DALLAS -- There's no good reason Wake Forest should be doing this.
Quarterback Gio Lopez was thrown to the dustpile after a miserable season at North Carolina last season. Their coach, Jake Dickert, only became a head coach after his boss was fired at Washington State. They're No. 65 in the 247Sports Talent Composite.
The Demon Deacons lost high-profile transfers to Texas, Florida and Texas Tech, simply unable to keep up with the financial demands. Their replacements came from FIU, New Hampshire and Weber State. It doesn't matter.
No. 13 Wake Forest went on the road and obliterated SMU 49-7, one of the most dominant performances of the season by any team. They've outscored their opponents 145-0 over the last four games -- in the first half.
The Demon Deacons have arrived. And they're spectacular.
"I think people don't know what to make of us because they don't understand how we're doing it," Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert said. "I think we keep making statement after statement, eventually they're going to have to say we're a pretty good team."
Winning in every phase
Wake Forest has been dominant since losing to Miami, but this one came with something a little extra. The Mustangs were narrow 1.5-point favorites coming in, and had a big opportunity to play their way back into ACC contention with a win.
After going down 7-0, SMU coach Rhett Lashlee went for it on an early fourth down. Wake Forest stuffed them at the line, and swung the game with a touchdown five plays later. They scored again on the third and fourth drives, the latter off a swing pass fumble, to push the lead out to 28-0 in an instant.
Wake Forest outgained SMU (535-275), outpassed them (249-209), outrushed them (286-66), held the ball longer (37:00-23:00) and turnovers (3-1). SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, who ranks among the most productive players in college football, was held to only 209 yards, a touchdown and an interception. What was built to be a celebration of Jennings' last game at Gerald J. Ford Stadium turned into a nightmare.
"They whipped us in every area you can whip someone in a football game," Lashlee told reporters.
But for Wake Forest, this has been a trend. They rank No. 3 in the ACC in offense and No. 2 in defense. They dragged down Jennings and the passing offense against SMU, but also limited Miami's elite rushing offense to 158 yards, one of their most middling performances of the season.
They've outgained, outscored, outpassed and outrushed each of their last six opponents. The Demon Deacons can beat you any way on any day. They're just that good.
"The defense is firing on all cylinders," linebacker Aiden Hall said. "It's not much that I can say bad about what we're doing right now… we can't control who recognizes us or who doesn't. Only thing we can control is how bad we keep whooping on teams."
Prime position
After the win, Wake Forest is right on the cusp of crashing the College Football Playoff. The Demon Deacons sit at No. 13, and could rise following a dominant performance against a top 40 opponent.
The quarterback Lopez and wide receiver Carlos Hernandez will get serious All-America consideration with their strong performance. Otherwise, the rest of the team takes pride in being "Built in the Dark," Dickert's motto.
If Wake Forest can beat Georgia Tech and Duke over the next two weeks, they'll set up a rematch against Miami in the ACC title game. Especially with wide receiver Malachi Toney still sidelined, the Demon Deacons could win their first ACC title since 2006 and crash the postseason.
Everything is on the table in Winston-Salem, only emphasized after Dickert and heralded offensive coordinator Rob Ezell signed extensions to stay with the program.
"The biggest thing is, I don't want people to think what we're doing right now is easy," Dickert said. "We're one of the lowest payroll teams in the country and people assume certain things about our guys, our coaches, our university, and it's not true. That's part of why I stayed here, right? There's a pathway to creating success at a place like Wake…
"You want to be coached in football and you want to develop? Come to Wake Forest."
