Extra Point: Duke football vs. Wake Forest

After suffering consecutive disappointing home losses, the Blue Devils were able to rebound and end their regular-season slate on a high note, dispatching Wake Forest 41-21 Saturday night at Wallace Wade Stadium. Duke (9-3, 5-3 in the ACC) got excellent 100-yard performances from its top two receiving threats—fellow seniors Jamison Crowder and Issac Blakeney—en route to a Senior Night victory in which the Demon Deacons (3-9, 1-7) never held a lead.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Quarterback execution: Starter Anthony Boone had struggled with both completion percentage and ball security in back-to-back losses to North Carolina and Virginia Tech entering Saturday’s contest, but was able to fix both issues and turn in an efficient performance in the final home start of his successful career. Boone hit on 19 of his 31 attempts, accumulating 275 yards and one touchdown through the air without tossing an interception. The redshirt senior made an impact with his legs as well, scampering for 29 total yards—including a four-yard touchdown scramble for the game’s first score—in one of his best all-around performances of the season. Even backup quarterback Thomas Sirk got into the mix at quarterback, as the typically run-oriented signal caller threw a key third-down touchdown to David Reeves on a jump pass that essentially put the game away midway through the fourth quarter.

• Don’t turn the ball over: The Blue Devils reverted back to the form that led them to an 8-1 start, limiting overall mistakes and losing just one turnover—a fumble by running back Josh Snead in the third quarter. Fortunately, the defense held stiff after that miscue, forcing the Deamon Deacons to turn the ball over on downs so that Duke’s lone turnover wasn’t converted into points on the other end.

• Harness home field advantage: Playing in their last game at Wallace Wade—and the last game before the stadium undergoes major renovations—the senior class made sure they went out with a bang. In addition to Boone, Crowder and Blakeney playing pivotal roles on offense, senior linebacker David Helton was a force on defense—as he has been all year—racking up six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and a half-sack. For a graduating class that has truly overseen the transformation of Duke football from perennial bottom-feeder to being consistently bowl-eligible and a threat within the ACC, this was the perfect way for them to close their home careers.

Three key plays:

• Duke commits one turnover, three penalties: The Blue Devils were able to play a relatively clean game, ridding themselves of the self-inflicted wounds that led to offensive woes in their two straight losses. Duke took care of the ball and did not beat itself, putting Boone in good down-and-distances to run the offense effectively.

• Blue Devils score four touchdowns in five red zone trips: Just two weeks after Ross Martin attempted five field goals against Virginia Tech, Duke made sure its offensive progress between the 20 yard lines was not wasted against Wake Forest. A very efficient red zone offense—spurred by a little luck and some skilled play calls from offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery—produced four touchdowns and a field goal in five trips inside the 20.

• Duke converts 11 of 18 third-downs: The Blue Devils excelled on both sides of the ball in the all-important third-down conversion category against the Demon Deacons, converting well over 50 percent on offense while holding Wake Forest to just 3-for-11 on the other side of the ball. Duke made several big plays on third downs, including scoring the game’s final two touchdowns that sealed the victory.

And the Duke game ball goes to… Anthony Boone

The redshirt senior quarterback seems to receive the lion’s share of the blame when Duke loses, but he was a major reason why the Blue Devils were victorious on Senior Night. Boone—the winningest quarterback in Duke history— eliminated the costly mistakes that have plagued him at times this season and did not commit a single turnover against Wake Forest.

Boone turned in a productive night with both his arm and his legs, scoring once on the ground and once through the air as he finished 19-of-31 for 275 yards.

And the Wake Forest game ball goes to... John Wolford

A true freshman, Wolford put up very impressive numbers against a strong Duke secondary in one of his best performances of the season. Wolford finished 24-of-36, racking up 251 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception.

Wolford showed poise beyond his years, but unfortunately for the Demon Deacons his strong numbers on offense were not enough to make up for a defense that yielded 41 points.