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Game Notes: Wake Forest
10/30/2023 3:24:00 PM | Football
DURHAM – Duke hosts Wake Forest at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium on Thursday night.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
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Duke leads the all-time series between the two schools, 59-41-2. In the last meeting on Nov. 26, 2022, the Blue Devils defeated the Demon Deacons, 34-31, at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium after quarterback Riley Leonard connected with wide receiver Sahmir Hagans for the game-winning score. Leonard's pass to Hagans was a 20-yard touchdown reception and capped a night where the Fairhope, Ala., native set career marks in completions (29), passing yards (391), and passing touchdowns (4). Hagans finished with a career-best 139 receiving yards on eight receptions with two touchdowns, while teammate Jalon Calhoun added a game-high 11 receptions for 174 yards, also career high marks.
Duke head coach Mike Elko and Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson spent 12 seasons together spread between Fordham (2002-03), Richmond (2004-05), Bowling Green (2009-13), and Wake Forest (2014-16). Duke's safeties coach Lyle Hemphill also spent time on Clawson's staff at Wake Forest, serving as the defensive coordinator (2019-21) and safeties coach (2017-21).
Under Elko, Duke has won the turnover battle in 12 of its 21 games and has scored 129 points off those turnovers (17 touchdowns, three field goals and one two-point conversion). The Blue Devils have lost the turnover battle just three times (Georgia Tech, 2022; Notre Dame, 2023; and Louisville, 2023).
Thursday's ESPN broadcast will feature Matt Barrie, Dan Mullen, and Harry Lyles Jr. on the call. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devil Sports Network from LEARFIELDÂ through the Varsity app or goduke.com.
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HOW TO FOLLOW
Duke (5-3, 2-2 ACC) vs. Wake Forest (4-4, 1-4 ACC)
Thursday, November 2, 2023 • 7:30 PM
Durham, N.C. • Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium
TELEVISION • ESPN
RADIO • Blue Devils Sports Network from LEARFIELD
GAME NOTES • Duke Notes  •  Wake Forest Notes
LIVE STATS • GoDuke.com
TWITTER • @DukeFOOTBALL
GAME NOTES
Duke ranks sixth in the ACC, averaging 6.02 yards per play. The Blue Devils have averaged 5.0 yards per play in five-of-eight games so far in 2023, missing the mark against No. 11 Notre Dame, No. 4 Florida State and No. 18 Louisville.
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Tre Freeman leads the team and ranks ninth in the ACC with 60 tackles on the year. The Durham, N.C., native is averaging 7.50 tackles per game and led the Blue Devils in tackles in three contests against No. 9 Clemson, No. 11 Notre Dame and NC State. Over his last four outings, Freeman has compiled 39 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, one interception, and three quarterback pressures.Â
Graduate running back Jordan Waters ranks tied for third in the ACC in points scored by touchdown. The Fairmont, N.C., native has nine rushing scores for 54 points in Duke's eight games. He has scored one rushing touchdown in six of Duke's eight games this season.Â
MARGIN OF DEFEAT
In the two years prior to Mike Elko taking over, Duke lost 18 games by an average of 25.1 points. In 2021 alone, the Blue Devils' margin of defeat was 28.6 points per outing.
Since then, the Blue Devils have lost just seven games in two years by an average of 9.14 points. Its largest loss under Elko was a 23-point defeat at No. 18 Louisville during Duke's last outing. Five of Blue Devils' seven losses under Elko were by eight-or-less points.Â
AVERAGE YARDS PER PLAY
Duke ranks sixth in the ACC this season with a 6.02 total offensive average per play mark. In five of the Blue Devils' eight contests, they have averaged 5.0-plus yards per play, including a season-high 8.12 average gain per play mark against Northwestern. Duke managed just 4.8 yards per play against No. 11 Notre Dame and No. 4 Florida State and 4.1 against No. 18 Louisville.
LOST YARDAGE
The Blue Devils have only lost 108 rushing yards on the year, marking the second-fewest in the ACC. Miami leads the conference with just 89 lost.Â
CAREER STARTS
WR Jalon Calhoun and OL Jacob Monk both have started 53 career games to make them two of 14 FBS players nationally with 50-plus career starts.
PASS DEFENSE EFFICIENCY & PASSING YARDS ALLOWEDÂ
Duke holds a 106.28 pass defense efficiency rating to rank second in the ACC and eighth nationally. The Blue Devils trail Florida State (101.59) in the conference.
The Blue Devils also are only allowing 171.63 passing yards per outing, which place them third in the ACC and 11th in the country.
FOURTH DOWN DEFENSE
The Blue Devils have held their eight opponents to just 7-of-19 (.368) on fourth down conversions, a mark that ranks fourth in the ACC and 25th nationally.Â
BREAKIN' UP
Duke's defensive back unit compiled 59 pass breakups in 2022 to rank fourth in the ACC, trailing only Clemson (70), Pittsburgh (67), and Wake Forest (63). The Blue Devils were one of two schools in the conference with five players with six-plus pass breakups on the year.
In Duke's eight games of 2023, it has registered 35 pass breakups to rank third in the ACC behind Florida State and Clemson who have 46 and 45 pass breakups on the year, respectively.
DUKE'S KOR ROLE
Duke has seen two new faces collecting kickoff this season in Terry Moore and Jontavis Robertson. Moore leads the team with eight returns for 185 yards, while Robertson has one return for two yards. Â
Moore's 23.13 kick return average ranks fifth in the ACC.
NET PUNTING
Duke ranks fourth nationally with a 44.50 net punting average per game, trailing Vanderbilt (46.06), Iowa (45.55) and Texas (44.65).
#GoDuke
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Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
Â
Duke leads the all-time series between the two schools, 59-41-2. In the last meeting on Nov. 26, 2022, the Blue Devils defeated the Demon Deacons, 34-31, at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium after quarterback Riley Leonard connected with wide receiver Sahmir Hagans for the game-winning score. Leonard's pass to Hagans was a 20-yard touchdown reception and capped a night where the Fairhope, Ala., native set career marks in completions (29), passing yards (391), and passing touchdowns (4). Hagans finished with a career-best 139 receiving yards on eight receptions with two touchdowns, while teammate Jalon Calhoun added a game-high 11 receptions for 174 yards, also career high marks.
Duke head coach Mike Elko and Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson spent 12 seasons together spread between Fordham (2002-03), Richmond (2004-05), Bowling Green (2009-13), and Wake Forest (2014-16). Duke's safeties coach Lyle Hemphill also spent time on Clawson's staff at Wake Forest, serving as the defensive coordinator (2019-21) and safeties coach (2017-21).
Under Elko, Duke has won the turnover battle in 12 of its 21 games and has scored 129 points off those turnovers (17 touchdowns, three field goals and one two-point conversion). The Blue Devils have lost the turnover battle just three times (Georgia Tech, 2022; Notre Dame, 2023; and Louisville, 2023).
Thursday's ESPN broadcast will feature Matt Barrie, Dan Mullen, and Harry Lyles Jr. on the call. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devil Sports Network from LEARFIELDÂ through the Varsity app or goduke.com.
Â
HOW TO FOLLOW
Duke (5-3, 2-2 ACC) vs. Wake Forest (4-4, 1-4 ACC)
Thursday, November 2, 2023 • 7:30 PM
Durham, N.C. • Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium
TELEVISION • ESPN
RADIO • Blue Devils Sports Network from LEARFIELD
GAME NOTES • Duke Notes  •  Wake Forest Notes
LIVE STATS • GoDuke.com
TWITTER • @DukeFOOTBALL
GAME NOTES
Duke ranks sixth in the ACC, averaging 6.02 yards per play. The Blue Devils have averaged 5.0 yards per play in five-of-eight games so far in 2023, missing the mark against No. 11 Notre Dame, No. 4 Florida State and No. 18 Louisville.
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Tre Freeman leads the team and ranks ninth in the ACC with 60 tackles on the year. The Durham, N.C., native is averaging 7.50 tackles per game and led the Blue Devils in tackles in three contests against No. 9 Clemson, No. 11 Notre Dame and NC State. Over his last four outings, Freeman has compiled 39 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, one interception, and three quarterback pressures.Â
Graduate running back Jordan Waters ranks tied for third in the ACC in points scored by touchdown. The Fairmont, N.C., native has nine rushing scores for 54 points in Duke's eight games. He has scored one rushing touchdown in six of Duke's eight games this season.Â
MARGIN OF DEFEAT
In the two years prior to Mike Elko taking over, Duke lost 18 games by an average of 25.1 points. In 2021 alone, the Blue Devils' margin of defeat was 28.6 points per outing.
Since then, the Blue Devils have lost just seven games in two years by an average of 9.14 points. Its largest loss under Elko was a 23-point defeat at No. 18 Louisville during Duke's last outing. Five of Blue Devils' seven losses under Elko were by eight-or-less points.Â
AVERAGE YARDS PER PLAY
Duke ranks sixth in the ACC this season with a 6.02 total offensive average per play mark. In five of the Blue Devils' eight contests, they have averaged 5.0-plus yards per play, including a season-high 8.12 average gain per play mark against Northwestern. Duke managed just 4.8 yards per play against No. 11 Notre Dame and No. 4 Florida State and 4.1 against No. 18 Louisville.
LOST YARDAGE
The Blue Devils have only lost 108 rushing yards on the year, marking the second-fewest in the ACC. Miami leads the conference with just 89 lost.Â
CAREER STARTS
WR Jalon Calhoun and OL Jacob Monk both have started 53 career games to make them two of 14 FBS players nationally with 50-plus career starts.
PASS DEFENSE EFFICIENCY & PASSING YARDS ALLOWEDÂ
Duke holds a 106.28 pass defense efficiency rating to rank second in the ACC and eighth nationally. The Blue Devils trail Florida State (101.59) in the conference.
The Blue Devils also are only allowing 171.63 passing yards per outing, which place them third in the ACC and 11th in the country.
FOURTH DOWN DEFENSE
The Blue Devils have held their eight opponents to just 7-of-19 (.368) on fourth down conversions, a mark that ranks fourth in the ACC and 25th nationally.Â
BREAKIN' UP
Duke's defensive back unit compiled 59 pass breakups in 2022 to rank fourth in the ACC, trailing only Clemson (70), Pittsburgh (67), and Wake Forest (63). The Blue Devils were one of two schools in the conference with five players with six-plus pass breakups on the year.
In Duke's eight games of 2023, it has registered 35 pass breakups to rank third in the ACC behind Florida State and Clemson who have 46 and 45 pass breakups on the year, respectively.
DUKE'S KOR ROLE
Duke has seen two new faces collecting kickoff this season in Terry Moore and Jontavis Robertson. Moore leads the team with eight returns for 185 yards, while Robertson has one return for two yards. Â
Moore's 23.13 kick return average ranks fifth in the ACC.
NET PUNTING
Duke ranks fourth nationally with a 44.50 net punting average per game, trailing Vanderbilt (46.06), Iowa (45.55) and Texas (44.65).
#GoDuke
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