You might not have remembered the player, but you probably remember the headlines surrounding Bobby Petrino and Louisville before National Signing Day a few years ago.
Less than 48 hours before Matt Colburn was scheduled to sign with Louisville in February 2015, he was informed by the Cardinals that he would no longer have a spot in their recruiting class, more than seven months after he committed to be a part of it.
Colburn was left scrambling to find a new school at the last minute, but he ended up at Wake Forest, where he has gone on to success. He has led the Demon Deacons in rushing for each of the past two seasons, gaining 626 yards and two touchdowns in 2016 and 904 yards and seven touchdowns in 2017.
His performance on Saturday, however, might have been the sweetest yet.
In Wake Forest's 56-35 win over Louisville on Saturday, Colburn ran for a career-high 243 yards and three touchdowns – including a 74-yard touchdown – to lead the Demon Deacons to victory against the school that pulled his offer.
74 of a HUGE 243 yard day for Matt Colburn!#GoDeacs #MustSeeACC (@Colburn31, @WakeFB) pic.twitter.com/7oxa8tgJpc
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) October 27, 2018
It's the second straight year that Colburn has helped lead Wake Forest to a victory over Louisville, as he ran for 134 yards on 24 carries in a 42-32 win over the Cardinals in 2017.
"I think after my freshman year, I just wanted to get rid of the whole revenge narrative because if it wasn’t for that I wouldn’t be at Wake," Colburn told reporters after the game, according to Lou Bezjak of The State. "I’m just so blessed and I thank God, but it definitely is personal, and it’s really just the icing on the cake just to go out like this and to get our season rolling again."
