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WINSTON-SALEM — All that stood between Wake Forest and earning its sixth victory to become bowl eligible was Vanderbilt.

That obstacle was too much for the Demon Deacons to overcome as the Commodores rolled to a 55-21 victory.

With the loss, Wake Forest ended its season with a 5-7 record, while Vanderbilt improved to 8-4 and will learn its postseason fate following all of Saturday’s conference championship clashes.

The 55 points marked the fifth game and the fourth out of their last five the Commodores have scored at least 40 this season. It is the first time they have accomplished this feat since 1915.

Vanderbilt quarterback Jordan Rodgers threw for 229 yards and two scores, while running back Zac Stacy found plenty of room on the ground, rushing for 180 yards and two touchdowns.

In addition to clicking on offense, the Commodores scored twice with their special teams units. They blocked one punt and recovered the ball in the end zone for one touchdown and returned another 83 yards for a score.

Former Richmond Senior linebacker Justin Jackson was limited to one tackle in the contest for Wake Forest. For the season, Jackson finished as the the Demon Deacons’ top tackler with 80. He was also tied for the team lead with four sacks and recorded the only blocked kick on the season.

Wofford, Appalachian State set for playoff openers

Wofford College will open the FCS playoffs against the University of New Hampshire 2 p.m. Saturday at Gibbs Stadium.

The Terriers finished the regular season with an 8-3 record and were tied for first in the Southern Conference with a 6-2 mark. The Wildcats were also 8-3 in the regular season and were 6-2 in the Colonial Athletic Conference, which was good enough to tie for first place with Richmond, Villanova and Towson.

Appalachian State will play host to Illinois State in its FCS playoff opener 2 p.m. Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

The Mountaineers were 8-3 in the regular season and tied Wofford and Georgia Southern for the SoCon crown with a 6-2 mark. The Redbirds finished with an 8-3 record and were tied for third in the Missouri Valley Conference with Indiana State.

— Sports editor Shawn Stinson can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 14, or by email at sstinson@heartlandpublications.com.