#38 Wake Forest

Winston Salem, NC

BB&T Field September 13, 2019 Wake Forest 24 – UNC 18 (ESPN Recap)

Surprisingly, a battle between undefeated in-state rivals in the same conference but playing a game that does not count for ACC standings. I got lucky in planning this weekend that this game ended up being a pretty good one. Also lucky that the rain held off, the sun stayed hidden, and the temperature was perfect.

Day started off right with lunch with Kevin and Cindy T in Greensboro chatting about the new coach in Lefrak. Amherst basketball is going to be a defensive juggernaut this season and create match-up nightmares both ways.

I did not get much flavor for Winston Salem as a college town at all. Had the feels of a commuter school, though I know that’s not fair to its alumni and campus. The tailgate was mostly parking lot drinking and small grills. Very few TVs. The cornhole was plentiful, but there was a wide range on the quality of sets and bags. (I went undefeated on the day in solo and partners) There was a really cool fire truck tailgate (pictured) .

I bet UNC +3.5 and wore Carolina blue to a black-out…but luckily, so did 40% of the fans. The Tar Heels rolled deep to this one! My favorite part of the stadium is the end zone hill, general admission seating, which many young families snatched. The game was a tale of two halves where the Deacs were winning 21-0 and leading every statistical category by a million at halftime, and then UNC rushed back to make it a FG game (and temporarily cover) with 6 mins left at 21-18. Wake’s defense played out of their mind compared to their first two games against Utah St and Rice. UNC’s offense didn't show up until Q4 and it was too late…but I did get to see glimpses of 1st year phenom QB1 Sam Howell throwing darts that beat South Carolina and Miami in the Tar Heels first two games. Luckily, won back my pre-game loss with a 2H UNC +1. UNC did cover the +22.

The video operator played a “Deacs in the NFL” segment which was funny. Five guys I have never heard of: four defense or lineman and the lone skills position being a backup QB for the Chargers I have never heard of. CP3 got a loud ovation later in the game for his 3-second video hello that was probably recorded 9 years ago.

I could not stop thinking about the WF school colors being black and khaki. I know it is supposed to be black and gold, but 90% of fans were wearing khaki pants or shorts to match their black tops. It’s kind of cool that a school can have a staple garment as one of its school colors. Like blue jeans blue for Kansas or something. Maybe that’s how Kansas rolls…I haven’t been to Lawrence yet. Speaking of Kansas, congrats to them on their first road win against a Power 5 school since 2008 at BC tonight.

Weird last series for UNC, which got the ball back on their 25 down 6 with 1:09 left and no timeouts. On 3rd and 5 from their own 40ish and 25 seconds left, a batted ball caught by the QB and rushed for four yards but short of the 1st down. Followed by a smart quick hand-off to get the 1st down… but the RB was not sharp and didn’t go down or out-of-bounds until 1 second left. However, the refs wanted none of that and ended the game without review.

Lost all my Lyft luck from the season after this game and ended up walking south for 30 mins before catching a ride home. Despite passing a couple lower-income developments, felt safe in WS.

(my taxicab driver that took me to the game wanted to drink with me on our 1-mile ride to the game. Photo evidence to let my readers determine whether I gave him a beer or not)