Duke ends losing streak with 27-21 win at Wake Forest

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. The Scarlet Knights lost to another ACC team, Clemson, 76-58 in the consolation game of the Main Event tournament at Las Vegas on Wednesday. The bowl-eligible Blue Devils earned their fourth straight win in the series, and now await their postseason destination. The coach said the season was otherwise an improvement.

Duke held Wake Forest to just four first downs in the first half while picking up 18, all without the services of All-America strike safety Jeremy Cash.

That half ended with Duke up 17-7, thanks to a Sirk-to-Max McCaffrey connection, a Sirk run and a 51-yard Ross Martin field goal.

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. He ran for 94 yards and a touchdown on just 16 carries. “You saw so many different guys getting the ball, and they all did their jobs”, Sirk said. Since the program officially left its dark ages in 2012, there haven’t been many loses to the 4-8 Virginias of the world, one reason the 42-34 loss on November 21 in Charlottesville was particularly eyebrow-raising. Demon Deacon kicker Mike Weaver missed the ensuing 28-yard field goal attempt and the momentum swung back in Duke’s favor. “This is football. You’re going to get dinged up… and you’ve got to find ways to come back”. Duke’s Thomas Sirk played well with 275 passing yards and 57 rushing yards with three total touchdowns. Players like John Wolford, Kendall Hinton, Cortez Lewis, and Tabari Hines can improve the Deacons and build the team for multiple years as they mature and grow together.

With seven seconds left, punter Will Monday booted the ball away one final time, and Wake Forest fielded the punt at its own goal line.

Wake Forest did not send its seniors off with a victory.