Fun-Filled Contest on Saturday Caps Successful Spring for Wake Forest Football
4/20/2024 6:18:00 PM | Football
Wake Forest amassed 649 total yards and scored 34 points on Saturday, while the Demon Deacons’ defense recorded 101 combined tackles and two interceptions.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – It was a high-flying and exciting Saturday afternoon of football at Allegacy Stadium as the Demon Deacons tallied 649 total yards on offense, scoring four touchdowns in the two-hour game. Additionally, Deacon Nation enjoyed all the fan-friendly amenities that included a variety of food truck inflatables and kids games for fans of all ages atop Deacon Hill behind the Bob McCreary Video Board Honoring the Class of 1961.
Meanwhile, all fans were welcome onto the field after the contest for postgame autographs with Wake Forest's student-athletes presented by Wake Forest Sports Properties partner, Roll the Quad. Also, fans were able to receive a free 2024 schedule poster and had the opportunity to purchase the 2024 season t-shirt that featured the team's slogan for this fall, EARN IT!
During the game on Saturday, fans inside Allegacy Stadium and those watching on ACC Network were treated to outstanding performances by Jeremy Hecklinski, Horatio Fields, Hank Bachmeier, Walker Merrill, and Jeremiah Melvin. A freshman quarterback for the Deacs, Hecklinski led the way with 204 passing yards and three touchdowns, going 12-of-21 for the afternoon. Merrill had a game-high seven catches for 99 receiving yards. Fields finished the afternoon with three catches for 69 yards including a 46-yard touchdown catch from Bachmeier on the opening drive.
Bachmeier ended the game with 310 yards through the air, completing 24-of-40 attempts.
Meanwhile on defense, Aiden Hall and Darius Jones led the Deacs with a game-high eight tackles apiece, while the former finished with seven solo ones to lead all individuals. Additionally, BJ Williams and Kevin Pointer Jr. each recorded two sacks and two tackles-for-loss throughout the afternoon. Branson Combs was another individual standout, as he recorded seven tackles – five of which were solo.
Demarcus Rankin also had a highlight play in the first half, jumping in front of the ball and the interception set up a touchdown for his team.
Friday's Alumni Networking Event
While Coach Clawson and Wake Forest's football program have approached this spring with the ideal to "EARN IT" to ensure the Deacs are ready to attack the next phase of their offseason program, Wake Forest's student-athletes helped ensure a successful future beyond the football field on last night as they connected with former football alums for the Deacs annual Alumni Networking Career Night.
2024 Ticket Information
The 2024 season t-shirt can be purchased here, or by visiting any of our Deacon Shop locations on campus or on gamedays. Be sure to get your black season t-shirt in preparation for the wear black games that will be announced later this summer.
Make sure you get your tickets for the game at Allegacy Stadium! The Demon Deacons are back in action on Thursday, Aug. 29 for Opening Night at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium.
Wake Forest Athletics is excited to raise the standard of success and looking forward to an exciting 2024 season. Looking to become a season ticket holder? Season tickets are available starting at just $149. Call the ticket office today at 336.758.3322 ext. 1 or visit godeacs.com/tickets to secure your seat for the upcoming season.
Multiple sellouts are expected this fall and season tickets are the best way for fans to optimize the value of all of Allegacy Stadium's seating options and pricing. There are many exclusive benefits and renewal prizes for season ticket members, including access to the team, tickets to various away football games, and much more. Season ticket holders also receive earlier access to single game ticket sales and package opportunities. For questions or assistance, please contact the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 ext 1 or tix@wfu.edu. Regular office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Wake Forest Football Overview
Under the leadership of head coach Dave Clawson, Wake Forest has had historic success as a program.
Since the start of the 2016 season, the Deacs have the third-most wins in the ACC not counting the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
The Demon Deacons are in the winningest stretch of football in their program's history with the 35 wins from the 2019-23 season ranking fifth in a five-year span in program history.
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 23-7 (.767) 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 76.7 percent win rate ranks second in the ACC during that time period.
The Demon Deacons recorded their ninth sellout since 2021 and fourth of the season when Florida State came to Winston-Salem on Oct. 28, 2023.
Since 2016, the Demon Deacons have found a winning formula in one-score ball games, capturing three or more wins by one score in five of those seasons with a total of 21 wins in 38 such games. The Deacs hold the fourth-best winning percentage in those games since 2016 in the ACC.
All the aforementioned victories are due to having great players who perform well each week. The Deacs 54 All-ACC honors is the fifth most overall in the ACC since the 2019 season and Wake Forest is one of just six schools to have more than 50 honorees in that time span.
One player that garnered All-ACC honors last fall is junior defensive end Jasheen Davis as he has recorded at least 0.5 tackles-for-loss in the 20 of his last 21 games. Over the last two seasons, Davis has collected 30.0 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. With 7.5 sacks in 2023, Davis has now tallied 20.0 sacks in his career and that ranks fifth in program history.
Offensively since the start of the 2017 season, Wake Forest's 198 touchdown passes are the most of any school in the ACC and that total is 13th nationally during that span. Additionally during that span, the Deacs 361 total touchdowns are the third-most in the ACC and 21st nationally. North Carolina (192) and Clemson (181) trail the Deacs in passing touchdowns during that span. The Tigers enter the final week of the regular season with 448 total touchdowns and the Tar Heels rank second with 366. Wake Forest's 94 touchdown passes from 2021-23 ranks eighth nationally in that time period and is seven more than any other ACC team (North Carolina, 87).
During the Deacs run of bowl appearances from 2016-22, Wake Forest has defeated two SEC teams (Texas A&M, 2017; Missouri, 2022) and a Big Ten program (Rutgers, 2021). Head coach Dave Clawson's five bowl victories, which is the most in school history, ranks tied for fifth in ACC history for postseason wins. Clawson ranks behind Bobby Bowden (Florida State, 11), Dabo Swinney (Clemson, 11), Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech, 6) and Danny Ford (Clemson, 6). Meanwhile, he is now tied with Jimbo Fisher (Florida State, 5) and Ralph Friedgen (Maryland, 5).
Feedback
As fans have questions, feedback or ideas, Wake Forest Athletics encourages you to email wfsports@wfu.edu with those thoughts.
Meanwhile, all fans were welcome onto the field after the contest for postgame autographs with Wake Forest's student-athletes presented by Wake Forest Sports Properties partner, Roll the Quad. Also, fans were able to receive a free 2024 schedule poster and had the opportunity to purchase the 2024 season t-shirt that featured the team's slogan for this fall, EARN IT!
During the game on Saturday, fans inside Allegacy Stadium and those watching on ACC Network were treated to outstanding performances by Jeremy Hecklinski, Horatio Fields, Hank Bachmeier, Walker Merrill, and Jeremiah Melvin. A freshman quarterback for the Deacs, Hecklinski led the way with 204 passing yards and three touchdowns, going 12-of-21 for the afternoon. Merrill had a game-high seven catches for 99 receiving yards. Fields finished the afternoon with three catches for 69 yards including a 46-yard touchdown catch from Bachmeier on the opening drive.
Bachmeier ended the game with 310 yards through the air, completing 24-of-40 attempts.
Meanwhile on defense, Aiden Hall and Darius Jones led the Deacs with a game-high eight tackles apiece, while the former finished with seven solo ones to lead all individuals. Additionally, BJ Williams and Kevin Pointer Jr. each recorded two sacks and two tackles-for-loss throughout the afternoon. Branson Combs was another individual standout, as he recorded seven tackles – five of which were solo.
Demarcus Rankin also had a highlight play in the first half, jumping in front of the ball and the interception set up a touchdown for his team.
Friday's Alumni Networking Event
While Coach Clawson and Wake Forest's football program have approached this spring with the ideal to "EARN IT" to ensure the Deacs are ready to attack the next phase of their offseason program, Wake Forest's student-athletes helped ensure a successful future beyond the football field on last night as they connected with former football alums for the Deacs annual Alumni Networking Career Night.
2024 Ticket Information
The 2024 season t-shirt can be purchased here, or by visiting any of our Deacon Shop locations on campus or on gamedays. Be sure to get your black season t-shirt in preparation for the wear black games that will be announced later this summer.
Make sure you get your tickets for the game at Allegacy Stadium! The Demon Deacons are back in action on Thursday, Aug. 29 for Opening Night at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium.
Wake Forest Athletics is excited to raise the standard of success and looking forward to an exciting 2024 season. Looking to become a season ticket holder? Season tickets are available starting at just $149. Call the ticket office today at 336.758.3322 ext. 1 or visit godeacs.com/tickets to secure your seat for the upcoming season.
Multiple sellouts are expected this fall and season tickets are the best way for fans to optimize the value of all of Allegacy Stadium's seating options and pricing. There are many exclusive benefits and renewal prizes for season ticket members, including access to the team, tickets to various away football games, and much more. Season ticket holders also receive earlier access to single game ticket sales and package opportunities. For questions or assistance, please contact the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 ext 1 or tix@wfu.edu. Regular office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Wake Forest Football Overview
Under the leadership of head coach Dave Clawson, Wake Forest has had historic success as a program.
Since the start of the 2016 season, the Deacs have the third-most wins in the ACC not counting the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
The Demon Deacons are in the winningest stretch of football in their program's history with the 35 wins from the 2019-23 season ranking fifth in a five-year span in program history.
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 23-7 (.767) 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 76.7 percent win rate ranks second in the ACC during that time period.
The Demon Deacons recorded their ninth sellout since 2021 and fourth of the season when Florida State came to Winston-Salem on Oct. 28, 2023.
Since 2016, the Demon Deacons have found a winning formula in one-score ball games, capturing three or more wins by one score in five of those seasons with a total of 21 wins in 38 such games. The Deacs hold the fourth-best winning percentage in those games since 2016 in the ACC.
All the aforementioned victories are due to having great players who perform well each week. The Deacs 54 All-ACC honors is the fifth most overall in the ACC since the 2019 season and Wake Forest is one of just six schools to have more than 50 honorees in that time span.
One player that garnered All-ACC honors last fall is junior defensive end Jasheen Davis as he has recorded at least 0.5 tackles-for-loss in the 20 of his last 21 games. Over the last two seasons, Davis has collected 30.0 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. With 7.5 sacks in 2023, Davis has now tallied 20.0 sacks in his career and that ranks fifth in program history.
Offensively since the start of the 2017 season, Wake Forest's 198 touchdown passes are the most of any school in the ACC and that total is 13th nationally during that span. Additionally during that span, the Deacs 361 total touchdowns are the third-most in the ACC and 21st nationally. North Carolina (192) and Clemson (181) trail the Deacs in passing touchdowns during that span. The Tigers enter the final week of the regular season with 448 total touchdowns and the Tar Heels rank second with 366. Wake Forest's 94 touchdown passes from 2021-23 ranks eighth nationally in that time period and is seven more than any other ACC team (North Carolina, 87).
During the Deacs run of bowl appearances from 2016-22, Wake Forest has defeated two SEC teams (Texas A&M, 2017; Missouri, 2022) and a Big Ten program (Rutgers, 2021). Head coach Dave Clawson's five bowl victories, which is the most in school history, ranks tied for fifth in ACC history for postseason wins. Clawson ranks behind Bobby Bowden (Florida State, 11), Dabo Swinney (Clemson, 11), Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech, 6) and Danny Ford (Clemson, 6). Meanwhile, he is now tied with Jimbo Fisher (Florida State, 5) and Ralph Friedgen (Maryland, 5).
Feedback
As fans have questions, feedback or ideas, Wake Forest Athletics encourages you to email wfsports@wfu.edu with those thoughts.
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