Thursday, August 29
Winston-Salem, NC
7:00 PM
Wake Forest University
1-0 , 0-0
45
vs
13
North Carolina A&T
0-1 , 0-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
N.C. A&T
7
3
0
3
13
Wake Forest
7
10
21
7
45
Triad Community Comes Together for Opening Night at Allegacy Stadium; Deacs Down Aggies, 45-13
8/29/2024 11:27:00 PM | Football
On a special evening when Trailblazer and Triad Community Legend Bill Hayes was celebrated and recognized, the Winston-Salem and Triad Communities came together to pack Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium and witness exciting football, a joint halftime performance by the Spirit of the Old Gold & Black and A&T’s Blue & Gold Marching Machine and much more as Coach Dave Clawson’s squad began its 2024 season in winning fashion.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Opening Night at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium was the place to be on Thursday evening 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.
This event, which was sponsored by the Winston-Salem Police Department and the Winston-Salem Police Foundation, brought the entire Wake Forest, Winston-Salem and Triad Community together in a unique and innovative way. From the "Deacon Dash" and community legend Bill Hayes Opening the Gate pregame, to Taylor Morin's 217 all-purpose yards helping lead the Deacs to victory on the field and the joint performance by Spirit of the Old Gold & Black and A&T's Blue & Gold Marching Machine at halftime, these are just a few examples of the way a spirited crowd at Allegacy Stadium were entertained on Thursday evening.
Additionally, the energy inside the stadium was at a fever pitch for the majority of the first half and into the second stanza as the Screamin' Demons continued the fun from last night's Wake the Demons Pep Rally on Hearn Plaza where more than 1,500 students attended.
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.
Morin would record six receptions for 100 yards, while logging his first career punt return touchdown in the third quarter.
Defensively, the Deacs held the Aggies to one touchdown on the evening as Nick Andersen led Wake Forest in total tackles (14) and solo tackles (nine). Jasheen Davis, Kevin Pointer and Branson Combs each recorded sacks as the Deacs registered six tackles for loss on the night.
With the win, Wake Forest (1-0) now holds a 2-0 lead in the series with North Carolina A&T (0-1). Between the two meetings, the Deacs have outscored the Aggies A&T in its series history, 87-26.
Dating back to 2000, Wake Forest has won its last 19 games and has gone undefeated against non-Power-4 North Carolina schools since 2000. Also, the Demon Deacons are 16-0 during that time against non-Power-4 North Carolina schools. Overall, Wake Forest has an impressive 48-26 record against all in-state opponents during that time.
Over the last 14 years, Wake Forest is 11-3 in season openers including a 9-2 record in head coach Dave Clawson's tenure. Finally, The Deacs hold a mark of 10-1 in home openers in the Clawson era.
Wake Forest will look to continue its winning ways at home next week when historic ACC rival Virginia comes into Winston-Salem for a 7 p.m. kickoff that will be nationally televised on ESPN2. Less than 2,500 tickets remain for both teams' conference opener and single-game tickets can be purchased here. Additionally, next Saturday's game will serve as Wake Forest's "Gold Rush" game. Fans are encouraged to watch this video recap of our football student-athletes visiting Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist's Brenner Children's Hospital just over a week and there are many other exciting initiatives with this partnership and promotion.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Wake Forest redshirt senior wide receiver and return man Taylor Morin had a career day on Thursday, as the two-time captain impacted the game in a multitude of ways. Offensively, the Centreville, Va. native caught six passes for 100 yards. Additionally, he caught three punts and a kickoff return as Morin tallied a combined 217 yards becoming the first player to accomplish that feat since 2018. One of those punt returns was a 73-yard scamper to the house – marking Wake's first punt return TD since 2018.
"Well, first off, thanks to our students and fans who came out. It's always good when you get a win, and these are the games that you're expected to win. We got off to a little bit of a slow start offensively, we left some explosive plays on the field – I think we dropped three or four post routes in the first half. But in the second half, we got into a rhythm and our best offensive players made plays. Demond Claiborne had a big game for us, Taylor Morin had a really big game for us, and the punt return broke the game open. I thought that was a huge momentum-changing play. It was great to see Donovan Green hit a touchdown, and make the big catch down the sidelines. On defense, we gave up a lot of rushing yards. I thought we missed a lot of tackles, which can sometimes happen in game one. That's something we have to clean up, but while it didn't get over our heads, the positive is we didn't turn it over on offense. The negative is we didn't get a turnover on defense, so it's a lot to clean up, a lot of things we have to get better at. Really, with this football team and our commitment to get, I think will determine what type of year we have. I think North Carolina A&T is a very improved team – the team they put out there was a lot better than the team we saw on film last year. Coach Brown and his staff are on the right track. I think we should've started faster, but I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to face some adversity like that and learn to bounce back from it."
UP NEXT
Wake Forest hosts its Atlantic Coast Conference opener next on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. inside Allegacy Stadium and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN2. Less than 2,500 tickets remain for this historic ACC rivalry matchup and Wake Forest Athletics continues to roll out unique ticket options, like the Bojangles 4-Pack, which includes a $20 gift card per account! This ticket option comes with four tickets on the east side of Allegacy Stadium and one LJVM Coliseum Lot parking pass. Single-game tickets are also available to be purchased.
Additionally, next Saturday's game will serve as Wake Forest's "Gold Rush" game. Fans are encouraged to watch this video recap of our football student-athletes visiting Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist's Brenner Children's Hospital just over a week and there are many other exciting initiatives with this partnership and promotion. Finally, Wake Forest is proud to host its partners friends from Atrium Health for the game next week too.
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.
This event, which was sponsored by the Winston-Salem Police Department and the Winston-Salem Police Foundation, brought the entire Wake Forest, Winston-Salem and Triad Community together in a unique and innovative way. From the "Deacon Dash" and community legend Bill Hayes Opening the Gate pregame, to Taylor Morin's 217 all-purpose yards helping lead the Deacs to victory on the field and the joint performance by Spirit of the Old Gold & Black and A&T's Blue & Gold Marching Machine at halftime, these are just a few examples of the way a spirited crowd at Allegacy Stadium were entertained on Thursday evening.
Additionally, the energy inside the stadium was at a fever pitch for the majority of the first half and into the second stanza as the Screamin' Demons continued the fun from last night's Wake the Demons Pep Rally on Hearn Plaza where more than 1,500 students attended.
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.
Morin would record six receptions for 100 yards, while logging his first career punt return touchdown in the third quarter.
Defensively, the Deacs held the Aggies to one touchdown on the evening as Nick Andersen led Wake Forest in total tackles (14) and solo tackles (nine). Jasheen Davis, Kevin Pointer and Branson Combs each recorded sacks as the Deacs registered six tackles for loss on the night.
With the win, Wake Forest (1-0) now holds a 2-0 lead in the series with North Carolina A&T (0-1). Between the two meetings, the Deacs have outscored the Aggies A&T in its series history, 87-26.
Dating back to 2000, Wake Forest has won its last 19 games and has gone undefeated against non-Power-4 North Carolina schools since 2000. Also, the Demon Deacons are 16-0 during that time against non-Power-4 North Carolina schools. Overall, Wake Forest has an impressive 48-26 record against all in-state opponents during that time.
Over the last 14 years, Wake Forest is 11-3 in season openers including a 9-2 record in head coach Dave Clawson's tenure. Finally, The Deacs hold a mark of 10-1 in home openers in the Clawson era.
Wake Forest will look to continue its winning ways at home next week when historic ACC rival Virginia comes into Winston-Salem for a 7 p.m. kickoff that will be nationally televised on ESPN2. Less than 2,500 tickets remain for both teams' conference opener and single-game tickets can be purchased here. Additionally, next Saturday's game will serve as Wake Forest's "Gold Rush" game. Fans are encouraged to watch this video recap of our football student-athletes visiting Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist's Brenner Children's Hospital just over a week and there are many other exciting initiatives with this partnership and promotion.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- North Carolina A&T won the opening toss and deferred to the second half.
- Following the first drive of the game, Ivan Mora booted his 38th career punt of 50 or more yards with a 57-yard effort to pin the Aggies inside their own 20.
- Following a three-and-out for North Carolina A&T, Wake Forest would score its first touchdown of the 2024 campaign, driving 55 yards in five plays capped by a seven-yard Demond Claiborne touchdown.
- Quarterback Michael Kern found wideout Taylor Morin for a pair of big plays with receptions of 20 and 17 yards on the drive.
- The Wake defense forced a three-and-out again on its second defensive appearance of the contest.
- North Carolina A&T would tie the game with 2:29 remaining in the first quarter following an 11-play, 80-yard drive.
- The Aggies would take a 10-7 lead with 6:49 remaining in the second quarter, converting on a 38-yard field goal attempt.
- Fueled by a 48-yard run from Claiborne, Wake Forest would retake the lead with five minutes remaining in the first half, as quarterback Hank Bachmeier found wide receiver Donavon Greene for a 24-yard score.
- The touchdown was the first as a Deac for Bachmeier and marked Greene's first touchdown since Nov. 26, 2022.
- Wake Forest would take a 17-10 lead into the halftime break, as a 31-yard Matthew Dennis field goal completed a 72-yard, 14-play drive with two seconds remaining in the second quarter.
- The Deacs would extend their lead to 24-10 less than three minutes into the third quarter, as Taylor Morin sprinted past the Aggies for a 73-yard punt return for touchdown.
- It marked Wake Forest's first special teams return touchdown since Claiborne's 96-yard kickoff return touchdown against Virginia Tech on Oct. 14, 2023.
- It was Morin's first-career punt return for a touchdown.
- Wake Forest would push its advantage in the game to 31-10 at 6:15 left in the third quarter, as Bachmaier found Horatio Fields for a five-yard score.
- On the drive, Bachmaier went 3-for-3 for 70 yards, highlighted by a 51-yard connection with Morin.
- The touchdown marked the first of Fields' Wake Forest career.
- With three carries for 16 yards, Claiborne toppled the 100-yard mark on the ground for the second time (165 rushing yards vs. Vanderbilt, Sept. 9, 2023).
- Just before the end of the third quarter, Wake Forest's lead would move to 38-10 as Bachmeier connected with Deuce Alexander for a four-yard touchdown.
- On the 90-yard drive, Bachmeier completed passes of 25 yards and 35 yards respectively to Alexander and Greene.
- The Aggies would convert on a 51-yard field goal, as Wake Forest remained in front, 38-13, with 11:05 remaining in the contest.
- Tate Carney scored Wake Forest's sixth touchdown of the evening with a two-yard rush with 5:37 left.
Wake Forest redshirt senior wide receiver and return man Taylor Morin had a career day on Thursday, as the two-time captain impacted the game in a multitude of ways. Offensively, the Centreville, Va. native caught six passes for 100 yards. Additionally, he caught three punts and a kickoff return as Morin tallied a combined 217 yards becoming the first player to accomplish that feat since 2018. One of those punt returns was a 73-yard scamper to the house – marking Wake's first punt return TD since 2018.
- With the help of a standout 2022 season that included a career-high 47 receptions for 575 receiving yards and career-high nine touchdowns, Taylor Morin moved up the career charts in multiple categories as he has a chance to finish his career in the top five in program history in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
- After pulling in a career-best nine touchdowns during the 2022 season, which ranked 19th nationally and fourth in the ACC, Morin entered the 2023 season already ranked in the top 10 in school history in receiving touchdowns. He added to his total with a pair of touchdown receptions in the win over Old Dominion:
| Rank | Player | Career Receiving TDs |
| 1. | A.T. Perry (2018-22) | 28 |
| 2. | Ricky Proehl (1986-89) | 25 |
| 3. | Todd Dixon (1990-93) | 22 |
| T4. | Cam Serigne (2014-17) | 21 |
| T4. | Red O'Quinn (1946-49) | 21 |
| T4. | Chris Givens (2009-11) | 21 |
| 7. | Desmond Clark (1995-98) | 20 |
| T8. | Kenny Duckett (1978-81) | 19 |
| T8. | Taylor Morin (2019-Pres.) | 19 |
- Additionally, another strong year in receptions has elevated Morin into the top 10 in school history in total receptions. His 169 currently ranks seventh in school history, leaving him just eight shy of the sixth and is the third highest total in the Clawson era:
| Rank | Player | Career Receptions |
| 1. | Michael Campanaro | 229 |
| 2. | Desmond Clark (1995-98) | 216 |
| 3. | Ricky Proehl (1986-89) | 188 |
| 4. | Jammie Deese (1996-99) | 184 |
| 5. | Cam Serigne (2014-17) | 174 |
| 6. | A.T. Perry (2018-22) | 171 |
| 7. | Taylor Morin (2019-Pres.) | 169 |
| 8. | Chris Givens (2009-11) | 163 |
| 9. | Thabiti Davis (1994-97) | 161 |
| 10. | James Brim (1983-86) | 153 |
- Going into his final collegiate season, Morin ranks eighth in program history and second in the Clawson era in receiving yards, just trailing his former teammate A.T. Perry:
| Rank | Player | Receiving Yards |
| 1. | Ricky Proehl (1986-89) | 2,949 |
| 2. | Desmond Clark (1995-98) | 2,834 |
| 3. | A.T. Perry (2018-22) | 2,662 |
| 4. | Michael Campanaro (2010-13) | 2,506 |
| 5. | Chris Givens (2009-11) | 2,473 |
| 6. | Wayne Baumgardner (1978-81) | 2,431 |
| 7. | Jammie Deese (1996-99) | 2,348 |
| 8. | Taylor Morin (2019-Pres.) | 2,318 |
| 9. | Todd Dixon (1990-93) | 2,300 |
| 10. | Jaquarii Roberson (2017-21) | 2,158 |
- Morin sprinted past the Aggies for a 73-yard punt return for touchdown to put Wake Forest up 24-10 early in the third quarter.
- It marked Wake Forest's first special teams return touchdown since Claiborne's 96-yard kickoff return touchdown against Virginia Tech on Oct. 14, 2023.
- It was Morin's first-career punt return for a touchdown.
- The punt return TD marked Wake Forest's first since Sept. 8, 2018 vs. Towson when Greg Dortch had a 60-yard scoring return.
- Morin finished the game with 217 all-purpose yards, marking the first Demon Deacon to finish with 200 or more APY since Matt Colburn against Louisville on Oct. 27, 2018.
- Wake Forest's 45 points in the season opener marked the third-highest scoring performance in a season opener since 2001:
- Most Points Scored in Season Openers since 2001:
- 53 points, Presbyterian (2010)
- 51 points, Presbyterian (2017)
- 45 points, North Carolina A&T (2024)
- 44 points, VMI (2022)
- 42 points, ODU (2021)
- 41 points, Elon (2015)
- 41 points, Baylor (2008)
- 41 points, Northern Illinois (2002)
- 38 points, Utah State (2019)
- 37 points, Elon (2023)
- 32 points Boston College (2003)
- 31 points, Presbyterian (2013)
- 30 points, at Clemson (2004)
- 29 points, Syracuse (2011)
- 28 points, at BC (2007)
- 23 points, at Tulane (2018)
- 21 points, Baylor (2009)
- 21 points, East Carolina (2001)
- 20 points, Liberty (2012)
- 20 points, Syracuse, (2006)
- 20 points, Vanderbilt (2005)
- 13 points, Clemson (2020)
- 10 points, ULM (2014)
- 7 points, Tulane (2016)
- Most Points Scored in Season Openers since 2001:
- The Demon Deacon defense, led by defensive coordinator Brad Lambert, allowed just 13 points on Thursday, the fourth-fewest in a season opener since 2001.
- Least Points Allowed in Season Openers since 2001:
- 3 points, Tulane (2016)
- 3 points, Elon (2015)
- 7 points, Presbyterian (2017)
- 10 points, VMI (2022)
- 10 points, ODU (2021)
- 10 points, Syracuse (2006)
- 13 points, North Carolina A&T (2024)
- 13 points, Presbyterian (2010)
- 13 points Baylor, (2008)
- 17 points, Elon (2023)
- 17 points, at Tulane (2018)
- 17 points, ULM (2014)
- 17 points, Liberty (2012)
- 19 points ECU (2001)
- 21 points, Baylor (2009)
- 24 points, Vanderbilt (2005)
- 25 points, Utah State (2019)
- 28 points Boston College (2003)
- 36 points, Syracuse (2011)
- 37 points, Clemson (2020)
- 30 points, at Clemson (2004)
- 38 points, at Boston College (2007)
- 42 points, Northern Illinois (2002)
- Least Points Allowed in Season Openers since 2001:
"Well, first off, thanks to our students and fans who came out. It's always good when you get a win, and these are the games that you're expected to win. We got off to a little bit of a slow start offensively, we left some explosive plays on the field – I think we dropped three or four post routes in the first half. But in the second half, we got into a rhythm and our best offensive players made plays. Demond Claiborne had a big game for us, Taylor Morin had a really big game for us, and the punt return broke the game open. I thought that was a huge momentum-changing play. It was great to see Donovan Green hit a touchdown, and make the big catch down the sidelines. On defense, we gave up a lot of rushing yards. I thought we missed a lot of tackles, which can sometimes happen in game one. That's something we have to clean up, but while it didn't get over our heads, the positive is we didn't turn it over on offense. The negative is we didn't get a turnover on defense, so it's a lot to clean up, a lot of things we have to get better at. Really, with this football team and our commitment to get, I think will determine what type of year we have. I think North Carolina A&T is a very improved team – the team they put out there was a lot better than the team we saw on film last year. Coach Brown and his staff are on the right track. I think we should've started faster, but I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to face some adversity like that and learn to bounce back from it."
UP NEXT
Wake Forest hosts its Atlantic Coast Conference opener next on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. inside Allegacy Stadium and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN2. Less than 2,500 tickets remain for this historic ACC rivalry matchup and Wake Forest Athletics continues to roll out unique ticket options, like the Bojangles 4-Pack, which includes a $20 gift card per account! This ticket option comes with four tickets on the east side of Allegacy Stadium and one LJVM Coliseum Lot parking pass. Single-game tickets are also available to be purchased.
Additionally, next Saturday's game will serve as Wake Forest's "Gold Rush" game. Fans are encouraged to watch this video recap of our football student-athletes visiting Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist's Brenner Children's Hospital just over a week and there are many other exciting initiatives with this partnership and promotion. Finally, Wake Forest is proud to host its partners friends from Atrium Health for the game next week too.
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.
Team Stats
NCA
WFU
Total Yards
337
513
Pass Yards
152
320
Rushing Yards
185
193
Penalty Yards
30
36
1st Downs
22
26
3rd Downs
4
7
4th Downs
0
1
TOP
36:21
23:39
1st Quarter
NCA 0, WFU 7
WFU - Claiborne,Demond 7 yd run (Dennis,Matthew kick), 5 plays, 55 yards, TOP 01:29
NCA 7, WFU 7
NCA - Christian,Kenji 21 yd run (Brown,Andrew kick), 11 plays, 80 yards, TOP 05:17
2nd Quarter
NCA 10, WFU 7
NCA - Brown,Andrew 38 yd field goal 15 plays, 71 yards, TOP 08:32
NCA 10, WFU 14
WFU - Greene,Donavon 24 yd pass from Bachmeier,Hank (Dennis,Matthew kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:49
NCA 10, WFU 17
WFU - Dennis,Matthew 31 yd field goal 14 plays, 72 yards, TOP 02:46
3rd Quarter
NCA 10, WFU 24
WFU - Morin,Taylor 73 yd punt return (Dennis,Matthew kick)
NCA 10, WFU 31
WFU - Fields,Horatio 5 yd pass from Bachmeier,Hank (Dennis,Matthew kick) 7 plays, 88 yards, TOP 02:39
NCA 10, WFU 38
WFU - Alexander,Deuce 4 yd pass from Bachmeier,Hank (Dennis,Matthew kick) 9 plays, 90 yards, TOP 02:35
4th Quarter
NCA 13, WFU 38
NCA - Brown,Andrew 51 yd field goal 8 plays, 42 yards, TOP 04:08
NCA 13, WFU 45
WFU - Carney,Tate 2 yd run (Dennis,Matthew kick), 12 plays, 62 yards, TOP 05:22
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
18
TD
3
YDS
263
INT
0
CMP
5
TD
0
YDS
57
INT
0
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
DB
/ FootballQB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
K
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DL
/ FootballSept. 27, 2025: Coach Jake Dickert Postgame Press Conference Following Game vs. Georgia Tech
Sunday, September 28
Dylan Hazen forces the fumble
Saturday, September 27
Demond Claiborne takes it 27 yards for the TD
Saturday, September 27
Robbie Ashford gets the Deacs' first score of the day
Saturday, September 27