoff return.
Cameron Glenn led the defense with six total tackles including four solo stops. Duke Ejiofor had three tackles for loss including a sack. Jaboree Williams and Zeek Rodney also recorded a sack.
Serigne caught the first touchdown pass of the season for Wake Forest as he hauled in an 8-yard pass from Wolford. Wake Forest capitalized on good field position after the Blue Hose punt was returned to the visitor's 33-yard line. After the failed PAT, the Deacons led 6-0.
On the ensuing drive, Wolford fired a 26-yard touchdown pass to Serigne, putting Wake Forest up 13-0 halfway through the first quarter. The Deacons capped off the first frame with a field goal, pushing the margin to 16-0. Wake Forest tallied 12 first downs in the quarter.
Wolford continued the first half offensive onslaught with a 2-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. Justin Strnad picked off Presbyterian quarterback Ben Cheek on the ensuing drive which led to a touchdown catch from Dortch. On the first play of the drive, Dortch caught a screen pass from Wolford and made a nifty move to the end zone as Wake Forest led 30-0.
Hinton continued the scoring with a 42-yard touchdown pass to Dortch in the waning minutes of the quarter. The Deacons took a 37-0 lead into halftime while limiting the Blue Hose to just 53 yards of total offense in the half.
In the opening minutes of the third quarter, Bachman caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Hinton. The Deacons added onto the lead with a 1-yard touchdown run from Hinton. By the end of the third quarter, Wake Forest held a 51-0 advantage.
Presbyterian broke the shutout with a 14-yard touchdown run from Mark Robinson.
Wake Forest closed out the game for the 51-7 victory.
Starting the Season Strong
- Thursday's win marked the third straight opening-game win for the Deacs. It also improves Dave Clawson's record to 3-1 in opening games with Wake Forest.
- The Deacs have won eight straight home-openers.
Hot Start
- Wake Forest's 37 points in the first half is the most the team has scored in a half in the Dave Clawson era. It is also the second straight game in which the team has scored at least 30 points in a half. The Deacs scored 31 in the first half of the Military Bowl against Temple to end last season.
- The team's 21 points in the second quarter tied for the most in a quarter by Wake Forest in the Clawson era. The Deacs also scored 21 in the second quarter against Elon in 2015.
- The Deacs' 37-0 halftime lead is the largest since a 42-0 lead against Duke in 2003.
Dominant on D
- In holding the Blue Hose to under 10 points, it marks the fifth-straight season the Demon Deacons have allowed fewer than 10 points in their home opener.
Solid Under Center
- John Wolford made his fourth straight season opening start at quarterback for the Deacs. He is one of only three active FBS quarterbacks expected to make four straight opening day starts, and he becomes the first Wake Forest QB ever to do so.
- Wolford's four total touchdowns tied a career high. His only previous game with four total touchdowns was in the 2015 season opener against Elon.
- His three passing touchdowns also tied a career high. It is the third time in his career he has thrown three touchdowns in a game. The previous two occurred in 2015.
Reliable in Relief
- Quarterback Kendall Hinton came off the bench and delivered a career-best two touchdown passes. - Hinton's three total touchdowns also tied a career high, set in 2015 against Indiana.
Prolific Offense
- Wake Forest's 51 points are the most the team has scored in a game in the Dave Clawson era, and is the most in program history since they scored 54 against Duke in 2010.
- The team's 44-point margin of victory is the largest in the Clawson era. The previous high was 38, a 41-3 win in the 2015 season opener against Elon.
- The Deacs' five touchdown passes tie the school record for TD passes in a single game. The only other five TD pass game was against Duke in 2009, all of which were thrown by Riley Skinner.
Steady Serigne
- Senior tight end Cam Serigne tied a career high with two touchdown receptions. His only previous game with two TD receptions game against Clemson in 2014, his freshman season.
- Serigne's first-quarter touchdown pass gives him a TD reception in two straight games, dating back to last season's Military Bowl. It is the first time in his career that Serigne has caught touchdown passes in back to back games.
- Serigne has at least one reception in all 37 games that he has played for the Deacs.
Spreading the Wealth
- Both Cam Serigne and Greg Dortch caught two touchdown passes each for the Deacs. This is the first time since 1950 that two different Demon Deacons have caught at least two touchdown passes in the same game.
