Wake Forest Athletics
Photo by: Jaylynn Nash LLC
By the Numbers and Notes: Virginia
10/15/2020 10:05:00 AM | Football
Before tuning into the Demon Deacons game against the Cavaliers on Saturday, here are some key notes about the Deacs.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Wake Forest football team is two days away from matching up with Virginia at Truist Field.
Before the Deacs host the Cavaliers at Truist Field, below are some numbers and notes on the game:
By the Numbers
21 - Boogie Basham enters Friday with a streak of 21 consecutive games with a tackle for loss, the longest streak in FBS by nine games.
108 - The Deacs' 108 combined points over the last two games are the most in the modern college football era and second most all-time.
45 - Ja'Sir Taylor and Zion Keith have each returned their lone interceptions for the season back for 45 yards. Through week five, Wake Forest was the only Power-5 school with two interception touchdowns.
13 - A The Deacs 43.50 kickoff return average and 15.20 punt return average both rank in the top 13 nationally.
91.1 - PFF announced Tuesday that Jaquarii Roberson was the highest-rated wide receiver in all of FBS with a 91.1 rating. He is the only receiver with a 90 or above.
4 – A win on Saturday would extend the Demon Deacons' winning streak to four games against Virginia, the longest in series history.
Notable
ON THE GROUND
Before the Deacs host the Cavaliers at Truist Field, below are some numbers and notes on the game:
By the Numbers
21 - Boogie Basham enters Friday with a streak of 21 consecutive games with a tackle for loss, the longest streak in FBS by nine games.
108 - The Deacs' 108 combined points over the last two games are the most in the modern college football era and second most all-time.
45 - Ja'Sir Taylor and Zion Keith have each returned their lone interceptions for the season back for 45 yards. Through week five, Wake Forest was the only Power-5 school with two interception touchdowns.
13 - A The Deacs 43.50 kickoff return average and 15.20 punt return average both rank in the top 13 nationally.
91.1 - PFF announced Tuesday that Jaquarii Roberson was the highest-rated wide receiver in all of FBS with a 91.1 rating. He is the only receiver with a 90 or above.
4 – A win on Saturday would extend the Demon Deacons' winning streak to four games against Virginia, the longest in series history.
Notable
ON THE GROUND
- LIVE WITH CBS: In a historic night for Wake Forest running backs, Christian Beal-Smith paced the group, running for a career-high 130 yard and a career-best three rushing touchdowns against Campbell. Beal-Smith scored twice in the opening quarter to help stake Wake to a 14-0 lead. On 20 carries, the Winston-Salem native averaged 6.5 yards per carry. As a team, he Deacs finished with 299 yards on the ground and six rushing touchdowns, the most rushing touchdowns since Sept. 2, 2010 against Presbyterian.
- OUR BACKS ARE FEELING 100: For the first time since Sept. 23, 2018, Wake Forest had a pair of running backs run for over 100 yards in the same game. Beal-Smith went for a career-best 130 yards while Kenneth Walker III posted 105 yards on just 11 carries.
- PUTTING THE BALL IN THE PAINT: In total four Wake Forest running backs found the endzone against Campbell, marking the first time since Sept. 17, 2011 the Deacs had four players run for a score.
- FIRST SINCE: Kenneth Walker III became the first Demon Deacons running back since Chris Barclay (2002-05) to have four or more 100-yard rushing games in his first two seasons on the Wake Forest campus. He has gone for 100-plus yards in back-to-back games.
- INTERCEPTING THE OPPOSITION: Last season, the Demon Deacons finished the year with 14 interceptions by 10 different players. Through three games, Wake Forest is on the same pace as four different players have accounted for the Deacs four total interceptions. After week five of the FBS season, Wake Forest is the only school in the country to have a pair of interceptions returned for touchdowns. Ja'Sir Taylor and Zion Keith have both returned their interceptions 45 yards for TDs.
- CASHING IN: On five of the Demon Deacons six turnovers forced this season, they have turned into Wake Forest touchdowns. This included three touchdowns against Campbell.
- PROTECTING THE ROCK: Through three games, Wake Forest has only turned the ball over once this season and the Deacs are one of just four FBS schools yet to throw an interception this season. There is only one other ACC school who has not thrown an interception this year. The Demon Deacons +5 turnover margin this season ranks sixth nationally and is second in the league.
- TACKLES FOR LOSS: Over the last 21 games in his Wake Forest career, Carlos "Boogie" Basham Jr. has been the most consistent force in the country at getting into the backfield. He has at least one tackle for loss in those games and has a total of 27.5 tackles for loss and 102 total tackle for loss yards.
- SACK KING: During the first three games of the season, Basham has recorded a sack in each game. Over the last 12 contests, the Roanoke, Va. native has at least one sack in 10 games. He is currently tied for fifth on Wake Forest's all-time sack list with 18.5 total sacks.
- MORIN MAGIC: After averaging better than 12 yards per punt return in the season opener against No. 1 Clemson, Taylor Morin bettered his season average to 15.20 through three games. He currently ranks fourth in the nation in punt return average.
- A LOT OF GREENE AHEAD: With the help of a 96-yard kick return for touchdown, Donavon Greene's 43.5 kick return average ranks third nationally. He became the first Wake Forest player since Kevin Marion in 2007 to return a kickoff for a touchdown.
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
RB
/ FootballMen's Basketball Postgame Presser vs. Clemson, 2026 ACC Tournament
Thursday, March 12
Wake Forest Women's Basketball: Marcy Carter Women's History Month Feature
Wednesday, March 11
Sebastian Akins Tough
Wednesday, March 11
Wake Forest Advances in 2026 ACC Tournament
Wednesday, March 11