Duke on Cloud 9: Three takeaways from the Blue Devils’ win over Wake Forest in finale

After failing to find the end zone in the first half, the Blue Devils (9-3, 5-3 ACC) captured a 23-17 come-from-behind victory over Wake Forest (4-8, 2-6 ACC) on a 39-yard touchdown reception by Jordan Moore as time expired.

Moore said the route was initially supposed to be five yards, but once he ran that, he made eye contact with quarterback Maalik Murphy and “decided to take it down the field.”

“I think that’s a testament to our chemistry and having trust in him to be able to make that kind of play,” Moore said. “We were all just happy at the end of the game because Maalik had the confidence in himself to make that.”

The victory at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium gave Duke its first nine-win regular season since 2014, and just its third in more than 50 years.

With the comeback victory, Duke also completed a sweep of the state’s Big Four ACC teams — the first time since 2013 the Blue Devils have accomplished that feat.

“It’s a big deal in our locker room,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said of winning the state. “It’s going to be the first step towards winning the ACC, which is one of the markers of this program that we want to accomplish. So to know that — that’s the first step [and] we’ve accomplished that — will give us confidence… and should be great for recruits and recruiting in our state.”

The Blue Devils emerged victorious despite putting up just three points in the first half, facing a 14-point third-quarter deficit and turning the ball over twice — both times leading to scoring drives for Wake Forest.

Still, Duke’s second-half push on offense and relentless defensive pressure allowed the Blue Devils to earn the win.

Duke opened the third quarter by punting twice and turning the ball over. But the Blue Devils scored on their next two drives — on a 3-yard rush by running back Star Thomas and a 2-yard quarterback keeper from Murphy — to tie the game at 17-17.

And it turns out Murphy saved the best for last.

On the longest play of the day, Murphy launched a ball to Moore. Moore — streaking ahead on a go route — snagged the ball with his arms outstretched and then spun through two defenders to get to the end zone.

Here are three takeaways from the comeback win:

Ball security issues reemerge

When Thomas fumbled the ball against Virginia Tech last Saturday, it nearly cost Duke the game. Thomas’ late-game mishap — gifting the Hokies possession with 1:44 remaining in a one-score game — was one of four turnovers the Blue Devils overcame in their 31-28 Senior Night win. Luckily for Thomas, Duke’s defense stepped up in the final minutes to clinch the victory and prevent a Virginia Tech score.

That wasn’t the case against Wake Forest. In the third quarter, when Murphy dumped the ball off to Jaquez Moore, the Duke running back was met by Demon Deacon linebackers Branson Combs and Dylan Hazen. Spinning Moore to the ground, Combs was able to rip the ball away and Hazen recovered.

Three plays later, Wake Forest quarterback Hank Bachmeier connected with Horatio Fields for a 9-yard touchdown reception. That put Wake Forest up by 14 points. Suddenly, Duke was facing its largest third-quarter deficit since its 28-27 overtime loss to SMU.

But, luckily for the Blue Devils, they soon forced a fumble of their own.

Blue Devils’ defense keeps Duke competitive

Against Wake Forest’s slow mesh offense, Duke’s ability to tackle in the open field and plug holes at the defensive line kept the score at 0-0 after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Demon Deacons broke through with running back Tate Carney’s 8-yard touchdown run — set up by an impressive 30-yard pass from Bachmeier to Fields dashing down the sideline. Wake Forest followed that with a 37-yard field goal from kicker Matthew Dennis for a 10-3 lead.

But on the Demon Deacon’s final drive of the half, Duke’s defensive line applied the pressure. And when the sacks came for the Blue Devils, they came in bunches. Duke took down Bachmeier for a loss of 1 yard, and then again for a loss of 10 to force fourth down and a punt.

Then, after the Blue Devils’ offense came alive and scored the team’s first touchdown at the end of the third quarter, Duke safety Leon Griffin III forced Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne to fumble the ball on a kickoff return.

On the ensuing drive, Murphy and the Blue Devils took advantage of their field position and scored to tie the game at 17-17.

By the end of the game — despite a first-half lag — the Blue Devils forced five sacks and recorded eleven tackles for loss. Duke ranks top-10 nationally in both statistical categories.

But Blue Devil linebacker Ozzie Nicholas, who had a game-high 10 tackles, wasn’t satisfied.

“It was difficult,” Nicholas said of guarding Bachmeier. “He’s a big body. Props to him. He’s a good player. He’s not easy to take down… we still managed to get five sacks on the day, which is not a bad day for the defense, but there could’ve been a lot more. That’s going to be something we’re going to watch and something we’re going to fix.”

Murphy struggles on third down

The Blue Devils entered Saturday with a 28% success rate on third down — good for 129th in the FBS.

Those struggles continued against Wake Forest, as the Demon Deacons forced two straight three-and-outs to open the game. In the second quarter, in prime position at Wake Forest’s 28-yard line, Murphy was hurried by Demon Deacon defensive lineman Jasheen Davis and sailed the ball over Eli Pancol’s head and into the Wake Forest sideline.

While Blue Devil kicker Todd Pelino’s 45-yard field goal — against a good bit of wind — remedied that drive, Murphy returned to the field and threw an interception about three minutes later.

The miscue underscored Murphy’s inconsistency in the first half, as he continually rushed his footwork. Against pressure, the quarterback’s completion rate sat at a FBS-worst 20% entering Saturday.

“It was certainly not a perfect day for Maalik” Diaz said. “In the first half, they were just flooding the zones with coverage and really making it hard on a quarterback with a lot of max coverage, eight-man drop, stuff like that.”

It was more of the same to start the third quarter, as the Demon Deacons forced a quick three-and-out for Duke. The Blue Devils fumbled the ball on the next drive. But Murphy soon recovered and initiated a scoring drive at the end of the third quarter and kicked off the fourth quarter with a quarterback keeper.

Then, as time expired, the Texas transfer found Moore for the 39-yard, game-winning touchdown.

“It takes a lot of courage when you’re not at your best to continue to walk out there and stay after it,” Diaz said of Murphy. “I think he got better and better as the game went on.”

This story was originally published November 30, 2024 at 3:24 PM.