NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Sam Hartman passed for 300 yards and four touchdowns, and No. 23 Wake Forest beat Vanderbilt 45-25 on Saturday.
Hartman connected on 18 of 27 passes after he missed Wake Forest’s opener against VMI because of a blood clot. The fifth-year quarterback directed the Demon Deacons to 11 wins and a trip to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game last season.
Hartman’s 68-yard touchdown pass to A.T. Perry lifted Wake Forest (2-0) to a 14-3 lead with 36 seconds left in the first quarter. He found Christian Turner for a 2-yarder early in the second quarter, and then threw second-half touchdown passes to Taylor Morin and Cameron Hite.
A.J. Swann passed for two touchdowns for Vanderbilt in relief of Mike Wright. Swann also ran for a 2-point conversion.
Re’Mahn Davis had 18 carries for 87 yards for the Commodores (2-1), including a 2-yarder with 11:06 left in the first half that trimmed Wake Forest’s lead to 21-10.
The Demon Deacons went ahead to stay when Wright threw a pass to the left under pressure that was intercepted by Coby Davis and returned 31 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.
THE TAKEAWAY
Wake Forest: Solid performance by the Demon Deacons defense, which held the Commodores to 294 total yards, 113 on the ground. Vanderbilt averaged 512.5 total yards and 52.5 points through its first two games.
Vanderbilt: Wright had combined for 10 touchdowns in his first two games but was held to only one by Wake Forest. The scoring drive started at the Wake Forest 24-yard line when a punt by Matt Hayball was mishandled by Morin and recovered by Jameson Van Wharton for the Commodores. Davis went in from the 2.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Wake Forest entered the game at No. 23. The victory, an expected one though the Demon Deacons had lost their previous three games against Vanderbilt, should keep them around No. 23.
UP NEXT
Wake Forest returns home to play Liberty on Saturday.
Vanderbilt travels to Northern Illinois on Saturday.
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