Second-half woes cost U.Va. in loss at Wake Forest
Questions abounded about how Virginia would function on offense Saturday in the absence of its starting quarterback.
It turned out the Cavaliers tried a little bit of everything — and it might’ve worked without a disastrous second-half stretch.
Kenneth Walker rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns and Wake Forest pulled away late in a 40-23 ACC win over U.Va. in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The Cavaliers (1-3, 1-3 ACC) lost their third game in a row for the first time since 2017.
U.Va., playing without starter Brennan Armstrong behind center, used a disparate mix of three quarterbacks to overcome an early 14-0 deficit, but the Demon Deacons (2-2, 1-2) outscored the visitors 17-3 in a decisive four-minute span that began in the final seconds of the third quarter.
Top backup Lindell Stone completed 24 of 42 passes for 193 yards for the Cavaliers, who finished with 420 total yards to Wake Forest's 483.
Two other U.Va. quarterbacks, Ira Armstead and Keytaon Thompson, mostly handled run-game duties.
Wake's Sam Hartman completed 16 of 27 passes for 309 yards and one score.
Nick Sciba's 44-yard field goal extended Wake Forest's lead to 40-23 with 5 1⁄ minutes to play.
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Walker's 9-yard touchdown run gave Wake Forest a 37-23 lead with 11:38 left in the game. The play, which completed a swift 14-point swing, came after the Deacons recovered their own pooch kickoff on the U.Va. 27.
The Deacons took a 3023 lead with 13:14 remaining in the game on Walker's 75-yard run through the left side of U.Va.'s defense.
A 42-yard field goal by U.Va.'s Brian Delaney created a 23-23 tie with 13:28 left.
Sciba's 38-yard field goal broke a 20-20 tie with 26 seconds to go in the third quarter.
The Cavaliers had a chance to take their first lead of the game late in the third quarter, but Delaney's field-goal attempt from 36 yards hooked well left. It was Delaney's first miss in 18 tries.
A 15-yard touchdown run by U.Va.'s Wayne Taulapapa tied the game at 20 with just less than two minutes left in a wild first half.
The Deacons stretched their lead to 20-13 on Sciba's 25-yard field goal with 5:04 left in the second quarter.
Delaney's 29-yard field goal drew U.Va. to within 17-13 with 8:26 remaining in the second quarter.
Sciba's 32-yard field goal gave Wake Forest a 17-10 lead with 12:35 left in the first half.
A 4-yard scoring run by Armstead narrowed U.Va.'s deficit to 14-10 on the first play of the second quarter. It was the freshman's first college touchdown.
U.Va., using the three quarterbacks on one drive, pulled to within 14-3 on Delaney's 32-yard field goal midway through the first quarter. The kick gave the Cavaliers their first points this season in an opening quarter.
Wake Forest took a sudden 14-0 lead with 11:16 left in the first quarter on Walker's 3-yard run.
The dual-threat Armstrong was not available after suffering a concussion in last week's 38-21 loss to North Carolina State.