Duke vs Wake Forest - Thoughts, Score Prediction and Game Notes
Duke Football got shut out by Louisville in a road game this past weekend by a score of 23 - 0. This was a tough loss to watch as Duke was never in this game.
That's two road losses in a row (Louisville and FSU the week before) that now has Duke sitting with a 5 - 3 record. Duke now has a quick turn around to play a home game against Wake Forest this Thursday night with a 7:30 PM kickoff.
As of this writing, FanDuel has the line in favor of Duke at -12.5 points with an Over/Under of 44.5 points. Here's to hoping Duke players can get healthy in that short time frame and be ready to play under the lights at Wallace Wade Stadium. With that said, I think Duke comes out the gate ready to make a statement and get back in the win column. I am taking the Under and picking Duke to win and cover the line of -12.5 points.
My score prediction.
Duke 31
Wake Forest 10
Keep reading below for Game Notes from Duke Sports Information
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. 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. 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. 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. 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 ALLOWED 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. 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. 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).