Virginia lost starting QB Chandler Morris in the second quarter on a cheap-shot to the head, putting the game in the hands of untested redshirt freshman Daniel Kaelin, who, for the most part, played like a true freshman in his first significant game action.
Kaelin led two scoring drives, both ending in field goals, but he also fumbled twice, leading to two short-field Wake Forest field-goal drives.
Wake also got a TD on an 88-yard punt return from Carlos Hernandez right before the half, and got a stop on a fourth-and-3 at the Demon Deacons 5 with 13 seconds left to preserve a 16-9 win.
ICYMI
The result snaps a seven-game winning streak for Virginia (8-2, 5-1 ACC), which falls into a four-way tie for first place in the ACC with Georgia Tech (8-1, 5-1 ACC), which was idle on Saturday, Pitt (7-2, 5-1 ACC), also idle on Saturday, and SMU (7-3, 5-1 ACC), which won at Boston College, 45-13.
The dream of a spot in the College Football Playoff is still there, and it’s not like Virginia was going to get an at-large spot anyway, with the weak strength of schedule.
The path to a CFP berth was going to necessitate getting to the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte, and then winning there.
Nothing has changed on that front.
What has changed: now the ‘Hoos need two wins, and maybe some help, to get to Charlotte.
Pitt and Georgia Tech face each other on Nov. 22, so one of those two will have a second loss.
SMU finishes up with Louisville (7-2, 4-2 ACC) at home on Nov. 22, and at Cal (6-4, 3-3 ACC) on Nov. 29.
Louisville, which obviously came into the day with one ACC loss – a 30-27 OT loss to UVA last month – lost another one in OT on Saturday, dropping a 29-26 decision to Cal.
Another thing that has changed for our ‘Hoos: we have to wonder what the situation is going forward with Morris, who has been playing hurt since the third quarter of the opener, when he was forced out after taking a big hit on a scramble in the direction of the end zone, up 28-0 on a bad Coastal Carolina team.
Man, if we could have that one back, right?
In this one, Morris looked to suffer, at the least, a head injury on the hit on a second-quarter QB keeper, on which he slid, but two Wake defenders – Davaugh Patterson and Travon West – hit him, both helmet-to-helmet.
We got the flag, and a 15-yard penalty, but, big whoop.
Morris was on the turf for several minutes after the hit, and was immediately escorted back to the locker room, and did not return.
We likely won’t know until Tuesday his status going forward; we’ll be looking for news on a possible concussion and whatever might be going on with the left shoulder that has been an issue since the hit in the Coastal game.
ICYMI
The offense wasn’t moving even with Morris behind center, getting its first first down 10 minutes into the game, then turning the ball over on downs in plus territory on that drive.
UVA still led 3-0 behind Morris, because Kam Robinson, being Kam Robinson, blocked a Wake Forest punt, setting the offense up with a short field, leading to a 34-yard Will Bettridge field goal.
Kaelin, after subbing in for Morris, broke off a 54-yard run on a keeper to set up a first-and-goal, but the offense stalled out, and had to settle for another Bettridge field goal that made it 6-0 ‘Hoos.
The game turned inside the two-minute timeout of the second half.
A Daniel Sparks punt that officially went 50 yards – 35 in the air, and 15 on a high bounce – effectively outkicked the coverage, and Hernandez weaved his way in and out of traffic for the 88-yard punt-return score and a 7-6 Wake Forest lead.
A sack-fumble of Kaelin on Virginia’s next possession set up a 39-yard Connor Calvert field goal that made it 10-6 Demon Deacons at the break.
Virginia got into the red zone on its first possession of the third quarter, but a false-start penalty made a second-and-short into a second-and-long, and the ‘Hoos had to settle for a third Bettridge field goal that made it 10-9.
That would be all UVA would get for the night, in terms of points.
Wake Forest would tack on two more field goals, the second coming on what can only be termed a march – 16 plays, 48 yards, four third-down conversions, 9:16 coming off the clock – to get the lead to 16-9.
There were two golden opportunities for the ‘Hoos late. J’Mari Taylor broke off a 43-yard run to get into plus territory inside of four minutes to go, but fumbled on the next play to give the ball back to Wake Forest.
After the defense forced a Wake punt, Kaelin moved the team into the red zone yet again – completing his first six passes, for 51 yards.
But after a short completion to Trell Harris set up a fourth-and-3 at the Wake Forest 5, Kaelin, scanning the field, found his first two options covered, and his third option, Jahmal Edrine, in the deep corner, was covered both under and over the top, and had no chance, as the ball sailed through the end zone, and fell incomplete.
This one is tough to take, because the defense played its best game of what has been a productive season for that unit – allowing only the three field goals, two of which were aided by the Kaelin fumbles, the third not seeing the Wake offense get inside the UVA 30.
The Wake Forest offense finished with 203 yards, averaging 3.2 yards per play.
The scorebook credited the Virginia D with seven pass breakups, and Wake only had 64 yards passing – with its two QBs, Robby Ashford and Deshawn Purdie, combining to complete 9-of-23.
Kaelin, pressed into action, was 18-of-28 for 145 yards through the air, and had 61 sack-adjusted rushing yards – 54 on the big gainer on his first drive.
You’re just not going to overcome three lost fumbles, and only getting nine points on three trips to the red zone.
The quest for an unlikely spot in Charlotte, and an unlikelier spot in the CFP, is only slightly derailed, but I’m saying that pending what the news is with Chandler Morris.
Daniel Kaelin is the QB of the future; the future could be next week at Duke.
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Chris Graham
