Down 17-0 at halftime and then 24-7 in the third quarter, Wake Forest football didn’t panic and went on to pull off an epic comeback, 27-24.
With the comeback win over Old Dominion, the Demon Deacons improve to 3-0 on the year and they can head home with a little stress off their shoulders as they open up ACC play against Georgia Tech next week with an unblemished record.
Dave Clawson’s team escaped a massive nightmare scenario and picked up a nice road win thanks to some gritty play in the second half and you have to give it up to this team.
What’d we learn from the comeback?
3. The defense stepped up in the second half
In the first half, Old Dominion was doing almost anything it wanted. It held Wake Forest scoreless but put up 17 points and the Monarchs’ offense looked solid.
But that was a different story in the second half.
In fact, Wake Forest’s defense held Old Dominion’s offense scoreless in the final 30 minutes of the game. The Monarchs’ only touchdown came on a pick-six by LaMareon James. The defense completely shut Old Dominion down and whatever Dave Clawson told them in the locker room at halftime seemed to have worked.
Wake Forest isn’t normally known for defense, but it really showed up in the second half on Saturday and it was a major reason the Demon Deacons staved off the upset.
2. Wake Forest football never panicked
You have to give Dave Clawson a ton of credit for this win. With his team down 17-0 at halftime and then with their momentum halted in the third quarter thanks to a massive pick-six for Old Dominion, the Demon Deacons never flinched.
That has a lot to do with the head coach.
Clawson made sure his guys knew that they were always in the game. It was never out of reach as long as they trusted in him and bought in. And they did just that.
Heck, I was even calling this game over after that pick-six in the third quarter which made it 24-7. The Monarchs had all the momentum at home and the crowd was into it. But Wake Forest responded with a field goal drive, another field goal, a touchdown, and then a strip-sack in the fourth to set up a first-and-goal and subsequent game-winning touchdown.
Wake Forest never panicked and that’s why the Deacons are 3-0.
1. Mitch Griffis is tough as nails
The cliche saying “tough as nails” is used a little too much, in my opinion. That’s the reason it’s considered a cliche. But Mitch Griffis earned that phrase on Saturday afternoon.
The first-year starter at quarterback was getting beat up all game long and even had to go into the medical tent in the second half, but he emerged and led the Demon Deacons to a furious comeback thanks to a monster second half.
In the first half, he had just over 100 yards with an interception but he had over 200 yards and three scores in the second half. He was a completely different player. It almost felt like he woke up after going into the medical tent after a big hit on a sack. He was possessed in the final 20-25 minutes of the game and led Wake Forest to a win that didn’t look likely early in the third.
Griffis finished the game with 312 yards and three touchdowns with two picks, but he was clutch and made some huge throws late, including a couple of third-and-long conversions.
While he’s no Sam Hartman (no one is), Griffis is earning his keep as QB1.