WINSTON-SALEM — Wake Forest entered Saturday's Atlantic Coast Conference football game at Truist Field not knowing who Virginia's quarterback would be.
Would it be Brennan Armstrong, who suffered a concussion the week before against North Carolina State, or Lindell Stone, who filled in for Armstrong against the Wolfpack?
The answer was Stone, but that became complicated when the visiting Cavaliers ended up using three quarterbacks in total (Stone, Iraken Armstrong and Keytaon Thompson) with multiple of them on the field at the same time, lining up in other positions and receiving handoffs.
"They had us scrambling in the first half," Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said. "Then I thought our defensive staff really made some good adjustments. We started defending (Armstead) a little bit different. We just kind of settled down a little bit. I thought we did a great job of defending deep balls."
Wake Forest steadied the tide in the second half, holding Virginia to just a field goal and pulling away for a 40-23 victory.
"We came out with a mentality that the second half had to be ours," Wake Forest linebacker Traveon Redd said. "Coming into halftime, knowing it was tied, so we had the mentality it was 0-0 and the better defense was going to win. We came out, we held them to only 3 points. We wanted to give the ball to our offense, let them control the game. We have too many weapons not to give the ball to (the offense)."
The Demon Deacons improved to 2-2 overall and 1-2 in the ACC with a matchup against Virginia Tech coming up next weekend.
"I'm especially proud of our defense in the second half," Clawson said. "We've struggled on that side of the ball. I thought we made some improvements against Campbell, but to play the way we did against an ACC team in the second half and only give up 3 points, I'm really proud of those guys."
Virginia fell to 1-3, 1-3.
Wake Forest running game awakens in fourth quarter
Through three quarters, Wake Forest failed to make much noise in the running game, gaining just 77 yards on its first 30 carries for an average of 2.6 yards an attempt.
Then, Kenneth Walker III got loose.
"That run was huge," Wake Forest receiver Jaquarii Roberson said. "Coming out in the second half, we needed a big play. ... We needed that momentum."
On the first play of Wake Forest's first fourth-quarter drive, Walker found a rushing lane, made one Virginia would-be tackler miss and sprinted 75 yards down the sideline for a go-ahead touchdown that placed the Demon Deacons in front 30-23.
"That pretty much won the game, I would say," Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman said.
On Wake Forest's next offensive drive, Walker carried it three times for 18 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown run on a direct snap, pushing the lead to 37-23.
Walker finished with 128 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. Christian Beal-Smith gained 58 yards on 14 carries.
Special teams make a difference
Special teams made an impact, in the favor of the Demon Deacons.
Wake Forest icker Nick Sciba was 4 of 4 on field-goal attempts with a long of 44 yards.
Meanwhile, Virginia kicker Brain Delaney made 3 of 4 field-goal attempts, but his one miss came on the Cavaliers' chance to take their first lead of the game in the third quarter.
Wake Forest built on the momentum of Walker's 75-yard score by immediately giving the ball back to its offense.
Kickoff man Jack Crane booted a sky kick to Virginia following the score. The Cavaliers muffed the catch and Wake Forest's Kenneth Dicks recovered on the Virginia 27-yard line to set up Walker's final touchdown.
Deep ball finds its mark
Through the first two games of the season, Clawson wanted to see more out of the deep passing game.
Against Campbell, it was better.
Against Virginia, it was on point.
Hartman completed five passes of at least 32 yards each to three different receivers.
A 40-yard pass to A.T. Perry scored Wake Forest's first touchdown of the game, while a 49-yarder to Roberson set up the second touchdown. Perry caught the touchdown one play after committing a holding penalty that wiped out the majority of a 37-yard run by Beal-Smith.
A 39-yard pass to Donavon Greene came with Hartman throwing from his own end zone, the completion moving the Demon Deacons out of danger when starting the drive from their own 1-yard line.
"We're younger and inexperienced at wide receiver and you're watching those guys grow up in front of us," Clawson said. "... Those guys just get better every game."
Hartman finished 16-for-27 passing for 309 yards and a touchdown. Roberson caught seven passes for career-high 126 yards.
Penalties an uncharacteristic concern
Under Clawson, the Demon Deacons have routinely won games by utilizing a formula that includes not turning the ball over and not committing penalties.
Against Virginia, the Demon Deacons committed the most penalties in a game, for the most yardage, in Clawson's seven seasons at Wake Forest.
Wake Forest was penalized 12 times for 119 yards.
"We just got to be more disciplined," Clawson said. "Some younger guys on defense, freshmen and sophomores, that in the heat of the moment, they get excited, they don't know where they are on the field. I don't think they're malicious or dirty plays, it's just a lack of awareness. Obviously, we'll address it."
This article originally appeared on Times-News: Second-half defense, Walker's runs power Wake Forest to victory vs. Virginia
