After two months of games filled with injuries, mistakes and one-sided losses, the football team has a chance to get its seniors one last win in Wallace Wade Stadium.
In their final home game of the season Saturday, the Blue Devils will take on Wake Forest, the first sub-.500 team Duke has faced since its loss to Navy Oct. 1.
"It's not coming to an end because it's not the last game," senior linebacker Brendan Dewan said. "It's still the last home game and home crowd in front of a team we should beat. We are going to come out firing."
When Duke (1-7, 0-5 in the ACC) plays Wake Forest (3-5, 2-3) at noon on Senior Day, the Blue Devils will be facing one of the toughest running backs in the country.
Demon Deacon Chris Barclay leads the ACC in rushing yards per game with 113.4 and is also first in the league in all-purpose yards with 132.7 per game.
"He's a good back," Dewan said. "He's pretty durable, and while most teams have a one-two back punch, he's kind of got it all on his shoulders. We've got to shut him down."
Wake Forest runs an offense that is much different than any Duke has faced this season. They have a base play which head coach Ted Roof called the "split-slant" where one receiver goes in reverse action to confuse linebackers and defensive ends. If the defense bites on the reverse, it opens up seams for Barclay to run through.
Despite their running ability, the Demon Deacons-much like the Blue Devils-have trouble moving the ball through the air. They average only 155.0 yards per game passing, which is second worst in the ACC, only ahead of Duke's 85.9 per game.
The Blue Devils have opened up their playbook in the past few weeks, taking more shots downfield in an attempt to improve their struggling offense. Last weekend, Duke scored more points than it had against any other Division I opponent all season, tallying 24 against then-No. 11 Florida State. With Wake Forest ranking last in the ACC in passing defense, Roof said the Blue Devils will attack through the air.
"We are going to have to throw the football," Roof said. "We are going to have to improve our passing game. That's a big part of it because we know we are going to continue to see the box stacked until we prove that we can loosen people up."
Despite their defensive problems, the Demon Deacons have forced eight turnovers in their past two games. Wake Forest free safety Josh Gattis, a Durham native, has returned interceptions for touchdowns against the Demon Deacons' last two opponents, Boston College and N.C. State.
Roof said his team will work on ball security and making the right reads so that it can still play aggressively without turning over the ball.
There are 29 fourth- and fifth-year Blue Devil seniors that will be honored Saturday as part of Senior Day.
"It's going to be bittersweet," senior Jim Moravchik said. "It's fun playing here but knowing that its your last time is sad."
Dewan said the team is very close-knit, and that although the season has not gone according to plan, the Blue Devils have continued to play hard.
"Just as everyone's got fraternities and sororities on campus, it's kind of like a similar thing," Dewan said. "We are all going through the same stuff and you're on the same schedule so you're hanging out all the time. Especially the seniors, because we've been here for a while."
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