The first similarity that springs to mind between the football team and its opponent this weekend-Wake Forest-is inconsistency.
To be sure, both teams have had excellent performances in key games. Wake Forest (2-2) is 1-0 in the ACC after defeating Clemson at Death Valley, and Duke (2-3, 0-3 in the ACC) went on the road to Evansville and soundly thrashed Northwestern, 44-10. Both teams, however, have also had miserable appearances.
Wake Forest's season opener was an embarrassing 42-0 loss at the hands of the Air Force Academy. In addition, just last week, the Demon Deacons lost in overtime to Appalachian State, a top-10 team-in Division I-AA. Duke has been dominated in its last three games by three of the best teams in the conference.
This brings the teams to Saturday night in Winston-Salem. Both teams are looking to get back on the right track after bad losses, but both know that they can play well.
Wide receiver Desmond Clark highlights a Wake Forest offense led by quarterback Brian Kuklick, a senior who has started for three years. After getting shut out by Air Force in its opener, the Wake Forest offense has averaged 27 points per game. Clark is just four receptions away from becoming Wake Forest's all-time leading receiver.
Clark is the ACC's second-leading receiver in terms of receptions, but he is not the lone threat on offense for Wake Forest. Right behind him, third in the ACC in receptions, is Jamie Deese. The two wide receivers have combined for a 162.5 yard average in the Demon Deacons' four games.
These two receivers have helped Kuklick become the ACC's most accurate passer, with a 61-percent completion rate. Kuklick has passed for over 250 yards in each of the last three games.
The Blue Devil defense should be able to concentrate on controlling the pass, however, due to the lack of potency of the Wake Forest running game. After averaging just 2.4 yards a carry in 50 attempts against Clemson, the Wake Forest rushers, led by junior Morgan Kane, picked up just 55 total yards on the ground last week against Appalachian St.
A weak ground attack might be just what the Duke defense needs, however, after yielding 206 yards on the ground to Georgia Tech and 237 to Virginia.
Duke's defense, however, has been hindered by the lack of production on the offensive side of the ball. Duke has scored 26 points combined in its last three games.
"A lot of those inconsistencies, you start analyzing," coach Fred Goldsmith said. "There are a lot of logical reasons for them, but we've got to overcome it. We've got to overcome it.
"I'm not going to change the offense and go into a shell. We're going to continue to spread the field and do things like that, and we just have to grow up in a hurry and be able to execute."
Duke will look to Scottie Montgomery and Richmond Flowers to try to exploit a Wake Forest secondary that gave up 350 passing yards to Clemson and 308 to Appalachian St. These stats may be slightly misleading, as the Demon Deacon defensive backfield also has eight total interceptions for the season. Duke's secondary, by comparison, only has two interceptions on the year.
Duke is looking to regain the confidence it had when it started the season 2-0. It is also looking to stop its 21-game ACC losing streak and re-establish itself as a team deserving of respect in a conference that might not take it so seriously. The Blue Devils know that this game could be a make-or-break point in a short season already filled with peaks and valleys.
"Every game is important for a team that's trying to get over the hump," junior Chris Combs said. "I think Wake Forest and us both look at this game as a must-win. For us to go out there and find a way to win this game would be great for our confidence. Especially going on the road and doing it."
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