Extra Point: Duke football vs. Wake Forest

Wake Forest ended a four-game losing streak to Duke Saturday afternoon, topping the Blue Devils 24-14 in the first ACC matchup of the season for both teams. A back-and-forth game saw the Demon Deacons (2-0, 1-0 ACC) pull away in the second half, outscoring Duke (1-1, 0-1 ACC) 17-7. Despite taking the lead early, the Blue Devil offense never found consistency throughout the game—a stark contrast to the well-oiled machine that scored 49 first-half points last Saturday against N.C. Central. With a much tougher schedule in the second half of the season, the loss Saturday casts a lot of doubt on Duke’s bowl prospects.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Avoid offensive mistakes: Given the lopsided nature of the game last Saturday, Duke’s five turnovers went largely unnoticed. But ball security proved to be an issue again for the Blue Devils, with three turnovers coming at the hands of redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Jones. A fumble at the start of the second half—Jones’ second of the day—set up a Wake Forest touchdown, and an interception in the closing minutes stopped what appeared to be a promising Blue Devil drive and sealed the victory for the Demon Deacons.
• Capitalize on defense: It’s no secret that Wake Forest is an offensively challenged team, putting up just 175 yards of offense against Tulane last Saturday. Duke’s defensive unit was in prime position to follow up an inspired defensive performance against N.C. Central with another dominant effort, but Saturday’s play left much to be desired. After allowing almost 400 yards of offense to the Demon Deacons, the Blue Devils will have to right the defensive ship as they go to play other conference teams with much more potent attacks.
• Offensive line must hold its own: Expectations ran high for the Duke ground game following its 308-yard performance against the Eagles. But after a game in which the rushing attack was effectively invisible, tallying just 37 yards on 30 carries, questions must arise as to how cohesive the new-look offensive line is. Multiple false start penalties and five sacks allowed are also cause for concern.

Three key plays:

• 10:38 remaining, second quarter: Redshirt senior cornerback DeVon Edwards and redshirt freshman linebacker Joe Giles-Harris teamed up to force a fumble deep inside Wake Forest territory early in the second quarter. Two penalties and a 49-second drive later, Duke was out of field goal range with a missed opportunity to tack on to its 7-0 lead.
• 6:57 remaining, fourth quarter: Backed up on his own 15-yard line facing a 3rd-and-10, Wake Forest quarterback Kendall Hinton found Alex Bachman on a deep pass down the right sideline for a 62-yard catch to set up a field goal that ultimately put the game out of reach. With plenty of time left on the clock and the Blue Devils still facing just a one-score deficit, the inability to force a fourth down was a tremendous disappointment for the Duke defense.
• 1:54 remaining, fourth quarter: After leading the Blue Devils 43 yards down the field in less than two minutes to potentially pull within three points, Jones was intercepted by Brad Watson to seal the victory for the Demon Deacons.

Three key stats:

• A.J. Reed goes 0-for-2 on field goals: Although Reed was a true freshman playing just his second career college game, missing two field goals, one from 30 yards and the other from 43, is inexcusable. In a game as close as this one was for much of the afternoon, six points could have kept the momentum on Duke's side in the first half.
• Wake Forest outgains Duke 239-37 on the ground: Wake Forest dominated the Blue Devils in the running game, averaging 4.9 yards per rush while Duke averaged 1.2. Jela Duncan, arguably the Blue Devils' best offensive player last week, garnered 25 yards on only nine carries. Look for Duke to get the redshirt senior more involved moving forward as it tries to resurrect what can be a formidable ground attack.
• DeVon Edwards and Joe Giles-Harris combine for 28 tackles: Giles-Harris was the defensive star against N.C. Central, and the redshirt freshman continues to showcase remarkable talent, racking up 11 solo tackles against Wake Forest and notching his first career interception. Edwards contributed six solo tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble, which was recovered by Giles-Harris.

And the Duke game ball goes to…Anthony Nash.