Wake Forest Beat Virginia 51-7 as Clark Scores Three Touchdowns

No. 14 Wake Forest beat Virginia 51-7 at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Saturday, October 31, 2026. Ty Clark III scored three rushing touchdowns, and Wake Forest won its fifth straight game.

Wake Forest improved to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the ACC. The five game winning streak is its longest since an 8-0 start in 2021. Virginia fell to 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the ACC.

Wake Forest scored on its first nine possessions. Over its last four games, Wake Forest has outscored its opponents by a combined 187-31 margin, according to Deadspin.

Lopez and Clark lead the offense

Gio Lopez completed 13 of 21 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 64 yards. He finished with 293 yards of total offense, according to Wake Forest University Athletics.

Clark set a career high with three rushing touchdowns. Carlos Hernandez had eight catches for 136 yards and a score. Connor Calvert kicked three field goals.

Wake Forest outgained Virginia 538 yards to 330, including 309 rushing yards to 16. Wake Forest converted 9 of 14 third downs, compared with 1 of 12 for Virginia.

Those numbers show where the game was decided. Virginia gave up 309 rushing yards and converted one third down, while Wake Forest kept scoring through its first nine possessions.

Pribula touchdown avoids the shutout

Virginia quarterback Beau Pribula passed for 212 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Virginia avoided the shutout on a 47 yard touchdown pass from Pribula late in the third quarter.

That was Virginia's only score. Wake Forest's defense held Virginia to 16 rushing yards for the game.

The 51-7 result was the second biggest margin of victory over Virginia in the 54 game history of the series, according to the Associated Press report carried by TSN.

Wake Forest's fifth straight win keeps it at 7-1 and 5-1 in the ACC. Virginia leaves Winston-Salem at 4-5 and 2-4 in the ACC after a game in which it was outgained by 208 yards.

The numbers in full

The final line was 51-7, built on nine straight scoring possessions to open the game. Lopez accounted for 293 yards of total offense, 229 through the air and 64 on the ground, with one passing touchdown. Clark's three rushing touchdowns were a career high. Hernandez caught eight passes for 136 yards and one score, and Calvert added three field goals. Wake Forest rushed for 309 yards and passed its way to 538 total yards, while Virginia finished with 330 total yards and 16 rushing yards. On third down the gap was 9 of 14 for Wake Forest and 1 of 12 for Virginia. Pribula's 212 passing yards and his 47 yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter were Virginia's main output on a night when the series produced its second biggest Wake Forest margin in 54 games.