LOUISVILLE, KY -- Matt Colburn II rushed for career highs of 243 yards and three touchdowns, Sam Hartman threw two TD passes and Wake Forest rolled up 591 yards in a 56-35 rout of Louisville on Saturday.

The Demon Deacons (4-4, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) had their way offensively in a high-scoring matchup of schools seeking their first league win. They scored TDs on five of their first six first-half possessions and broke 500 yards for the fourth time this season, the second in ACC play.

Colburn, who had committed verbally to Louisville before his scholarship offer was pulled, encountered little resistance from the Cardinals (2-6, 0-5). The senior ran for scores of 74, 56 and 12 yards on the way to his career best and finished with an average of 12.2 yards on 20 attempts.

Wake ended up rushing for 368 yards. Hartman completed 16 of 24 passes for 223 yards as Wake Forest beat Louisville for the second year in a row.

Louisville's Trey Smith rushed for a career-high three TDs and 98 yards on 13 carries. Jawon Pass added a career-best 358 yards passing and a TD, but the Cardinals (532 yards) were left playing catch-up after scoring on the game's opening drive.

THE TAKEAWAY

Wake Forest: Needing a boost after being outscored 101-20 losses to Clemson and Florida State, the Demon Deacons regrouped big against Louisville. They moved the ball at will against the Cardinals and at one point in the second quarter averaged 12.2 yards per play before finishing at 8.2. While their defense finished close to their ACC-worst average of 498 yards per contest, it stopped the Cardinals when needed and returned a fumble for a TD.

Louisville: The Cardinals began promisingly enough with a game-opening TD drive before allowing Wake Forest to score on its first three possessions. Things only got worse as they yielded at least 50 points for the second time in three games. Receiver TuTu Atwell's 132 yards receiving on eight catches set a school single-game record.

UP NEXT

Wake Forest hosts Syracuse on Saturday.

Louisville visits No. 2 and Atlantic Division leader Clemson on Saturday in search of its first league win against the Tigers.