In a Thursday night matchup, Duke football prevailed against Wake Forest in a tight 24-21 victory at Wallace Wade Stadium. The Blue Zone is here with three key takeaways, stats and a look ahead following the Blue Devils' triumph:
Three key takeaways
1. Room to improve offensively
After Riley Leonard was unable to play due to a toe injury, Duke had to start third-string quarterback Grayson Loftis. However, the continuous lack of offensive execution, especially when passing the ball, must be considered despite the new man under center. The Blue Devils trailed for most of the game before kicker Todd Pelino won the contest after hitting a 26-yard field goal to give Duke a 24-21 victory. While Wake Forest quarterback Mitch Griffis had already accumulated 198 passing yards by the start of the fourth quarter, Loftis had 29 yards and was sacked twice. Despite the fact that it is reasonable for a coach to elect not to pass as much with an inexperienced back-up quarterback, relying on the running game made the offense predictable. As a result, the Blue Devils struggled with one interception and one fumble to their names.
That being said, the offense did manage to execute during the latter part of the fourth quarter. Loftis threw a liner towards Jordan Moore to tie the game down the stretch 21-21 and graduate running back Jordan Waters and junior Jaquez Moore played extremely well. Nonetheless, there is still improvement to be made with execution and play-calling offensively, especially with the passing plays and the wide receiver routes.
2. A tale of two kickers
Duke sophomore kicker Todd Pelino was crucial for the Blue Devils against the Demon Deacons, converting all of the extra points and scoring the game-winning field goal. Such was not the case for Wake Forest kicker Matthew Dennis, who missed both field goals, one of which was blocked by Duke’s defensive line. Although Pelino’s season has been full of ups and downs, he proved that he is ready to execute when the team needs him the most with his performance against the Demon Deacons.
3. Defensive struggles
Even though the Blue Devils’ defense had a solid performance — producing a recovered fumble, interception and stopping a fourth-down conversion — Wake Forest still managed to execute fairly well. Notably, Duke’s passing coverage was not as efficient compared to other games. The Demon Deacons’ offense consisted of a lot of slant routes to the middle by receivers, most of which were completed. Paired with Griffis’s efficiency in the game, Wake Forest summed up a respectable 400 yards of total offense compared to only 267 yards by the Blue Devils.
While Duke performed extremely well when pressuring the quarterback, it struggled more when Griffis ran the ball, evidenced by his two rushing touchdowns. The defense did manage to be more effective in eliminating the Demon Deacons’ running game and creating turnovers as the game wore on, giving Blue Devil fans a reason to celebrate at the end of the night. However, with an upcoming game against North Carolina’s talented quarterback Drake May, it will be key for Duke to eliminate passing windows, especially those in the middle of the field.
Three key stats
1. One field goal
Pelino’s 26-yard field goal towards the end of the fourth quarter gave the Blue Devils the victory. Although Duke had not elected to take a field goal prior to that play, the sophomore kicker’s success says a lot about his role on the team. Head coach Mike Elko also handled the situation cleverly, calling a timeout with two seconds remaining in the game to take the kick so that Wake Forest could not get another possession.
2. 202 rushing yards
While the offense was not particularly efficient, the running game was still vital for the Blue Devils. Both Waters and Jaquez Moore had praise-worthy games. The former ran for 77 yards while the latter tallied 80 with both scoring a touchdown. Loftis also ran for 31 yards, resembling a typical performance of Leonard. The running game powered Duke’s offense for the first three quarters and allowed it to stay close to the Demon Deacons.
3. One interception and one fumble
The Blue Devils forced both a fumble and interception in the fourth quarter, both of which gave Duke much needed momentum and field position. Getting the interception at the Blue Devils' 38-yard line facilitated the play-calling as the offense didn’t have to deal with as much pressure considering only a field goal was needed to win the game.
Looking ahead
Duke is set to face off against the Tar Heels Nov. 11 in Chapel Hill. Now that the team is officially bowl eligible, it will look to finish off a remarkable regular season with three wins as the season closes. The game against North Carolina will certainly be one full of drama and excitement but the question still remains as to whether or not Leonard would be eligible to play. If this is the case, then the Blue Devils have a stronger chance of performing better offensively than they did against Wake Forest. If not, Loftis will look to gain confidence from this game and embrace the role. Either way, the Duke defense will be key for next game as it faces a talented Tar Heel offense.
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