Wake Forest pounds Rutgers
Gator Bowl victory gives Deacons 11 wins for 2nd time in program history
Sam Hartman tossed three touchdown passes, two of them to tight end Brandon Chapman, and No. 20 Wake Forest beat Rutgers 38-10 in the Gator Bowl on Friday to reach 11 wins for the second time in program history.
Hartman completed 23 of 39 passes for 304 yards. He added 21 more yards rushing and pushed his touchdown total to 50 this season — 39 passing and 11 rushing.
The Demon Deacons (11-3) controlled the game from the start, scoring on their first three drives and opening a double-digit lead just before halftime. It played out about as expected given Rutgers (5-8) was a late replacement for 23rd-ranked Texas A&M.
The Aggies pulled out because of a lack of available players due to injuries, opt-outs, transfers and COVID -19 issues. The NCAA gave Rutgers the first shot at filling the void because it had the highest Academic Progress Rate score of all the eligible 5-7 teams.
Rutgers coach Greg Schiano hastily gathered his players from Christmas break and held two practices in a heated bubble before heading south. They got in two more in nearby Ponte Vedra Beach this week before taking the field.
Nonetheless, they looked far from ready to face one of the nation’s best offenses.
Wake Forest averaged a programbest 41.9 points coming into the game, which ranked second in the ACC and fifth in the nation.
The Demon Deacons finished with 450 yards. They converted 8 of 14 third downs and their lone fourth-down try.
The turning point came in the second quarter, when cornerback Gavin Holmes stepped in front of Noah Vedral’s pass to Joshua Youngblood at the goal line and intercepted it. Wake led 17-10 at the time and ended up driving for a field goal and a 10-point lead at the break.
Vedral was one of five players who threw passes for Rutgers. He completed 8 of 13 passes for 87 yards and the interception.
A.T. Perry caught 10 passes for 127 yards and a score for Wake Forest.
Sun Bowl: Lew Nichols III ran for 130 yards and a TD, leading late replacement Central Michigan to a 24-21 win over Washington State. The Chippewas (9-4) ended a fivegame bowl skid with their fifth consecutive victory this season. When Boise State opted out of the Arizona Bowl because of COVID-19 issues, Central Michigan switched about 300 miles east from Tucson, Ariz., to the Texas border city of El Paso. Miami skipped the Sun Bowl for COVID-19 reasons as well. Central Michigan stayed in Arizona before bussing to El Paso the day before the game. It was the first bowl victory for the Chippewas since beating Western Kentucky in the 2012 Little Caesars Bowl. Washington State (7-6) never could get its offense going in the first half, finishing with just 53 yards and trailing 21-0 at the break. The Cougars dropped to 8-9 all-time in bowls. The Cougars rallied in the second half behind backup quarterback Victor Gabalis, scoring three times to make it close. Gabalis was 12for-23 passing for 180 yards and two TDS. After a 13-yard scoring toss to Lincoln Victor pulled the Cougars within three points with 3:13 remaining, they had another chance starting at their 14-yard line with 2:41 remaining. Central Michigan stopped Joey Hobert a yard short on a catch on fourthand-5. Marshall Meeder kicked three field goals for Central Michigan, including a 52-yarder for a 6-0 lead and a 43-yarder for a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
Notes: The New Year’s Day Rose Parade and Rose Bowl game between Ohio State and Utah remained on track despite surging cases of COVID-19, which forced the cancellation of the 2021 parade . ... West Virginia quarterback Jarret Doege said Friday that he plans to transfer.