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The Duke Blue Devils have had a week off and are no doubt ready to get back on the field. Duke and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons will face off in an ACC battle at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday at Truist Field. Wake Forest will be strutting in after a win while the Blue Devils will be stumbling in from a loss.
The day started off rough for Duke two weeks ago, and it ended that way, too. They were dealt a punishing 48 to nothing defeat at the hands of the Virginia Cavaliers. Duke was in a tough position by the half, with the score already sitting at 34 to nothing. QB Gunnar Holmberg had a memorable game, but not in the way you want to be remembered: besides failing to produce a single touchdown, he threw two interceptions with only 3.94 yards per passing attempt.
Meanwhile, the Army West Point Black Knights typically have all the answers at home, but last week Wake Forest proved too difficult a challenge. The Demon Deacons walked away with a 70-56 victory. QB Sam Hartman went supernova for Wake Forest as he passed for five TDs and 458 yards on 29 attempts in addition to punching in one rushing touchdown. Near the top of the highlight reel was Hartman's 75-yard TD bomb to WR Jaquarii Roberson in the third quarter.
The Blue Devils have to know they'll be fighting an uphill battle given the 16.50 point spread they are up against. Those burned by picking them against the spread two weeks ago might want to keep in mind that the team has not yet dropped back-to-back games against the spread this season.
Duke is now 3-4 while the Demon Deacons sit at 7-0. A pair of defensive numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: Duke is 232nd worst in the nation in passing touchdowns allowed, with 15 on the season. Wake Forests have had an even harder time: they are stumbling into the matchup with the 197th most passing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up 11 on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
