LOUISVILLE, KY – Louisville had one more chance.
Then another.
And still, Wake Forest wouldn't go away.
The Demon Deacons went on the road Saturday and knocked off No. 16 Louisville, 30-27, surviving two potential game-tying field goal attempts in the final three minutes and blocking the last one with 15 seconds remaining to secure their biggest victory of the young season.
For a Wake Forest team coming off a 33-20 loss to No. 5 Miami, Saturday offered an immediate opportunity to prove it belonged in the conversation with the ACC's top teams.
The Demon Deacons took it.
Wake improved to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in ACC play, handing Louisville its second loss of the season.
Carlos Hernandez led the way offensively with a career afternoon, catching nine passes for 194 yards and a touchdown. He accounted for all but 31 of Gio Lopez's 225 passing yards, including a 77-yard touchdown in the second quarter that immediately answered a Louisville score.
That became the theme of the afternoon.
Louisville took a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter. Wake answered with a Ty Clark III touchdown.
The Cardinals went back ahead 14-10. Less than two minutes later, Lopez found Hernandez for 77 yards and another Wake lead.
After Somad Eaddy intercepted Louisville quarterback Lincoln Kienholz, Clark scored his second touchdown to stretch the advantage to 24-14. Louisville responded with a 61-yard touchdown just before halftime, but Wake still carried a 24-21 lead into the locker room.
The second half became a fight for every point.
Louisville tied the game twice in the third quarter. Both times Wake answered with a Connor Calvert field goal.
Calvert's third field goal, a 32-yarder with 6:20 remaining, gave Wake a 30-27 lead.
Six minutes against a ranked Louisville team felt like an eternity.
The Cardinals marched 50 yards on 10 plays and appeared poised to tie the game, but Carson Hilbert pushed a 42-yard attempt wide left with 2:29 remaining.
Wake had its chance to finish the job.
It couldn't.
The Demon Deacons managed seven yards on three plays and burned only 35 seconds before punting the ball right back to Louisville with 1:54 remaining.
Once again, the Cardinals had life. Once again, Wake's defense had to answer.
Louisville advanced to the Wake 40 before the Demon Deacons pushed the Cardinals into fourth-and-20. With 18 seconds remaining, Louisville sent Nick Keller onto the field to attempt a 57-yarder.
This time, Wake didn't wait to see whether the kick would sail through.
Gabe Kirschke blocked it.
Devin Cook recovered the football at the Louisville 46. Fifteen seconds later, Wake Forest was celebrating a ranked road victory.
It was a fitting ending for a defense that spent the afternoon making Louisville work. The Cardinals threw for 324 yards but managed just 75 rushing yards on 38 attempts. Wake recorded nine tackles for loss and four sacks, with Kirschke collecting two sacks before providing the biggest special-teams play of the afternoon.
Wake wasn't perfect. The Demon Deacons converted only 2-of-10 third downs, committed 10 penalties and couldn't put the game away when Louisville's first missed field goal gave them the opportunity.
They just wouldn't quit.
A week after falling short against No. 5 Miami, Wake Forest walked into Louisville and found itself in another fight with one of the ACC's ranked teams.
This time, when the game came down to one final play, the Demon Deacons made it.
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