John Wolford threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as Wake Forest opened the season by overwhelming visiting Elon 41-3 on Thursday at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Wofford completed 20-of-27 passes for 323 yards in a successful start to the sophomore quarterback's season.

Wolford connected with tight end Cam Serigne on a 10-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. The Demon Deacons cranked it up on the ground later in the quarter, with Matt Colburn adding a 2-yard touchdown run and Wolford darting 70 yards for a score.

Wolford's run was the longest for a Wake Forest quarterback in 47 years.

Mike Weaver's 28-yard field goal in the first quarter opened the scoring for Wake Forest, which led 24-0 at halftime. The Demon Deacons held a 343-77 advantage in total offense in the first half en route to their most points in a game since 2012.

Wolford hooked up with receiver Cortez Lewis for a 30-yard touchdown and with receiver Chuck Wade for a 27-yard score in the third quarter.

Elon, which was a one-win team a year ago, lost a season-opening game to an ACC opponent for the fourth year in a row. The Phoenix didn't take a snap in Wake Forest territory until the third quarter and that possession led to John Gallagher's 45-yard field goal.

Elon, which didn't announce its starting quarterback until minutes before the game, went with freshman Daniel Thompson. Redshirt freshman Connor Christiansen was in by the fourth series, but neither of them had much sustained success.