There were many standout performances this past week in the Deacs' big win over Akron. However, Vinny Firenze and Gio Lopez stood out and received some accolades for their week one play. Let's dive into these performances and what we can see from these players going forward.
Coming into a loaded linebacker room as a transfer from an FCS program certainly is not easy. Well, Vinny Frienze sure has made it look easy with his play so far in his young Wake Forest career. He fit right in next to Aidan Hall and Frank Cusano to completely shut down the Akron Zips' offense. In the victory, Vinny led the Deacs in both total tackles and solo tackles, as well as creating a forced fumble. This led to Vinny being named the ACC Linebacker of the Week in his first game with Wake Forest.
Despite only playing 23 snaps, Frienze made an impact on almost every play he was on the field. His 85.7 defensive rating on PFF was the highest of all Wake defensive players against the Zips. This was also a standout performance in terms of the conference, as he was the fourth-highest-rated linebacker in the ACC last week. He stood out especially in stopping the run at an 86.1 grade. Fans should expect to see even more from Frienze as the season goes on and he gets even more comfortable with the Deacs while playing more snaps.
North Carolina transfer quarterback Gio Lopez sure put on a show in his first game as a Demon Deacon. His 350 passing yards and three touchdowns were good enough to earn him a Manning Award Star of the Week. His 350 yards through the air were the most he has had in a game since August 2024.
At halftime, Gio had already put together a better performance than in any game last season with the Tar Heels. This shows how much comfort in a system contributes to success. Gio is back with his guy, Rob Ezell, and looks fully in control of the offense. Lopez hit eight different receivers on his way to completing 21 total passes. The Deacs also never had to punt the entire first half, which shows the ability of the offense to stay on schedule. Overall, Gio passed the week one test with flying colors .
The next test for these guys comes Saturday at noon against a Big Ten team, when the Deacs travel to take on the Purdue Boilermakers in West Lafayette.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wake-forest as Two Deacs Receive National Recognition for Their Week One Performance .
