Sports · NEWS EXPLAINER
Wake Forest vs. Louisville: Blocked 57-Yard Kick Seals 30-27 Upset
Wake Forest survived Louisville’s late comeback after Connor Calvert’s go-ahead field goal and Gabe Kirschke’s block on the final 57-yard tying attempt.
Wake Forest beat No. 16 Louisville 30-27 on Saturday at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium, turning a tight ACC game into a road upset with special-teams execution in the final minutes. Connor Calvert’s 32-yard field goal with 6:20 left supplied the winning points, and Gabe Kirschke blocked a 57-yard Louisville attempt with 15 seconds remaining to preserve the lead.
The final sequence was only part of the upset. Carlos Hernandez caught nine passes for 194 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown from Gio Lopez, while Ty Clark III ran for 91 yards and two scores. Louisville erased a 10-point first-half deficit, but a first interception of the season for quarterback Lincoln Kienholz and two missed late kicks gave Wake Forest the openings it needed.
Two late kicks decided the final six minutes
With the score tied 27-27, Wake Forest’s drive stalled inside Louisville territory, but Calvert converted from 32 yards with 6:20 left. Louisville answered with two chances to tie: Carson Hilbert missed a 42-yard field goal with 2:29 remaining, then Nick Keller lined up for a 57-yarder with 15 seconds left after the Cardinals got one final possession.
Kirschke got through to block Keller’s kick, ending the comeback. The sequence matters because Wake Forest did not win on a last-play offensive score; it won by turning field position into three points and then surviving two Louisville attempts to answer.
Hernandez created the biggest offensive swing
Wake Forest’s most explosive play came with 5:49 left in the second quarter. Lopez found Hernandez for a 77-yard touchdown that put the Demon Deacons ahead 17-14. Hernandez finished with nine catches for 194 yards, while Lopez completed 12 of 19 passes for 225 yards and the touchdown.
Clark supplied the balance on the ground with 21 carries for 91 yards and two touchdowns. That combination helped Wake Forest build a 24-14 lead before Louisville struck back with Kienholz’s 61-yard touchdown pass to Jaleel Skinner and a pair of second-half field goals.
Louisville’s first turnover changed the middle of the game
Kienholz entered the game without an interception in 2026, but a tipped pass with 3:46 left in the second quarter became Louisville’s first turnover of the season. Wake Forest turned the takeaway into Clark’s second touchdown, stretching the margin to 24-14 before Louisville answered just 22 seconds later.
Kienholz still finished 27 of 36 for 324 yards with one passing touchdown and two rushing scores. The box-score production shows why the loss was not simply an offensive failure: Louisville moved the ball, but the interception, the missed 42-yarder and the blocked final attempt all came in high-leverage moments.
What changes after the upset
Wake Forest moved to 3-1 overall and earned its first ACC win of the season, while Louisville dropped to 2-2 and 1-1 in the conference. The result also gave Wake Forest a second straight season with a road win over a ranked opponent, according to the AP report carried by the ACC.
The next games shift the test rather than settle it. Wake Forest returns home to face Stanford, while Louisville goes on the road to NC State. Any later ranking, injury or kickoff-time update requires a fresh source; Saturday’s result alone does not determine either team’s position beyond the standings it changed.
