Sirk, Duke Hold On To Beat Wake Forest 27-21

Duke wide receiver Max McCaffrey braces for a tackle from Wake Forest defensive back Zach Dancel during the first half Saturday’s game in Winston-Salem.

Sirk was 26 of 39 for 275 yards, hit McCaffrey with touchdown passes covering 18 and 28 yards, and ran 3 yards for another score for the Blue Devils (7-5, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference).

What the loss means for Wake Forest: It seemed as if this might have been a game the Demon Deacons could win, but the early offensive struggles just did not give them much of a chance. What should have been a 3 point game, or at worst a 7 point game, was now a three possession game. Cutcliffe says he wants his players to play aggressively but “you’ve got to learn when to pull off”, adding that he’s not angry with Cash because a player’s decision to make contact with an opponent “has to be made in an instant”. “This far along, I should not be making those mistakes”.

Braxton Deaver recovered the ensuing onside kick for Duke at the Wake Forest 45, and the Blue Devils ran out most of the clock before punting with seven seconds left – a scene reminiscent of that final kickoff against Miami.

Wake Forest entered tied for 115th nationally in turnover margin at minus-10. “And that’s been the story of our season”.

The Blue Devils ended their regular season on a good note after beating Wake Forest 27-21 in their last game of the season. “So it’s just really about cleaning up the game and playing four quarters of clean football”. Thomas Sirk scored three total touchdowns and racked up 332 yards to secure the victory.

“I don’t think guys realized how physical Duke was going to be”, Chubb said. When they do that it’s kind of hard to dig yourself out of a hole, and that’s what we’ve been doing all season. Clawson says the Wolford-Hinton rotation in the Clemson game “was the best mix we’ve had”.

Serigne finished with 135 yards receiving and Tyler Bell rushed 1 yard for a score for Wake Forest, which lost its sixth straight – its longest losing streak to end a season since the 1995 team dropped its final seven games. Wake Forest has a lot of young talent and this year can help them learn to fight through adversity. He ran for 94 yards and a touchdown on just 16 carries.

Sirk missed most of last week’s 42-34 loss to Virginia with back and elbow injuries.

So the Blue Devils, after losing on successive weeks to Miami, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Virginia, will carry momentum into the bowl season.

Duke now awaits its postseason fate, as bowl selections will be determined December 6.