Wake Forest ends losing streak against Duke with 24-14 win

DURHAM — Cade Carney isn’t the fastest or shiftiest runner in the ACC, and Wake Forest isn’t the flashiest team.

But the Demon Deacons found a way to beat Duke on Saturday in their ACC opener. Carney scored three times, once on a 55-yard burst, and the Deacons’ defense was stout much of the game in a 24-14 victory at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Carney, a bullish 5-foot-11 freshman from Advance, also had a 7-yard scoring run in the first half and then a 1-yard score on third-and-goal in the third quarter. He finished with 108 yards on 17 carries, and the Deacons outrushed the Blue Devils 239-37 as elusive quarterback Kendall Hinton — a sophomore from Durham — got most of the playing time.

The Deacons, who opened the season with a 7-3 win over Tulane, had lost four straight games to Duke in the series. The Blue Devils ripped N.C. Central 49-6 as quarterback Daniel Jones, a redshirt freshman, appeared so polished and effective in the opener.

Jones had two lost fumbles and a late interception, facing an aggressive pass rush Saturday from the Deacons. Jones, who was 31-of-48 passing for 332 yards, twice scored on short option runs.

How Duke lost

The Blue Devils became too one-dimensional on offense, relying too much on Jones to pass them down the field. Jones had a couple of big completions – a 59-yarder to Chris Taylor and a 56-yard pass to Anthony Nash – and Nash had a big day, but the Deacons took away the Blue Devils’ running game, making Jela Duncan and Shaun Wilson pass blockers.

What it means

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson has been building a program and an ACC road victory is another step. The Deacons take a physical approach on defense, and end Duke Ejiofor, among others, was a handful for the Blue Devils on Saturday.

Clawson began the game alternating Hinton and John Wolford at quarterback. But this day, Hinton was clearly a bigger threat, keeping the Duke defense guessing. On a third-down play late in the game, Hinton connected with wide receiver Alex Bachman for 62 yards to the Duke 23 to set up Mike Weaver’s 34-yard field goal.

Hinton, who played at Southern Durham High, passed for 133 yards and rushed for 63.

Duke coach David Cutcliffe has talked about new faces on the offensive and defensive lines. Some weaknesses and inexperience were exposed Saturday.

Key stat

37. The Blue Devils could manage just 37 yards rushing as the Deacons dominated the line of scrimmage.

This story was originally published September 10, 2016 at 6:57 PM with the headline "Wake Forest ends losing streak against Duke with 24-14 win."