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October 25, 2025
Winston-Salem, NC. – The SMU Mustangs (5-3, 3-1) galloped into town on Saturday at Allegacy looking to continue their trot towards another appearance in Charlotte for the ACC football championship game for the second year in a row. The host Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-3, 2-2) hoped to reign in that march with their stout defense.
The Demon Deacons would open up the scoring with a FG with 4:59 left in the opening quarter turning a short field into points after a 9-yard punt from SMU.The Deacons would start their drive on the SMU 20-yard line, and capped the drive off with a Calvert 25-yard FG to give Wake the early 3-0 lead.
Defense Leads the Way
Both teams ended the first quarter combining for 31 total yards and a total of 6 punts and 1 turnover on downs. Each team struggled to get anything going in the passing or running game as the teams alternated possessions with very little production to show for it. The lone scoring drive by the Deacons was the lone offensive bright spot in the opening quarter for either team.
The Mustangs would tie the game at 3-3 with 11:53 to go in the second quarter after a Keltner 36-yard field. The drive for SMU lasted 12 plays spanning 52 yards. The scoring drive was the first sign of the Mustang offense in the early going.
The Demon Deacons would catch their second break of the game after a forced fumble on a strip-sack tackle with 10:50 to go in the 2nd quarter. Wake Forest would waste little time regaining the lead 2 plays on a TD pass to Eni Falayi from Robbie Ashford giving the Deacons a 10-3 lead with 10:09 left in the 2nd quarter. The Deacons took advantage of the short field going 14 yards and punching it into the end zone.
SMU would cut the lead to 10-6 with 3:53 left in the first half on yet another FG by Keltner. The scoring drive lasted 8 plays and 69 yards ending with the 35-yard field FG conversion by the Mustangs. The key play in the drive was a 49-yard completion to Maryland setting up SMU to put more points on the board.
SMU would regain the lead in the 3rd quarter with 2:58 left in the 3rd quarter on a Clayton-Johnson 6-yard TD run. The PAT would be no good but the Mustangs would carry a 12-10 lead into the 4th quarter.
The game would come down to a last second FG from the foot of Connor Calvert. Calvert nailed a 50-yard FG as time expired giving the Deacons a huge win over the Mustangs. The win would give Wake their 2nd win in the league. The Deacons will travel to Tallahassee to take on a struggling Florida State Seminole team.
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