Wake Forest Wins Double-Overtime Thriller at Purdue, 38-36

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Wake Forest survived a wild finish at Purdue on Saturday, beating the Boilermakers 38-36 in double overtime for its first road victory of the 2026 season.

Quarterback Gio Lopez delivered the decisive plays. After Purdue went ahead 36-30 in the second overtime, Lopez scored on the ground to tie the game and then kept the ball on the two-point conversion for the winning points.

Lopez completed 16 of 27 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown while adding a team-high 59 rushing yards and two scores. Carlos Hernandez caught six passes for 88 yards, including a critical fourth-down reception in the second overtime that kept Wake Forest alive.

Purdue forced overtime with a field goal as regulation expired. Wake struck first in the opening overtime when Lopez connected with Bryce Kania for a 24-yard touchdown, but the Boilermakers answered to extend the game.

The Demon Deacons improve to 2-0 and return home after earning a dramatic early-season road win in Big Ten territory.