Wake Forest Rolls Past California 41-7 as Gio Lopez Throws Four Touchdowns

BERKELEY, Calif. — No. 21 Wake Forest delivered a commanding road performance Saturday night, defeating California 41-7 in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup that was effectively decided before halftime. Quarterback Gio Lopez threw four touchdown passes as the Demon Deacons improved to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in league play.

Wake Forest scored 14 points in the opening quarter and added 20 more in the second, taking a 34-0 advantage into the break. The Deacons extended the margin to 41-0 in the third quarter before California scored its lone touchdown in the fourth. The early separation allowed Wake Forest to dictate the remainder of the contest.

Lopez completed 16 of 23 passes for 267 yards and four scores, according to the official game statistics. Dominick Barry led the Deacons with 102 receiving yards, while Jamar Searcy paced their ground attack with 61 rushing yards. The offensive production came alongside a defense that kept California off the scoreboard for three quarters.

California fell to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the ACC. The Golden Bears' Ashten Emory rushed for 56 yards, while Chase Hendricks reached 2,000 career receiving yards across his time at Ohio and California. Despite those individual milestones, the home team had little opportunity to close the gap after Wake Forest's first-half surge.

The result evened the all-time series between the programs at one win apiece. For Winston-Salem's Demon Deacons, it also provided another significant conference result after their victory at NC State the previous week. Wake Forest enters its scheduled break with momentum and is slated to host Virginia on October 31.

Source: California Athletics, October 17, 2026.