North Carolina–Wake Forest rivalry
SportFootball and Basketball
First meeting1888 (football)
1910 (men's basketball)
Locations of North Carolina and Wake Forest.

The North Carolina–Wake Forest rivalry is a series of athletic contests between the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons. The first football game between the two institutions was played in 1888.[1] As a consequence of ACC expansion in the 21st century, the two schools do not play each other annually in football, as they were placed in separate divisions and assigned different opponents for their "protected" (i.e., annual) cross-division games.

Football

North Carolina–Wake Forest football rivalry
First meetingOctober 10, 1888
Wake Forest 6, North Carolina 4
Latest meetingNovember 12, 2022
North Carolina 36, Wake Forest 34
Next meeting2024
Statistics
Meetings total110
All-time seriesNorth Carolina leads, 72–36–2
Largest victoryNorth Carolina, 65–0 (1928)
Longest win streakNorth Carolina, 17 (1893–1923)
Current win streakNorth Carolina, 3 (2020–present)

History

The University of North Carolina and Wake Forest University have a long shared athletic history, having formerly been located in close proximity to one another, as Wake Forest was originally located in Wake Forest, North Carolina. In 1956, the university moved its campus across the state of North Carolina to its current location in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The football rivalry, first meeting in 1888, is the oldest intercollegiate football rivalry in the American state of North Carolina[1] As of 2021, there have been 109 games between the two teams. The 2019 and 2021 games were non-conference games and thus were not counted in the ACC standings.[2][3][4] This unusual occurrence of a non-conference regular season game between teams in the same conference has only occurred once before in the recent history of the major FBS conferences.[5]

Results

North Carolina victoriesWake Forest victoriesTiesForfeits

Notable Games

2001

The Tar Heels built a 24–0 first-half lead behind a phenomenal performance by freshman quarterback Darian Durant, who threw for a freshmen school record 361 yards. Carolina looked in control taking a 31–14 lead into the fourth quarter after Durant threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game. Then things began to unravel for the Tar Heels. After the Deacons cut the lead to 7, the Tar Heels snapped the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety, cutting the lead to 31–26 with 4:49 left in the game. Wake Forest put together a 59-yard drive, capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback James MacPherson with just over a minute remaining. The Tar Heels’ final chance fell short as Wake safety Quinton Williams forced a Darian Durant fumble with 45 seconds remaining, and the Deacons won 32–31. The 24-point comeback was one of the largest in ACC history.[6]

2021

Wake Forest entered the game 8–0 for the first time in program history and ranked #9 in the College Football Playoff rankings and #10 in the AP Poll, both rankings being the highest in program history. The game featured an explosion of offense as the teams combined for 1,161 total yards. With 7:38 remaining in the third quarter, Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman connected with receiver A.T. Perry on a 66 yard touchdown pass, which gave the Demon Deacons a 45–27 lead. Over the next 21 minutes of the game, North Carolina went on a 31–3 run which included three rushing touchdowns by running back Ty Chandler, who finished the game with career highs of 213 yards and four touchdowns. After Carolina cut the lead to seven with 10:40 left in the game, Tar Heel safety Cam'Ron Kelly intercepted Hartman for the second time of the game. The Tar Heels quickly scored, tying the game at 48–48. The Tar Heel defense forced two consecutive turnovers on downs as Carolina erased a 14-point fourth quarter deficit, ultimately winning the game 58–55. With the win, the Tar Heels notched their first home win against a top-ten opponent since defeating #3 Miami in 2004.[7]

See also

Men's basketball

North Carolina–Wake Forest men's basketball rivalry
First meeting1910–11
North Carolina 31, Wake Forest 28
Latest meeting2022–23
Wake Forest 92, North Carolina 85
Statistics
Meetings total233
All-time seriesNorth Carolina leads, 163–70
Largest victoryNorth Carolina, 95–57 (2018–19)
Longest win streakNorth Carolina, 19 (1926–1936)
Current win streakWake Forest, 1 (2023–present)

Carolina currently leads the series 163–70.

The rivalry dates back to when Wake Forest was in Wake Forest, NC, and was only a short distance from UNC's campus. The rivalry that grew between the two schools became very intense, with fights breaking out on the court in certain match ups. Their rivalry eventually expanded into the Big Four with NC State and Duke, which are recognized as being some of the fiercest rivalries in NCAA men's basketball.

Over the years there have been many classic and exciting games in this series. In 1983, UNC came back from behind to win 80–78 at the Greensboro Coliseum. In 1995, the two teams faced each other in the ACC Tournament Championship game. Wake won behind center Tim Duncan and shooting guard Randolph Childress who made the go-ahead basket in an 82–80 overtime win.

North Carolina victoriesWake Forest victories

References

  1. 1 2 "Old Rivalry Renewed As Deacs Invade Carolina". The Dispatch, Lexington NC. October 23, 1954.
  2. ↑ "2012 Wake Forest Football Media Guide".
  3. ↑ "2015 North Carolina Football Yearbook" (PDF).
  4. ↑ "UNC, Wake Forest Schedule Non–Conference Football Series". 26 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "California Golden Bears Football Schedule". University of California at Berkeley Department of Athletics. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Wake Forest Comes All The Way Back To Beat UNC, 32–31". Godeacs. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Chandler, Tar Heels rally past No. 10 Demon Deacons, 58–55". ESPN. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
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