Wake Forest football delivered an emphatic opening statement Saturday, taking control against SMU as the Demon Deacons pushed to strengthen their College Football Playoff case.

The No. 13 Demon Deacons entered the Week 11 road matchup at 8-1 overall and 5-1 in ACC play. The Mustangs entered at 7-2 and 5-2, making the meeting significant for the conference championship race.

Coach Jake Dickert’s team arrived with six consecutive victories and quickly put another ACC contender under pressure in Dallas.

NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach took to X, formerly Twitter, to emphasize Wake Forest’s dominant start as the Demon Deacons built a commanding second-quarter lead.

“Wake now leads SMU, 42-0. Second quarter!”

Quarterback Gio Lopez and receiver Carlos Hernandez supplied one of the early highlights. Lopez connected with Hernandez for a touchdown as the Demon Deacons continued building their advantage.

The College Football Playoff’s official account shared the scoring play, showcasing the connection that helped Wake Forest take command of the matchup.

Gio Lopez to Carlos Hernandez over the 🔝

📺 ESPN x @ACCFootball pic.twitter.com/y2Ke0VcUio

— CFP (@CFBPlayoff) November 14, 2026

The scoring pace had already drawn Auerbach’s attention earlier in the afternoon. In a separate post, she noted that the Demon Deacons led 28-0 before the second quarter reached its midpoint.

“Wake Forest 28, SMU 0.

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We're not even halfway through the second quarter.”

247Sports’ Cam Lemons Debro additionally took to the platform to share Dickert’s message to Dave Goren about SMU.

“We're not finished with them yet. We came for 60 minutes and they've got nowhere to hide”

The following story is in development and will be updated shortly.