Wake Forest Zips Past Akron 38-16 in a Home Opener That Was Never Really in Doubt

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Wake Forest opened its 2026 season the way most fans in the building were hoping for, dismantling Akron 38-16 on Thursday night in a game that felt decided long before the final whistle.

The night began with a moment of silence, followed by one of the genuine feel-good moments of the evening — the Deacon Dash, featuring the freshman class making their way onto the field for the first time. It was the kind of moment that reminds you why gameday in Winston-Salem hits different, and the energy in the stadium reflected it.

A Fast Start Built on the Ground Game

Wake Forest got the ball first and methodically marched down the field, leaning heavily on the run while the passing game worked through some early rust. The Demon Deacons found paydirt with 11:32 left in the first quarter, and the extra point made it 7-0. A handful of unnecessary penalties from Akron didn't do the Zips any favors, either, and helped hand Wake Forest that first score of the night.

Akron's offense struggled to answer. The Zips couldn't establish anything on the ground as Wake Forest's front stuffed run after run, forcing an early punt.

Wake Forest kept building. Quarterback Gio Lopez, a transfer from UNC, continued to settle into the offense and showed real flashes of promise as the black and gold extended the lead to 10-0 on a field goal.

Akron's struggles continued from there. The Zips closed out the first quarter without points, forced to punt yet again as Wake Forest's defense shut down the run and left Akron's passing attack all but nonexistent.

The Second Quarter Turned Into a Statement

Wake Forest picked up right where it left off to open the second quarter, capping a drive with a rushing touchdown to push the lead to 17-0 with 11:39 remaining in the first half. The Demon Deacons were controlling every phase of the game, and Akron simply had no answer — which, frankly, wasn't a huge surprise given how the first quarter had gone.

Wake Forest forced a turnover with an interception and marched right back down the field, though the offense hit a bit of a red-zone snag — a trend that would show up more than once on the night — settling for a field goal instead of another touchdown. Akron's defense deserves some credit there, holding Wake Forest to three points and keeping the score at 20-0.

Akron kept struggling to find any real footing, and Wake Forest kept controlling the pace, mistakes and all. The Zips did manage a field goal late in the second quarter, their first points of the night, but Wake Forest answered right back with another touchdown before the break to make it 28-3 at halftime.

By the time the half ended, a good chunk of the crowd had already started filtering out of the stadium. Wake Forest had made its message clear early, and as the sun set behind the stadium, it was all black and gold on the scoreboard. The ground game had done the heavy lifting all night — the passing attack still has some proving to do, but on this particular Thursday, it simply wasn't needed as much.

The Second Half Was More of the Same

The third quarter gave fans a look at backup quarterback Steele Pizzella, who took over under center and helped march the offense down the field for another field goal, pushing the lead to 31-3.

The game had settled into a fairly lopsided rhythm at that point. Akron couldn't get its offense on track, Wake Forest kept adding points, and a fair share of fans had seen enough to head out early and get a jump on their Thursday night. The Demon Deacons looked sharp and well-oiled from start to finish — which, given the matchup, was more or less exactly what anyone watching expected.

Akron did find the end zone in the red zone late, connecting on a touchdown pass followed by a successful extra point to make it 38-10 with 7:06 remaining. The fight never fully left the Zips — it just never quite got the spark it needed against a Wake Forest team that had a clear mission from the opening whistle and executed it well. Akron tacked on a bit more before the final whistle to round out the scoring.

Final score: Wake Forest 38, Akron 16.

What's Next

This one was never much of a true test for Wake Forest, and everyone in the building knew it. The real measuring stick comes on the 18th, when a much tougher Miami team comes to Winston-Salem. Whether the Demon Deacons can bring this same level of energy and execution into that matchup is still the question left to answer — but for one night, at least, Wake Forest looked every bit like a team that knows exactly what it's doing.