Wake Forest's Lopez, Foley and Firenze sweep ACC weekly honors after NC State win

Three Wake Forest players won ACC player of the week honors Monday after the Demon Deacons' comfortable win at NC State. Quarterback Gio Lopez, wide receiver Jack Foley and linebacker Vincent Firenze each took the award at their position, according to On3's Deacons Illustrated.

It is the second weekly award of the season for both Lopez and Firenze. Deacons Illustrated reported that Lopez's first came after the win at Purdue, and Firenze's came after the season-opening victory over Akron.

Lopez was efficient all afternoon in Raleigh. He completed 26 of 33 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran for another score. That gives him six rushing touchdowns in six games, so he has scored on the ground in every game so far.

Foley, a sophomore, was one of Lopez's two main targets. He finished with eight catches for 156 yards and a touchdown. It was his second 100-yard game of the year, after the first one came against Miami.

Firenze changed the game on defense. He had eight tackles, broke up a pass and forced a fumble, which Braylon Johnson returned to the Wolfpack 2-yard line to set up the game's first points. Firenze is a converted safety who transferred in from Dayton, and he leads Wake Forest with 46 tackles. He also has two forced fumbles, four tackles for loss and two pass breakups this season.

Up next: a late kick at Cal

The awards come as No. 21 Wake Forest (5-1) travels across the country to face Cal (3-3) on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN2. A late start on the West Coast is a common trap for ranked teams, and the Deacons will need the same balance they showed at NC State. That day, Lopez spread the ball around, Foley stretched the field and the defense turned a takeaway into points.

The market has Wake Forest as a clear road favorite. The Deacons are favored at -335 on Novig, one of the venues listing the game, and the best sportsbook price on Wake Forest is -360 at DraftKings. The spread has Cal getting 9.5 points, and the total sits at 53.5. Full pricing is on the Wake Forest at Cal odds page.

At 5-1 and ranked, Wake Forest has a lot riding on the second half of the season, and the trip to Berkeley is the kind of game it has to win to stay in the ACC race. Whether Lopez can keep up his scoring streak on the ground, and whether Firenze's defense can force more turnovers, will likely decide whether Saturday goes the way the market expects.