Hank Bachmeier throws 3 TD passes and Wake Forest holds off Stanford 27-24

STANFORD, Calif. — Hank Bachmeier threw three touchdown passes, Matthew Dennis hit a tiebreaking 23-yard field goal with 1:48 remaining and Wake Forest beat Stanford 27-24 on Saturday in the first cross-country conference trip for the Demon Deacons.

Nick Anderson sealed the win for for Wake Forest (4-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) when he intercepted a pass from Ashton Daniels with 22 seconds left and Stanford (2-6, 1-4) in range for a potential long field goal that could have tied the game.

The Demon Deacons have won three of four with the wins coming bya combined 10 points.

“Sometimes it just comes down to making a play," coach Dave Clawson said. "I just think the more you’re in those situations, the better your football team handles it. We’ve had eight games this year and five of them are one-score, last-play games. I don’t feel there’s as much panic in those situations as there was earlier in the year.”

The Cardinal lost their fifth straight game and are winless at home against FBS opponents in two seasons under coach Troy Taylor. Stanford has lost 12 straight home games overall against FBS opponents.

Bachmeier picked apart a banged-up Stanford secondary early by throwing three TD passes in the first half, including a 30-yarder to Micah Mays Jr. and a 39-yarder to Tate Carney to get the win in front of a large contingent of family members who came to watch him and his littler brother, Tiger, who is a receiver at Stanford.

“It’s probably a lot of emotion just because I think it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to play your little brother,” Hank Bachmeier said. “It’s just incredibly emotional to be able to sort of come back home and be with so much family. It feels a hell of a lot better to get the win.”

Bachmeier finished with 245 yards passing but struggled for most of the second half. He did lead the game-winning drive that was set up by a 36-yard punt return by Taylor Morin that gave Wake Forest the ball at midfield.

The Demon Deacons won their third straight road game to move a step closer to bowl eligibility.

“It was kind of an ugly day for us on offense,” Bachmeier said. “I think we kind of kept shooting ourselves in the foot. Credit the defense. They got a bunch of turnovers.”

Daniels came off the bench to go 24 for 31 for 214 yards. He completed all six passes on a TD drive for Stanford in the second quarter and threw a game-tying 16-yard TD pass to Sam Roush midway through the fourth quarter to cap a 99-yard drive after a goal-line stand.

But he couldn't come through at the end and the Cardinal lost.

“We were a couple of plays short,” Taylor said. “It could have been in any of the three areas — special teams, offense, defense. If we make one more play on any side of the ball, we probably come away with the win.”

The takeaway

Wake Forest: It was a sloppy performance by the Demon Deacons, who were penalized 10 times for 95 yards and got stopped on fourth and goal from the 1. But they turned four Stanford turnovers into 14 points and came out with the win.

Stanford: Freshman Elijah Brown got the start at QB for the Cardinal after replacing Daniels early last week. He was unable to provide a spark, throwing an early interception and being replaced in the first half.

Up next

Wake Forest: Hosts California on Nov. 8.

Stanford: Visits N.C. State on Saturday.