Heading into the first game of November, who would have thought that 2006 ACC champion Wake Forest and Duke would have the same record and about an equal chance at making a bowl game?
Probably no one.
But as Duke prepares to take on the Demon Deacons Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at BB&T Field, the two teams have equal marks, even if they seem to be traveling in opposite directions.
After losing two consecutive road games-a 26-0 trouncing by Maryland and a 16-10 defeat to Miami-Wake Forest (4-3, 2-2 in the ACC) is trying to salvage a season preceded by high expectations.
Duke, on the other hand, is riding high. Coming off an upset victory at Vanderbilt last week, the Blue Devils (4-3, 1-2) are enjoying something they haven't experienced in quite some time: a November that means something.
"'Welcome to November,'" head coach David Cutcliffe said he told his team earlier this week. "It's their first real trip to November in college football. How much fun is that, huh? I want them to enjoy the challenge but enjoy the opportunity. All you can do is ask for an opportunity and we've gotten ourselves to November and we're in the game. How 'bout that? Now we've got to fight like crazy to stay in it."
Cutcliffe is right to be excited, but he is also right to note that the five-game stretch that will close Duke's season appears more difficult than its opening stretch.
"The challenges continue to get bigger," Cutcliffe said. "We're playing a Wake Forest team that's very talented, a very experienced team. They can beat you a lot of ways. They can beat you with their defense, they can beat you with their kicking game... and they can certainly beat you with their offense. [Riley] Skinner is one of the most productive quarterbacks in the country and when he gets hot he's really something special."
The Demon Deacons' quarterback has not put up the gaudy numbers people expected out of him, but he has still been efficient. Skinner has thrown seven touchdowns and just four interceptions on the year while completing 64 percent of his passes.
"It's always a good battle against Wake," safety Glenn Williams said. "We always have to go head-to-head with them, they're a real tough team.... Skinner's a great player. I think they'll keep the ball in his hands."
But if history repeats itself, Skinner could have a relatively quiet day against the Blue Devils. Though Wake Forest has won close games in the teams' last two meetings-the contests were decided by a combined six points-Skinner threw just one total touchdown pass.
Thaddeus Lewis has not only outperformed Skinner this season, tossing 10 touchdowns and just three picks, but has shown a tendency to outplay Skinner when the two face off. Lewis amassed 596 yards through the air and threw for five scores in two previous games against Wake Forest, giving him reason to be confident heading into this weekend's matchup.
"It's going to be a tough, tough, hardnosed football game," Lewis said. "Every time we play Wake Forest, it always comes down to the wire, so I expect the same football game and I expect us to finish like we did last week.... If we go out and execute, we feel like we can manage the game pretty well against that defense."
And Duke is certainly focused on defeating the Demon Deacons-and the Demon Deacons alone. With the hype and the hope of a bowl appearance beginning to form, the Blue Devils have had to recommit themselves to a completely short-sighted and focused mindset.
Still, the Blue Devils can't help but realize and revel in the fact that this November game means so much.
"It's a perfect setup for us," Williams said. "We're in a perfect place if we want to go to a bowl game and advance our program far beyond what we imagined."
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