Todd Pelino’s 26-yard field goal as time expired gave Duke football a 24-21 victory against visiting Wake Forest on Thursday night in Durham.
That was the only lead of the game for Duke (6-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), which snapped a two-game losing streak and became bowl-eligible despite using a third-string quarterback.
Grayson Loftis was 7-for-19 for 86 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but he helped the Blue Devils on their final drive.
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Ryan Smith’s interception with 4:12 left gave the Blue Devils a chance to drive for the winning points. The final drive was aided by two penalties, including a third-down pass interference call on Wake Forest (4-5, 1-5).
Wake Forest quarterback Mitch Griffis was 16-for-19 for 241 yards with an interception. Demond Claiborne rushed for 81 yards on 19 carries.
Griffis scrambled 5 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to put Wake Forest ahead.
Duke tied it at 21-21l with 11:40 remaining on Loftis’ 29-yard throw to Jordan Moore.
Duke was without standout quarterback Riley Leonard and normal second-string QB Henry Belin IV, both out with injuries.
Griffis was 8-for-8 in the first half, but the score was 14-14 at halftime.
Duke pulled even with one minute to play in the first half on Jordan Waters’ 4-yard run.
Wake Forest’s Tate Carney ran 3 yards for the opening points. Wake Forest had a chance to build the lead when a fumble by Duke on the ensuing possession gave the ball back at the Blue Devils’ 15. Matthew Dennis missed a 27-yard field goal.
Duke pulled even on the second play of the second quarter when Jaquez Moore ran 32 yards for a touchdown. Moore had all 60 yards on the drive, needing just three plays to cover that ground.
Wake Forest reached the Duke 25 before Carney was stuffed on a fourth-and-1 carry. But Quincy Bryant intercepted a pass by Lofts, who was hit as he threw, on the next snap.
Wake Forest took over at the Duke 22, with Griffis running 8 yards for a touchdown four plays later.
Dennis missed again, this time from 39 yards, to end Wake Forest’s first possession of the second half.
NOTE: Duke coach Mike Elko became only the second coach in program history to lead the Blue Devils to bowl eligibility in back-to-back seasons. He joins David Cutcliffe in achieving that milestone. Only Elko has done it in his first two seasons.
–Field Level Media
