Nothing could epitomize the 2024 Wake Forest season more than Saturday’s “Would have/could have/should have” loss to Duke in the season finale for the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest committed fundamental errors in key moments, turned the ball over, gave a sack in a critical moment, and failed to take advantage of a periodically vulnerable Blue Devils defense. The result was the fourth one-score loss for Wake in the season, this one before a sparse crowd at Allegacy Stadium. Wake got beat on a 39-yard touchdown pass on the last play of the game to end the season with a 23-17 loss.
All Too Familiar
The Demon Deacons finished 4-8 for the second consecutive season despite winning three of four during a stretch halfway through the season. Duke finishes the season 9-3 (5-3 in the ACC) and awaits its bowl invitation.
Players walked off the field in seeming disbelief after the last play. But what could have been more believable than Wake missing opportunities in a winnable game? Head coach Dave Clawson, in the post-game press conference, called it, “A microcosm of the season.”
The first quarter was a punt-fest with neither team putting up any points.
Duke’s drive early in the second quarter stalled at the Wake Forest 28-yard line. They settled for a 45-yard field goal from Todd Pelino for the 3-0 lead.
Early Wake Offense
Wake was able to move against a Duke defense that Clawson had lauded during the week as one of the best in the conference. Despite being backed up by yet another false start on the offensive line, Wake put a drive together. Quarterback Hank Bachmeier hit Deuce Alexander along the left sideline for 19 yards. Running Back Tate Carney picked up 10 yards up the middle. It was Bachmeier again, this time to Horatio Fields for 30 yards along the right side. And then Carney finished off the 77-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown run up the middle for the 7-3 lead.
The Duke offense was as up-and-down as it has been all season. Quarterback Maalik Murphy threw an interception for Duke’s 10th turnover in four games, (they later lost a fumble as well). But the best Wake could muster was a 37-yard field goal by Matthew Dennis for the 10-3 lead. And even that did not come easily. With the decision for the kick coming with Wake having fourth and two at the Duke 19-yard line, there was a smattering of boos from the sparse crowd.
Wake had a respectable 236 yards of total offense in the first half to go with the 10-3 lead. The Deacs finished with 318. That tells you how the second half went.
On its second drive of the third quarter, Duke’s Murphy hit Jaquez Moore for a three-yard completion Moore was hit by Branson Combs and coughed up the ball. The fumble was recovered by Dylan Hazen at the Duke 14-yard line.
Demond Claiborne carried twice for seven yards. Then Bachmeier hit Horatio Fields on a nine-yard slant at the front of the end zone for the touchdown and a 17-3 lead. There was a sense that if Wake had played like this in other games, this would not be the season finale. And then Wake played like it did in other games.
Just Like Other Games
Playing flip the field with punts by both teams, wound up putting Duke at the Wake 42-yard line. It took Murphy only four plays and 1:57 off the clock to capitalize. Star Thomas’ three-yard touchdown run closed the Wake lead to 17-10. And then Wake’s Demond Claiborne got hit and fumbled the ensuing kick return. It was his third kick return fumble of the season. Later in the fourth quarter, Claiborne left the game for good, having reinjured his shoulder.
In the fourth quarter, at the Wake four-yard line, Murphy threw into the end zone for Jordan Moore. Wake’s Jaxon Mull, who replaced an Injured Jamare Glasker during the game was called for defensive holding. On the next play, Murphy took it himself, to the right side for the two-yard touchdown to tie the game at 17.
Later in the fourth, Wake got called for a backward pass that was fumbled. Duke picked it up but the defensive player had stepped out of bounds prior to getting the ball. The end result was Wake Forest having it second and 27 on their 16-yard line, and a sense of familiarity hitting the stadium. Bachmeier completed an 18-yard pass play, but then was sacked on the next down and Wake had to punt again. The season in a nutshell.
And then it all came full circle. Duke had the ball on its 24-yard line with 1:22 left in the game. Murphy moved the Blue Devils to the Wake 39-yard line with time for one more play.
Defensive Breakdown Is the End to Wake’s Season
Moore got behind Mull, the Wake defensive back who had to step in for the injured Glasker. Murphy hit him with the pass at the Wake 11-yard line, and Moore cruised in the rest of the way for the touchdown, the win, and the ignominious end to the Wake Forest season.
It was the fourth loss by one score or less this season for Wake. Just turning around two of them would have meant getting back into the bowl picture. But after the game, Clawson said, “Anytime you win there’s things you do in all three phases. Anytime you lose, there’s breakdowns in all three phases. This year we had a lot of games where we had breakdowns in all three phases.”
Last Word will have complete coverage, on Sunday, of the post-game press conference including comments from Clawson and some of the players.
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