Senior & Graduates Day Salute: Deacs Battle Blue Devils in 2024 Finale Inside Allegacy Stadium

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Despite Taylor Morin capping off a historic Demon Deacons career by setting a new program record for receiving yards, Wake Forest (4-8, 2-6 ACC) dropped a hard-fought 23-17 decision to Duke (9-3, 5-3 ACC) on Senior & Graduates Day inside Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. With that, Wake Forest Athletics honored 34 football players, 11 members of the Spirit of the Old Gold & Black, 12 Deacs from the Spirit Squads and four student staffers on Saturday.

Saturday's game was the 104th meeting between these two storied programs, which dates back to 1889. Additionally, the last three meetings have now been decided by a combined 12 points.

In addition to Morin setting the Wake Forest program record for career receiving yards, junior tailback Demond Claiborne became the second Demon Deacon to ever log 1,000 rushing yards and 250 receiving yards in a season after he crossed the millennium barrier with 67 yards on the afternoon. The Aylett, Va. product finished the season with 11 scoring scampers. That total is tied with quarterback Sam Hartman's tally (11) that ranks second in program history from his historic 2021 season.

Finally, that duo of Claiborne and Morin finished the season with more than 1,000 yards all-purpose in 2024 and their 2,648 combined all-purpose yards are the most by any Wake Forest duo since 2018. Additionally, Wake Forest is one of just two ACC teams to have multiple players with 1,000 or more all-purpose yards this season.

On the field inside Allegacy Stadium on Saturday, redshirt senior quarterback Hank Bachmeier connected on 22-of-30 attempts for 207 yards and a touchdown. His top target on Saturday was Morin as he tallied eight receptions for 47 yards while redshirt sophomore Horatio Fields recorded his fourth touchdown catch of the campaign.

Defensively, the Deacs were led by junior safety Nick Andersen, senior linebacker Branson Combs and redshirt junior linebacker Dylan Hazen who each recorded nine tackles on the afternoon. As a team, the Demon Deacons recorded nine tackles for loss, led by Hazen's three, as The Woodlands, Texas native also recorded a fumble recovery. Additionally, redshirt freshman safety Rushaun Tongue hauled in his first career interception.

Saturday's game brings the Demon Deacons' 2024 season to close. Stay tuned to GoDeacs.com and Wake Forest' social media platforms for ticket information and more news and notes ahead of the 2025 season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Duke won the opening coin toss and elected to receive.
On its opening drive, Wake Forest was able to generate 24 yards of offense including two receptions for 11 yards by redshirt wide receiver Taylor Morin but were forced to punt.
The Demon Deacons forced a three-and-out on the first defensive appearance of the afternoon.
Wake Forest's second offensive drive stalled out after 13 plays, as the Demon Deacons missed a 43-yard field goal attempt as the game remained 0-0 with 4:50 remaining in the first quarter.
Once again, the Deacs forced the Blue Devils into a three-and-out on Duke's second offensive drive of the game. On a 2nd-and-7 rush attempt, senior defensive linemen Jasheen Davis and Bryce Ganious stopped Duke for a two-yard loss.
Duke took a 3-0 lead with 13:39 remaining in the second quarter, capping off an eight-play, 41-yard drive with the game's first score.
Wake Forest took its first lead of the afternoon on an eight-yard touchdown run by redshirt sophomore running back Tate Carney, as his scamper completed a 77-yard drive.
- Over the seven plays, redshirt senior quarterback Hank Bachmeier completed three passes for 58 yards including a 30-yard connection with redshirt sophomore wide receiver Horatio Fields one play before Carney's score.
The Deacs created their first turnover of the afternoon on the ensuing Blue Devils drive, as redshirt freshman safety Rushaun Tongue corralled a ball out tipped up by the Deacs for his career interception.
Wake Forest extended its lead to 10-3 off the pick, as redshirt junior kicker Matthew Dennis nailed a 37-yard field goal attempt.
The Demon Deacons took a 10-3 lead into the halftime break.
Despite the Blue Devils getting the ball first to start the second half, Ganious recorded a 10-yard sack on 2nd-and-11 before Wake Forest forced Duke into its fourth punt of the contest.
Wake forced its second turnover of the Blue Devils on a 3rd-and-12 completion, as senior linebacker Branson Combs knocked the ball free before redshirt junior Dylan Hazen recovered the ball at the Duke 16-yard line.
The Deacs would utilize the short field to take a 17-3 lead, as Bachmeier found Fields on a slant route for a nine-yard score.
Duke cut into the Wake Forest lead in the final minute of the third quarter, 17-10, completing a four-play, 42-yard march with a three-yard touchdown run.
The Blue Devils would recover a fumble on Wake Forest's kickoff following the touchdown and tie up the contest at 17-17 at 12:57 left in regulation.
Duke scored a 39-yard touchdown on the final play of the game to secure a 23-17 result.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Two-year captain wideout Taylor Morin had a career season in 2024 and firmly etched his name in the Wake Forest record books following an incredible career. His highlights this fall include:
- Morin was the first Power-4 player to have a punt return touchdown in 2024.
- Finished his career with 61 career games played, which is tied with Michael Jurgens (2018-23) for the second-most in Demon Deacon career.
- Hauled in 21 touchdown receptions – ranks tied for fourth in program history.
- Set a program record with 2,974 career receiving yards and set the school record on Saturday vs. Duke. He passed Ricky Proehl's (1986-89) total of 2,949 yards.
- Additionally, Morin finished the season ranked in the top three on the ACC Career Active Leader in receiving touchdowns, receptions and receiving yards.
- Finished his career with a catch in 31-straight games – that streak ranked 19th in the country.
- With 809 punt return yards (10.6 avg.), Morin solidified himself in second in program history in career punt return yards behind George Coghill (1989-92) total of 1,002 yards in that category.

In 2024, Morin totaled 14 returns for 238 yards. That 17.0 yards per punt return average ranked third in the country entering Week 14.

STAGGERING STATISTICS

Junior tailback Demond Claiborne capped off a historic season on Saturday.
- His totals for the season included 228 carries for 1,049 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. Additionally, he caught 23 passes for 254 yards and a pair of receiving touchdowns. Finally, he returned 11 kickoffs for 277 yards (25.1 average) and had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Miami in Week 13.
- Clairborne became the second Demon Deacon to ever log 1,000 rushing yards and 250 receiving yards in a season.
- He is the first Wake Forest running back to total 1,000 yards on the ground since Cade Carney accomplished this feat in 2018.
- His 11 scoring runs is tied with quarterback Sam Hartman's tally (11) that ranks second in program history from his historic 2021 season.
- Claiborne's aforementioned 100-yard return against Miami is tied for the longest play in program history, matching Alphonso Smith's 100-yard interception return for a touchdown against Maryland in 2007.
  - The kickoff return for a touchdown marked his second of his career and he became the second Demon Deacon in program history to record multiple in his career (John Stone, 3 kickoff return touchdowns).

FROM COACH CLAWSON
"Obviously, a heartbreaking loss. It's a tough way to lose a game and a tough way to end the season. Certainly, credit to Duke and their whole staff. They certainly made enough plays. Our players fought all year, gave us a great effort and they prepared well. When you lose one-score games, you really examine things hard. So, again, I'm really proud of their effort. We had a chance to win that thing in the fourth quarter, and we made some critical errors. We gave them two short fields to make it a tie game, obviously, busting the coverage at the end of the game. If we can just stay on top of it, we're in overtime, but we didn't. That was kind of a microcosm of our season. Congratulations to Taylor on setting the school record. It's been a tough year, a long year, and I'm proud of our team and how hard they fought."

2024 Season Highlights & Recap

Demon Deacon Victory Recaps:
- Week 1: Triad Community Comes Together for Opening Night at Allegacy Stadium; Deacs Down Aggies, 45-13
  - Opening Night at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium was the place to be as head coach Dave Clawson and his 2024 football team began the season in style with a dominant victory over North Carolina A&T, 45-13. In addition to the aforementioned pageantry and atmosphere, the Deacs recorded more than 500 yards of total offense, led by 135 rushing yards and a touchdown from Demond Claiborne while three different Deacs hauled in receiving touchdowns including the returning Donavon Greene. Quarterbacks Hank Bachmeier and Michael Kern combined to go 24-of-37 for 322 yards and three touchdowns.
- Week 6: Big Four Rivalry Win: Demon Deacons Capture Complete Team Victory at NC State
  - Behind a standout offensive performance from Demond Claiborne and timely defensive plays by Nick Andersen and Branson Combs inside Carter-Finley Stadium, Wake Forest football earned a come-from-behind 34-30 victory over its Big Four rival NC State. Following these aforementioned performances, Wake Forest has won five of its past eight games during this historic rivalry and the Demon Deacons won their first game in Raleigh since 2018 on Saturday. Additionally on the rivalry, Saturday was the 118th meeting between these two storied programs and they have met each year since 1910 - making it the second-longest continuously played series in college football.
- Week 8: Demon Deacons Earn 23-20 Road Win at UConn
  - Behind nearly 400 yards of offense and a defensive effort that limited its opposition to just 40 yards rushing and included a crucial late stop to win the game, the Wake Forest football team captured its second-straight road victory to begin the 2024 season as the Demon Deacons handed the UConn Huskies their first loss of the season inside Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, 23-20. The contest marked Wake's third-straight win over UConn in its series history and head coach Dave Clawson won his eighth-straight game in his career when competing in the New England region.
- Week 9: Demon Deacons Defeat Stanford to Earn Fourth Victory in Five Games
  - Behind a complete team performance of more than 400 yards of total offense and four turnovers forced, the Wake Forest football team captured its fourth win in five games as the Demon Deacons downed the Stanford Cardinal inside Stanford Stadium, 27-24. The contest marked Wake's first-ever win in the state of California. Individually, the win featured junior running back Demond Claiborne registering more than 200 yards of total offense (127 rushing, 62 receiving, 15 return) and redshirt senior Hank Bachmeier went 20-of-31 for 245 yards and three touchdowns to three different Deacs. Defensively, the Deacs were led by senior linebacker Branson Combs' 12 tackles along with a sack. In total, Wake Forest recorded five tackles for loss and marked the 10th time in the Dave Clawson era that the Demon Deacons defense forced at least four turnovers in a game.
Road Warriors:
- The Deacs started the 2024 season 3-0 on the road with wins over Stanford, UConn and NC State. The 2024 season marked the sixth time in program history Wake Forest has accomplished this feat and just the second in the Dave Clawson era.
Comeback Win at NC State:
- Coach Dave Clawson's team earned their 10th fourth quarter come-from-behind win since 2017 at NC State earlier this season. With that win and Wake Forest's 2018 victory inside Carter-Finley Stadium, those are the only two known fourth-quarter, double-digit comeback victories in program history against Power 5 teams.
Top Football Program in North Carolina:
- With a road victory over NC State this season, the Demon Deacons hold a record of 32-28 against its Big Four rivals this century. That win total is the second-highest among the group and just one off North Carolina's mark of 34 victories during this span.
- Also since 2001, Wake Forest football has been the best football program in the state of North Carolina as the Demon Deacons boast an overall record of 48-28 (.631) against all in-state opponents. The Deacs lead in win percentage in this category among its Big Four rivals.
Allegacy Stadium & Fan Attendance News & Notes

Following a seven-home game season in 2024, Wake Forest University & Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium hosted 208,156 fans and a cumulative total of 23,325 students following another great crowd for Saturday's Senior & Graduates Day against Duke.
- Both of those tally have surpassed the 2023 season totals of 181,074 total fans and 21,066 students when the Deacs only had six home games for the season.
- Additionally, Wake's cumulative students total is now the highest since the seven-game home schedule in 2022 when Allegacy Stadium hosted a school-record 23,643 Screamin' Demons.
  - Also, Allegacy Stadium brought together a program-record average of 3,511 students per game in 2023. In 2024, that tally was just shy of that mark at 3,332.
  - Wake Forest surpassed 4,000 students in attendance at three home games this fall, including a school-record total 4,701 when the Deacs hosted No. 5 Ole Miss on Sept. 14, 2024. The student tally passed the Nov. 13, 2021 game against NC State when Allegacy Stadium hosted 4,584 Screamin' Demons.
Overall since 2021, Wake Forest Football has had 11 sellouts.
- 2024:
  - Sept. 13 vs. Ole Miss – 32,849
  - Oct. 12 vs. Clemson – 31,553
- 2023:
  - Aug. 31 vs. Elon – 30,028
  - Sept. 9 vs. Vanderbilt – 28,363
  - Sept. 23 vs. Georgia Tech – 31,865
  - Oct. 28 vs. FSU – 31,288
- 2022:
  - Sept. 17 vs. Liberty – 32,891
  - Sept. 24, vs. Clemson, 32,699
  - Oct. 8 vs. Army – 32,524
- 2021:
  - Oct. 30 vs. Duke – 31,613
  - Nov. 13 vs. NC State – 34,503
With record-setting crowds, multiple sellouts and the best student attendance in school history, playing at home over the past five seasons has given Wake Forest a huge edge. The Demon Deacons hold a 24-13 (.649) record in home contests since the start of the 2019 season, which included a program-record 11-game winning streak spanning from the 2020 to 2022 seasons. The 64.9 percent win rate ranks just outside the top five in the ACC during that time period.

Cumulative Wins Since 2016:
- Since the start of the 2016 season, the Deacs are tied for the fourth-most wins in the ACC, not counting the COVID-shortened 2020 season:

Clemson - 94
NC State - 60
Miami 59
Wake Forest - 57
Pitt - 57

Additionally in the Clawson era, the Deacs recorded the first, second, fifth, sixth and seventh highest win totals in a single five-year period and the current five-year period of 31 wins are tied for seventh:
- 38 (2017-21)
- 37 (2018-22)
- 36 (2004-08 & 2006-10)
- 35 (2019-23)
- 34 (2016-20)
- 33 (2015-19)
- 31 (2020-24)
- 31 (1944-48)
- 30 (1940-44)

Individual Player Notes:
- Throughout his career, graduate transfer quarterback Hank Bachmeier accumulated 11,256 career passing yards which would rank second all-time in Wake Forest history. Additionally among active quarterbacks in the country, his career yards ranks seventh in FBS and is one of 89 quarterbacks in FBS history to reach 11,000 passing yards.
  - Additionally, in 51 career games played, Bachmeier has thrown for 67 career passing touchdowns which would rank second in Wake Forest program history and currently ranks 14th among active FBS quarterbacks and tied for 10th among Power-4 quarterbacks.
- Two-year captain wideout Taylor Morin had a career season in 2024 and firmly etched his name in the Wake Forest record books following an incredible career. His highlights this fall include:
  - Morin was the first Power-4 player to have a punt return touchdown in 2024.
  - Finished his career with 61 career games played, which is tied with Michael Jurgens (2018-23) for the second-most in Demon Deacon career.
  - Hauled in 21 touchdown receptions – ranks tied for fourth in program history.

Set a program record with 2,974 career receiving yards and set the school record on Saturday vs. Duke. He passed Ricky Proehl's (1986-89) total of 2,949 yards.
- Additionally, Morin finished the season ranked in the top three on the ACC Career Active Leader in receiving touchdowns, receptions and receiving yards.
Finished his career with a catch in 31-straight games – that streak ranked 19th in the country.
With 809 punt return yards (10.6 avg.), Morin solidified himself in second in program history in career punt return yards behind George Coghill (1989-92) total of 1,002 yards in that category.
- In 2024, Morin totaled 14 returns for 238 yards. That 17.0 yards per punt return average ranked third in the country entering Week 14.

Junior tailback Demond Claiborne capped off a historic season on Saturday.
- His totals for the season included 228 carries for 1,049 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. Additionally, he caught 23 passes for 254 yards and a pair of receiving touchdowns. Finally, he returned 11 kickoffs for 277 yards (25.1 average) and had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Miami in Week 13.
  - Clairborne became the second Demon Deacon to ever log 1,000 rushing yards and 250 receiving yards in a season.
  - He is the first Wake Forest running back to total 1,000 yards on the ground since Cade Carney accomplished this feat in 2018.
  - His 11 scoring runs is tied with quarterback Sam Hartman's tally (11) that ranks second in program history from his historic 2021 season.
  - Claiborne's aforementioned 100-yard return against Miami is tied for the longest play in program history, matching Alphonso Smith's 100-yard interception return for a touchdown against Maryland in 2007.
    - The kickoff return for a touchdown marked his second of his career and he became the second Demon Deacon in program history to record multiple in his career (John Stone, 3 kickoff return touchdowns).
Claiborne and Morin both went over 1,000 yards all-purpose in 2024 and their 2,648 combined all-purpose yards are the most by any Wake Forest duo since 2018.
Senior defensive end Jasheen Davis finished the 2024 season with 25.5 career sacks, which ranks third in program history. Additionally, Davis finished his career with 51 tackles for loss for his career and trails just Calvin Pace (1999-02) for the most in program history (54).
Kicker Matthew Dennis has now accumulated 238 points in his career, which ranks sixth all-time.
Junior safety Nick Andersen was one of the best tacklers in the country in 2024 and led the Demon Deacons with 122 total tackles (10.1) which was 28 more than the next closest player on the team.

Andersen became the first Demon Deacon with 100 tackles in a season with Ryan Smenda Jr. in 2022.
His 122 tackles are the most in the Clawson era.

With two interceptions this fall, Andersen now has eight in his career. That total is the most in the Dave Clawson era and is just one shy of being tied for 10th in program history.

Senior & Graduates Day Salute: Deacs Battle Blue Devils in 2024 Finale Inside Allegacy Stadium

Team Stats

Hank Bachmeier

Players Mentioned

Nick Andersen

Hank Bachmeier

Tate Carney

Demond Claiborne

Branson Combs

Jasheen Davis

Matthew Dennis

Horatio Fields

Bryce Ganious

Donavon Greene

Dylan Hazen

Michael Jurgens

Michael Kern

Taylor Morin

Rushaun Tongue

Wake Forest Athletics

Senior & Graduates Day Salute: Deacs Battle Blue Devils in 2024 Finale Inside Allegacy Stadium

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Team Stats

Game Leaders

Hank Bachmeier

Players Mentioned

Nick Andersen

Hank Bachmeier

Tate Carney

Demond Claiborne

Branson Combs

Jasheen Davis

Matthew Dennis

Horatio Fields

Bryce Ganious

Donavon Greene

Dylan Hazen

Michael Jurgens

Michael Kern

Taylor Morin

Rushaun Tongue

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