SMU’s transition to the ACC had been seamless. The Mustangs jumped from the American Conference to the Atlantic Coast Conference without requiring an acclimation period. They rattled off an 8-0 record
in year one to qualify for the ACC Championship Game and then started year two 3-0, remaining unblemished against their new conference peers.
All signs pointed to a 12th-straight regular season ACC win for Rhett Lashlee and the Mustangs after a clutch goal line stand. Wake Forest looked poised to win with a chip shot field goal facing 1st and goal at the SMU 6-yard line at the 2-minute timeout. But immediately after the stoppage, SMU inside linebacker Zakye Barker ripped the ball out of Demond Claiborne’s hands, and Marcellus Barnes Jr. recovered for the defense. Review never showed definitive evidence of Claiborne’s knee hitting the ground, and the laws of mathematics allowed SMU to run out all but a few seconds of clock.
SMU punted to Wake Forest in the waning seconds, and the Demon Deacons took over on their own 42 with 12 seconds and zero timeouts remaining. All they needed was one deep shot for a game-winning field goal, and they got it. Deshawn Purdie — making his first start at home since transferring to Wake Forest — heaved the ball toward the sideline, and Kamrean Johnson impressively secured it for a contested 25-yard reception. That set up Connor Calvert for a 50-yard field goal at the buzzer, and his career-long kick sailed through with just the appropriate amount of distance.
SMU finally wound up on the losing side of an ACC game, falling 13-12 in a stunning heartbreak in Winston-Salem. The Mustangs snapped their 11-game ACC win streak and 20-game regular season conference win streak, dating back to their 2023 season in the American Conference.
The Mustangs didn’t see their usual level of success offensively, held to their third-lowest scoring output in Lashlee’s four years at the helm — only trailing the 2024 College Football Playoff game at Penn State (10) and a 2023 matchup at Oklahoma (11). SMU’s first half featured five punts, three turnovers, and a turnover on downs. The Mustangs even turned it over twice in the final 50 seconds of the half in Wake Forest territory, depriving two golden opportunities at points.
SMU had 17 drives and seven ended in three-and-outs. The Mustangs only exceeded 14 yards on three of those series — a 52-yard field goal drive, a 69-yard field goal drive, and a 41-yard touchdown drive. But even the touchdown was unfulfilling as SMU left one critical point on the board — serving as the reason for the loss. Right after Shaadie Clayton-Johnson ran in his first touchdown as a Mustang, SMU’s extra point was sent back the other way by Wake Forest, keeping the door ajar for the Demon Deacons to win on a field goal in a 12-10 ballgame.
As sluggish as the Mustangs’ offense was in Winston-Salem, the defense was potent to the same degree. Wake Forest’s lone touchdown stemmed from a two-play drive, perfectly positioned from a Wake Forest fumble recovery at the SMU 14-yard line. In fact, Wake Forest had negative yards while ahead 3-0 in the second quarter. The Demon Deacons were subject to six three-and-outs and five turnovers (two interceptions and three lost fumbles on six total fumbles) — yet SMU didn’t capitalize with a single point off a takeaway.
Wake Forest (5-2, 2-2 ACC) is on the doorstep of bowl eligibility in Jake Dickert’s first year at the helm. The Demon Deacons ride a 3-game win streak behind a dominant defense which has surrendered 14 or fewer points in four of five wins. SMU (5-3, 3-1 ACC) no longer controls its own destiny for a second-straight ACC Championship Game. Only Georgia Tech and Virginia remain unblemished in conference play as the Mustangs look to rebound at home against a No. 10 Miami (FL) squad next Saturday.
