Built in the Dark to Demolish on Saturdays

The most intriguing team in all of college football just handed the SMU Mustangs their first ACC conference loss of the season. Wake Forest (5-2, 2-2 ACC) played a gritty game in Winston-Salem and walked off SMU with a 50-yard field goal by kicker Connor Calvert.

After a dramatic victory, an emotional Jake Dickert took the podium and spoke with the media.

Dickert Applauds Defensive Domination:

The Wake Forest defense held SMU to just 246 total yards of offense on Saturday. They held quarterback Kevin Jennings to just 171 passing yards and forced an interception. Jennings averaged just 4.4 yards per pass while the Mustangs garnered only 75 rushing yards.

Following the game, Dickert said, “Heck of a job by our defensive staff and our defensive players. That is a great SMU offense that they just smoked out.”

He admitted, the game was not perfect, but the team willed itself to its third straight victory. In fact, the Demon Deacons have yet to lose in the month of October, having beaten Virginia Tech, Oregon State, and now SMU. Dickert said, “Football is like life–it’s imperfect. There are ups and downs, and you just have to keep going, and these guys just kept going.”

Built in the Dark Since Day One:

To an outside looking in, it may seem that this Wake Forest program has come out of nowhere, but that is hardly the case. Since the day that Jake Dickert and his staff stepped onto campus in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, there has been a new enthusiasm within the program–something tangible, measurable.

From signing in December 2024 to spring workouts and summer camps, the Deacons have been dedicated to their duties. Dickert said, “This is what built in the dark means. You earn it when people are not watching, and then when everyone is watching, [they say] how did these guys do this.”

The Deacons just handed a talented Mustangs team its first loss on the ACC slate. Before Saturday, SMU had won its first three conference games against Syracuse, Stanford, and Clemson. Dickert said, “We’ve got a really good football team. These guys know it, they see it, they believe it, and they trust in it.”

What’s Next for the Demon Deacons?

Wake Forest will turn its attention to next weekend’s matchup with the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday, Nov. 1. The Deacons will travel to Tallahassee, Florida, for the first time since 2022 when they handled the then 22nd-ranked Seminoles 31-21. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on The ACC Network.