Wake Forest Beat Merrimack 77-0 as Backup QB Pizzella Throws for 432 Yards in One Half of His First Start

Wake Forest beat Merrimack 77-0 at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Saturday, November 7, 2026. Backup quarterback Steele Pizzella threw for 432 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone, in the first start of his career, and the Demon Deacons scored 11 touchdowns in a rout that set school records. The Associated Press game report and Field Level Media both confirmed the 77-0 final.

A backup quarterback, a record half

Pizzella, a sophomore, started because Gio Lopez hurt his knee last week. He completed 23 of 28 passes for 432 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, and he did all of it in the first 30 minutes. Field Level Media reported that he ran for 63 more yards, including a 13-yard touchdown late in the second quarter, and accounted for 495 yards in one half. He is the first FBS quarterback this season to pass for more than 400 yards and three touchdowns in a half, Field Level Media said.

Wake Forest led 49-0 at halftime, its largest halftime lead since 2003. The Demon Deacons outgained Merrimack 559 yards to 90 in the first half and piled up 24 first downs to three for the Warriors. The game was settled long before the break, and Pizzella did not need to throw another pass.

Records fall on a 77-point night

The 77 points are the most Wake Forest has scored since it put up 79 against William Jewell on September 21, 1940, according to Field Level Media. The offense finished with 730 total yards, four yards short of the school record set against Syracuse on November 11, 2017, and 546 passing yards. Kam Shanks caught three passes for 49 yards and a touchdown, then returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown with 1:23 left in the third quarter to make the score 63-0.

The defense finished the shutout. It was the first time Wake Forest held an opponent scoreless since a 3-0 win over Boston College on October 10, 2015. Merrimack reached the Wake Forest 9 midway through the third quarter and ran four plays, the last a fourth-and-goal try from the 1, without scoring.

What the win means

Wake Forest improved to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference with its sixth straight win. The Associated Press reported that the Demon Deacons sit a half-game behind top-ranked Miami in the ACC standings. Merrimack, an FCS program, fell to 4-6 and is now 0-5 all time against FBS opponents.

Wake Forest plays at SMU next Saturday, in a game that matters near the top of the ACC. Field Level Media reported that Lopez is believed to be ready to return for that game. Merrimack plays at Monmouth next Saturday.