Claiborne runs wild as Wake Forest beats Western Carolina, 42-10

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Demond Claiborne scored on three touchdown runs, including an 83-yarder untouched in the third quarter, as Wake Forest beat Western Carolina 42-10 in a weather-hampered game Saturday.

Claiborne, who suffered a ribs injury in the opener and didn’t play in the second half eight days earlier, finished with 193 yards on 10 carries. He had two first-quarter touchdown runs.

“It feels amazing,” Claiborne said. “Thursday came around and I was still limited a little bit. … Overall, I feel like I’m getting better.”

Quarterback Robby Ashford was 13 for 22 for 227 yards with a 64-yard strike to Sterling Berkhalter in the third quarter for the Demon Deacons (2-0).

Western Carolina (0-2) scored on Christian Lowery’s 23-yard second-quarter field goal. The Catamounts got into the end zone with less than seven minutes left on Markel Townsend’s 1-yard run.

“We weren’t quite ready for prime time,” Western Carolina coach Kerwin Bell said. “We’re still a team in progress.”

There was a 2-hour, 18-minute weather-related delay about three minutes into the game. With Wake Forest ahead 21-3 at halftime, another weather delay kicked in before the second half began following an additional 42-minute pause. The fourth quarter was reduced to 10 minutes.

The Demon Deacons scored first on Ashford’s 41-yard keeper. Claiborne’s first two touchdowns came in a 12-second span, with an interception in between those plays.

He was pulled in the third quarter.

“I wanted to continue to play. After the third touchdown, I was like, ‘OK, got to be smart,’ ” Claiborne said. “I definitely wasn’t happy about that, but it was probably what was best for the team right now.”

Western Carolina: The Catamounts had difficulty containing pressure from Wake Forest’s defensive front and that tended to put their offense out of sync.

Wake Forest: With three first-quarter touchdowns and a safety for a 21-0 lead, the Demon Deacons more than doubled their point total from their 10-9 opening victory against Kennesaw State.

The extended delays created unwanted circumstances for both teams.

“They relaxed and took their pads off,” Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert said of his players. “We just stayed ready and I thought they did a good job of that.”

Bell recalled Western Carolina going through what he called a six-hour delay in a home game with Sanford a few seasons ago.

“We’ve had a couple in my last couple of years so a lot of guys in the locker room were used to it,” Bell said. “I thought we come back out with a lot of energy. I think both teams did. It didn’t seem to hurt either team.”

Wake Forest plays again in five nights vs. North Carolina State, so a long day at the stadium Saturday wasn’t in the plans.

“Let’s get out of here as fast as we can and start the recovery process,” Dickert said.

Combined with the first game, it marks the fewest points allowed in back-to-back games by Wake Forest since the beginning of the 2017 season.

Western Carolina: Home Saturday vs. Elon

Wake Forest: Home Thursday vs. North Carolina State