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Game Notes: Wake Forest
11/16/2020 3:17:00 PM | Football
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke welcomes Wake Forest on Saturday for its third consecutive home game, all against schools from the state of North Carolina.
Kickoff between the Blue Devils and Demon Deacons is set for 12 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on the ACC Network.
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Over the last 10 meetings, the series is split at 5-5 but the Demon Deacons hold a two-game winning streak heading into Saturday's contest ... the Blue Devils registered their longest streak in the series (12 straight wins) from 1952-63, while Wake Forest had its longest (also 12 consecutive) from 2000-11.
Saturday's ACCN broadcast will feature Wes Durham, Roddy White, and Taylor Davis on the call. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devil Sports Network from Learfield IMG College through the TuneIn app or goduke.com
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HOW TO FOLLOW
Duke (2-6, 1-6 ACC) vs. Wake Forest (4-3, 3-3 ACC)
Saturday, November 21, 2020 • 12:00 PM
Durham, N.C. • Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium
TELEVISION • ACCN
RADIO • Blue Devils IMG Sports Network
GAME NOTES • Duke Notes (PDF)  •  Wake Forest Notes
LIVE STATS • GoDuke.com
TWITTER • @DukeFOOTBALL
GAME NOTES
Senior DE Victor Dimukeje is closing in on a Blue Devil record as he needs just 1.0 sacks to eclipse Charles Bowser's all-time school standard (22.0) ... he currently sits with 21.5 to his name.
Dimukeje and fellow DE Chris Rumph II are the first set of teammates to post 7.5+ sacks in a single season in Duke history … with 7.5 sacks each in 2020, Dimukeje and Rumph II rank tied for seventh on Duke's single-season list and are tied for second in the ACC.Â
Through seven games this season, junior RB Mataeo Durant leads the Blue Devils in rushing yards (592), 100-yard rushing games (3), all-purpose yards (651) and touchdowns (6) while ranking second in total points (36) ... during Duke's last outing against North Carolina, Durant posted his third 100-yard rushing effort of the season (11-132) and scored on a 46-yard jaunt, giving him a pair of touchdown runs covering 40-plus yards in 2020 ... his yardage total versus the Tar Heels also propelled him over the 1,000-yard mark for his career, becoming the 50th player in Duke history to accomplish the feat.
SERIES HISTORY
This year's game will mark the 101st on the gridiron between the two schools with Duke leading the all-time series, 58-40-2.
Duke has earned five wins over the last eight meetings with the Demon Deacons but Wake Forest holds the 15-5 advantage over the last 20 meetings, including a 39-27 victory last season.
These two schools have played every year for the last 54 seasons ... the Blue Devils won four of the opening five games of the series and held a 38-11-1 edge in the teams' first 50 games.
CUTCLIFFE, DUKE IN NOVEMBER
Duke is 15-34 in the month of November under David Cutcliffe ... at home, the Blue Devils are 8-17 ... against ACC opponents this month Duke is 15-32.Â
2K CAREER GROUND YARDS
As Duke's leading returning rusher from a season ago, Deon Jackson was tabbed a preseason third team All-ACC selection by Athlon Sports heading into his final season ... he is also a candidate for the Doak Walker and Paul Hornung Awards.Â
In Duke's game at NC State, Jackson became the eighth Blue Devil to surpass the 2,000 rushing yard mark during his career … his 2,165 career yards place him seventh all-time and he is 276 yards away from breaking into the top-five … his 494 rushing attempts place him seventh in program lore as well.
Jackson is averaging 72.50 rushing yards per game this season to rank 11th in the ACC … his 580 yards via the ground game this season has him 10th in the conference as well.Â
RUN GAME
The running back duo of Deon Jackson and Mataeo Durant both recorded 100+ rushing yards against Syracuse and Charlotte ... this marked just the third time in program history Duke had two players rush for over 100+ yards in the same game on multiple occasions throughout a season (1976 & 1975) ... the 1976 season was the only other time the Blue Devils saw the same two players achieve that mark (Art Gore and Mike Dunn against NC State and North Carolina) ... the twosome also recorded Duke's 16th contest with at least two players reaching 100+ rushing yards in the same game.
Jackson and Durant are the primary reason why Duke averages 169.4 ground yards per game this season – a feat the Blue Devils have accomplished just five times over the past 42 seasons.
Durant leads the team with 592 rushing yards on the year, but Jackson follows closely with 580 yards … both have multiple TDs on the year with five and four, respectively … Duke joins North Carolina and Wake Forest as the only three ACC schools with two running backs with over 500+ rushing yards.
YOUTHFUL WR UNIT
The wide receivers corps, led by assistant head coach Trooper Taylor, brings a youthful look in 2020 as the unit boasts zero seniors.
Of Duke's eight players with at least 100+ receiving yards, six are part of the wide out group … junior Jake Bobo (274 yards), sophomore Jalon Calhoun (257) and redshirt sophomore Jarett Garner (238) lead the way and join senior TE Noah Gray (247) as the only four players with 200+ receiving yards … sophomores Eli Pancol (166 yards) and Darrell Harding Jr. (160), as well as redshirt sophomore Dennis Smith (141 yards) round out the next three on the list … redshirt junior WR Damond Philyaw-Johnson is close to surpassing 100 receiving yards and sits with 96 yards.Â
MAKE ROOM FOR MATAEO
Now in his third year at Duke and having reached high levels of comfort and confidence, junior DB Mataeo Durant is making the most of his opportunities on the gridiron ... through seven games this season, Durant leads the Blue Devils in rushing yards (592), 100-yard rushing games (3), all-purpose yards (651) and touchdowns (6) while ranking second in total points (36).
In the ACC, Durant ranks among the league's top 10 running backs in rushing yards per game (10th; 74.00), rushing touchdowns (t7th; 6) and average yards per carry (3rd; min. 80 attempts; 7.22) ... his 7.22 yards per rushing attempt currently sits third on Duke's single-season chart, trailing only Shaun Wilson (7.67 in 2014) and Ace Parker (7.43 in 1935) ... nationally, Durant ranks third in average yards per rushing attempt among players with 80-plus carries.
Against North Carolina, Durant posted his third 100-yard rushing effort of the season (11-132) and scored on a 46-yard jaunt, giving him a pair of touchdown runs covering 40-plus yards in 2020 ... his yardage total versus the Tar Heels also propelled Durant over the 1,000-yard mark for his career, becoming the 50th player in Duke history to accomplish the feat.
BOBO BIG UNDER PRESSURE
Junior WR Jake Bobo is quickly becoming Duke's top target when it needs to extend drives … the Belmont, Mass., native has 23 catches on the year, 20 of those have been for first downs … of the other three, one went for a touchdown leaving just two receptions that didn't result in a first down or a score … ironically, both of those misses were receptions for nine yards.
FOCUSING ON FUNDAMENTALS
The Blue Devils rank third in the ACC when it comes to penalties, averaging just 46.8 penalty yards per game ... they trail Virginia (42.0) and Notre Dame (42.8) in that category.Â
TACKLES FOR LOSS
In 2019, Duke had five players register six or more tackles for loss, led by DE Chris Rumph II who recorded a team-best 13.5 ... DE Victor Dimukeje and LB Shaka Heyward are the other two returning players on the list with 9.5 and 6.5 TFL, respectively, last season ... Rumph II ranked eighth in the ACC with his 13.5 TFL.Â
In 2020, Rumph II, Dimukeje and Heyward have already recorded multiple TFL with 10.0, 8.5 and 6.0, respectively ... Derrick Tangelo (4.0 TFL), Marquis Waters (4.0 TFL), Rocky Shelton II (3.5 TFL), Ben Frye (3.0 TFL), Drew Jordan (3.0 TFL), Jeremiah Lewis (2.5 TFL) and Dorian Mausi (1.5 TFL) round out the remaining Blue Devils with 1.5+ TFL on the year.
Rumph II and Dimukeje both find themselves ranked in the ACC's top-10 in this category … Rumph II is eighth with 1.25 TFL per game, while Dimukeje is tied for 12th averaging 1.06 per outing … Duke is the only school in the ACC with at least two players with 8.5 TFL and 7.5 sacks each.Â
THREE RETURNING ENDS
Defensive ends Chris Rumph II, Victor Dimukeje and Drew Jordan have a combined 78.0 TFL and 47.0 sacks between them.
Dimukje is a candidate for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Chuck Bednarik Award, and the Lott IMPACT Trophy ... in 46 career games, Dimukeje has 151 tackles, 33.0 TFL, 21.5 sacks, one INT, five caused fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and 27 QB pressures ... Jordan holds 91 tackles, 13.5 TFL, 8.5 sacks, one caused fumble, three fumble recoveries and 12 QB pressures in 45 career games.
Dimukeje and Rumph II are currently tied for third in the nation with 7.5 sacks on the year … the twosome combined to have 15.0 sacks between them and make the Blue Devils just one of only two ACC schools to have two players combined for 11.0+ sacks on the year (Pittsburgh [13.5]).Â
YOUTH AT LINEBACKER
Duke's depth chart at linebacker is a youthful one as the unit is comprised of two redshirt sophomores, one redshirt freshman and two true freshmen.
Redshirt sophomore Shaka Heyward, who started six games last season, is the most experienced returning LB for the Blue Devils ... in Duke's eight games so far in 2020, Heyward leads the team and is tied for eighth in the ACC with 63 tackles on the year ... in five of Duke's eight games he has led or tied for a team-lead in tackles ... during the Blue Devils' game against Charlotte, Heyward posted a game-high 12 tackles, marking the fifth double digit tackle game of his career.Â
The Hoschton, Ga., native has registered at least six+ tackles in 11 of his last 13 games, with his two misses coming against Syracuse (4) and North Carolina (5) earlier this year … during that stretch, Heyward earned five games with double-digit tackles … for his career (24 games), Heyward has 131 tackles, 21.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks, one INT, two fumble recoveries and five QB pressures.
DEFENSIVE PRESSURE
The Blue Devils currently rank eighth in the ACC in rushing defense allowing just 178.0 yards per game … Duke also finds itself eighth in the league in total defense giving up 415.5 yards per outing … finally the Blue Devils rank tied for fourth in the conference and tied for 15th nationally, averaging 3.38 sacks per contest … their 27 total sacks and 167 sack yards on the year place them fifth and eighth, respectively, in the country.
Redshirt sophomore Jeremiah Lewis is second in the ACC with 1.25 passes defended per game … as a unit, Duke's seven interceptions on the year are tied with Boston College, North Carolina, NC State and Virginia for sixth in the conference.Â
#GoDuke
Â
Kickoff between the Blue Devils and Demon Deacons is set for 12 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on the ACC Network.
Â
Over the last 10 meetings, the series is split at 5-5 but the Demon Deacons hold a two-game winning streak heading into Saturday's contest ... the Blue Devils registered their longest streak in the series (12 straight wins) from 1952-63, while Wake Forest had its longest (also 12 consecutive) from 2000-11.
Saturday's ACCN broadcast will feature Wes Durham, Roddy White, and Taylor Davis on the call. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devil Sports Network from Learfield IMG College through the TuneIn app or goduke.com
Â
HOW TO FOLLOW
Duke (2-6, 1-6 ACC) vs. Wake Forest (4-3, 3-3 ACC)
Saturday, November 21, 2020 • 12:00 PM
Durham, N.C. • Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium
TELEVISION • ACCN
RADIO • Blue Devils IMG Sports Network
GAME NOTES • Duke Notes (PDF)  •  Wake Forest Notes
LIVE STATS • GoDuke.com
TWITTER • @DukeFOOTBALL
GAME NOTES
Senior DE Victor Dimukeje is closing in on a Blue Devil record as he needs just 1.0 sacks to eclipse Charles Bowser's all-time school standard (22.0) ... he currently sits with 21.5 to his name.
Dimukeje and fellow DE Chris Rumph II are the first set of teammates to post 7.5+ sacks in a single season in Duke history … with 7.5 sacks each in 2020, Dimukeje and Rumph II rank tied for seventh on Duke's single-season list and are tied for second in the ACC.Â
Through seven games this season, junior RB Mataeo Durant leads the Blue Devils in rushing yards (592), 100-yard rushing games (3), all-purpose yards (651) and touchdowns (6) while ranking second in total points (36) ... during Duke's last outing against North Carolina, Durant posted his third 100-yard rushing effort of the season (11-132) and scored on a 46-yard jaunt, giving him a pair of touchdown runs covering 40-plus yards in 2020 ... his yardage total versus the Tar Heels also propelled him over the 1,000-yard mark for his career, becoming the 50th player in Duke history to accomplish the feat.
SERIES HISTORY
This year's game will mark the 101st on the gridiron between the two schools with Duke leading the all-time series, 58-40-2.
Duke has earned five wins over the last eight meetings with the Demon Deacons but Wake Forest holds the 15-5 advantage over the last 20 meetings, including a 39-27 victory last season.
These two schools have played every year for the last 54 seasons ... the Blue Devils won four of the opening five games of the series and held a 38-11-1 edge in the teams' first 50 games.
CUTCLIFFE, DUKE IN NOVEMBER
Duke is 15-34 in the month of November under David Cutcliffe ... at home, the Blue Devils are 8-17 ... against ACC opponents this month Duke is 15-32.Â
2K CAREER GROUND YARDS
As Duke's leading returning rusher from a season ago, Deon Jackson was tabbed a preseason third team All-ACC selection by Athlon Sports heading into his final season ... he is also a candidate for the Doak Walker and Paul Hornung Awards.Â
In Duke's game at NC State, Jackson became the eighth Blue Devil to surpass the 2,000 rushing yard mark during his career … his 2,165 career yards place him seventh all-time and he is 276 yards away from breaking into the top-five … his 494 rushing attempts place him seventh in program lore as well.
Jackson is averaging 72.50 rushing yards per game this season to rank 11th in the ACC … his 580 yards via the ground game this season has him 10th in the conference as well.Â
RUN GAME
The running back duo of Deon Jackson and Mataeo Durant both recorded 100+ rushing yards against Syracuse and Charlotte ... this marked just the third time in program history Duke had two players rush for over 100+ yards in the same game on multiple occasions throughout a season (1976 & 1975) ... the 1976 season was the only other time the Blue Devils saw the same two players achieve that mark (Art Gore and Mike Dunn against NC State and North Carolina) ... the twosome also recorded Duke's 16th contest with at least two players reaching 100+ rushing yards in the same game.
Jackson and Durant are the primary reason why Duke averages 169.4 ground yards per game this season – a feat the Blue Devils have accomplished just five times over the past 42 seasons.
Durant leads the team with 592 rushing yards on the year, but Jackson follows closely with 580 yards … both have multiple TDs on the year with five and four, respectively … Duke joins North Carolina and Wake Forest as the only three ACC schools with two running backs with over 500+ rushing yards.
YOUTHFUL WR UNIT
The wide receivers corps, led by assistant head coach Trooper Taylor, brings a youthful look in 2020 as the unit boasts zero seniors.
Of Duke's eight players with at least 100+ receiving yards, six are part of the wide out group … junior Jake Bobo (274 yards), sophomore Jalon Calhoun (257) and redshirt sophomore Jarett Garner (238) lead the way and join senior TE Noah Gray (247) as the only four players with 200+ receiving yards … sophomores Eli Pancol (166 yards) and Darrell Harding Jr. (160), as well as redshirt sophomore Dennis Smith (141 yards) round out the next three on the list … redshirt junior WR Damond Philyaw-Johnson is close to surpassing 100 receiving yards and sits with 96 yards.Â
MAKE ROOM FOR MATAEO
Now in his third year at Duke and having reached high levels of comfort and confidence, junior DB Mataeo Durant is making the most of his opportunities on the gridiron ... through seven games this season, Durant leads the Blue Devils in rushing yards (592), 100-yard rushing games (3), all-purpose yards (651) and touchdowns (6) while ranking second in total points (36).
In the ACC, Durant ranks among the league's top 10 running backs in rushing yards per game (10th; 74.00), rushing touchdowns (t7th; 6) and average yards per carry (3rd; min. 80 attempts; 7.22) ... his 7.22 yards per rushing attempt currently sits third on Duke's single-season chart, trailing only Shaun Wilson (7.67 in 2014) and Ace Parker (7.43 in 1935) ... nationally, Durant ranks third in average yards per rushing attempt among players with 80-plus carries.
Against North Carolina, Durant posted his third 100-yard rushing effort of the season (11-132) and scored on a 46-yard jaunt, giving him a pair of touchdown runs covering 40-plus yards in 2020 ... his yardage total versus the Tar Heels also propelled Durant over the 1,000-yard mark for his career, becoming the 50th player in Duke history to accomplish the feat.
BOBO BIG UNDER PRESSURE
Junior WR Jake Bobo is quickly becoming Duke's top target when it needs to extend drives … the Belmont, Mass., native has 23 catches on the year, 20 of those have been for first downs … of the other three, one went for a touchdown leaving just two receptions that didn't result in a first down or a score … ironically, both of those misses were receptions for nine yards.
FOCUSING ON FUNDAMENTALS
The Blue Devils rank third in the ACC when it comes to penalties, averaging just 46.8 penalty yards per game ... they trail Virginia (42.0) and Notre Dame (42.8) in that category.Â
TACKLES FOR LOSS
In 2019, Duke had five players register six or more tackles for loss, led by DE Chris Rumph II who recorded a team-best 13.5 ... DE Victor Dimukeje and LB Shaka Heyward are the other two returning players on the list with 9.5 and 6.5 TFL, respectively, last season ... Rumph II ranked eighth in the ACC with his 13.5 TFL.Â
In 2020, Rumph II, Dimukeje and Heyward have already recorded multiple TFL with 10.0, 8.5 and 6.0, respectively ... Derrick Tangelo (4.0 TFL), Marquis Waters (4.0 TFL), Rocky Shelton II (3.5 TFL), Ben Frye (3.0 TFL), Drew Jordan (3.0 TFL), Jeremiah Lewis (2.5 TFL) and Dorian Mausi (1.5 TFL) round out the remaining Blue Devils with 1.5+ TFL on the year.
Rumph II and Dimukeje both find themselves ranked in the ACC's top-10 in this category … Rumph II is eighth with 1.25 TFL per game, while Dimukeje is tied for 12th averaging 1.06 per outing … Duke is the only school in the ACC with at least two players with 8.5 TFL and 7.5 sacks each.Â
THREE RETURNING ENDS
Defensive ends Chris Rumph II, Victor Dimukeje and Drew Jordan have a combined 78.0 TFL and 47.0 sacks between them.
Dimukje is a candidate for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Chuck Bednarik Award, and the Lott IMPACT Trophy ... in 46 career games, Dimukeje has 151 tackles, 33.0 TFL, 21.5 sacks, one INT, five caused fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and 27 QB pressures ... Jordan holds 91 tackles, 13.5 TFL, 8.5 sacks, one caused fumble, three fumble recoveries and 12 QB pressures in 45 career games.
Dimukeje and Rumph II are currently tied for third in the nation with 7.5 sacks on the year … the twosome combined to have 15.0 sacks between them and make the Blue Devils just one of only two ACC schools to have two players combined for 11.0+ sacks on the year (Pittsburgh [13.5]).Â
YOUTH AT LINEBACKER
Duke's depth chart at linebacker is a youthful one as the unit is comprised of two redshirt sophomores, one redshirt freshman and two true freshmen.
Redshirt sophomore Shaka Heyward, who started six games last season, is the most experienced returning LB for the Blue Devils ... in Duke's eight games so far in 2020, Heyward leads the team and is tied for eighth in the ACC with 63 tackles on the year ... in five of Duke's eight games he has led or tied for a team-lead in tackles ... during the Blue Devils' game against Charlotte, Heyward posted a game-high 12 tackles, marking the fifth double digit tackle game of his career.Â
The Hoschton, Ga., native has registered at least six+ tackles in 11 of his last 13 games, with his two misses coming against Syracuse (4) and North Carolina (5) earlier this year … during that stretch, Heyward earned five games with double-digit tackles … for his career (24 games), Heyward has 131 tackles, 21.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks, one INT, two fumble recoveries and five QB pressures.
DEFENSIVE PRESSURE
The Blue Devils currently rank eighth in the ACC in rushing defense allowing just 178.0 yards per game … Duke also finds itself eighth in the league in total defense giving up 415.5 yards per outing … finally the Blue Devils rank tied for fourth in the conference and tied for 15th nationally, averaging 3.38 sacks per contest … their 27 total sacks and 167 sack yards on the year place them fifth and eighth, respectively, in the country.
Redshirt sophomore Jeremiah Lewis is second in the ACC with 1.25 passes defended per game … as a unit, Duke's seven interceptions on the year are tied with Boston College, North Carolina, NC State and Virginia for sixth in the conference.Â
#GoDuke
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