Wake Forest had no answers for Lane Kiffin and No. 5 Ole Miss on Saturday night. Lane Kiffin and the Rebels rolled into Winston-Salem and destroyed Wake Forest 40-6, and the Demon Deacons had had enough afterward.
The two teams were supposed to meet again next year in Oxford for the second half of their home-and-home series, but that is no longer happening, according to Brett McMurphy of Action Network. Wake Forest is paying Ole Miss $1 million in order to cancel the game.
Kiffin also confirmed that the two sides would not be meeting again next season after the game, per Brad Logan of 247Sports.
“These guys during the week called over and (Wake Forest AD John) Currie said we’re not playing you guys next year and bought out of the game. I thought that was a good message for our players when somebody wanted to pay money not to play them. It says a lot about where our program is right now.”
The loss dropped Wake Forest to 1-2 on the season after a close loss to Virginia last week. They will now have an extra non-conference slot to fill on their 2025 schedule.
Biggest things Wake Forest needs to fix moving forward
The number one culprit in Wake Forest's two-game losing streak has been the defense. The Deacons stood no chance against Ole Miss on Saturday night, as thew Lane train picked up 649 total yards at an ultra-efficient clip, moving the ball wherever and however they wanted all night.
But that's no big deal, right? Ole Miss has one of the best offenses in college football. The problem is, Wake Forest struggled to stop Virginia in Week 2 as well. The Cavaliers torched the Wake Forest defense for 430 yards in a 31-30 win in Winston-Salem.
Wake Forest's defense doesn't currently have anything to hang their hat on. Their run defense was strong against Virginia, but the Ole Miss ground attack cut through them like a knife through butter to the tune of 272 yards on 45 carries. Ole Miss also threw for 377 yards on 34 attempts during an incredibly efficient day.
Virginia also had success through the air, passing for 357 yards, and probably could have put up more points if it weren't for two costly turnovers.
The ACC is wide open in 2024, with many of the top contenders in the conference showing major flaws over the first three weeks of the season. If Wake Forest wants to enter the conversation at the top of the conference, they need to fix things on the defensive side of the ball.
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