Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Defeat Duke Behind New Running Game
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons delivered a running game behind a freshman to go to 2-0 in the young season.
For the last two years the refrain about the Wake Forest Demon Deacons has been ‘where’s the beef?’ The team had spent the Dave Clawson era in search of offense and more importantly in search of a running game. The cupboard was left bare for him in that department and the Deacons sacrificed decent defense for the inability to get any points at all.
Last year the problem got part of its answer when John Wolford got hurt and the team was forced to turn to Kendall Hinton. While not polished as a passer, Hinton had the first signs of providing some sort of run game for the Deacs. The promise that he might emerge as a dual threat still remains out there.
Last week, the Deacs seemed to be heading for more of the same in a not very epic 7-3 win over the Tulane Green Wave.
Oh the difference a week makes. The Deacs beat the rival Duke Blue Devils 24-14 and they did it on the strength of a running game that no one really knew that they had. Freshman Cade Carney had not been part of the impotence of the Wake running game for two years. So no one could tell him that he was not supposed to run for one hundred and eight yards and three touchdowns.
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Wake did not even start with the lead in this game. Duke freshman quarterback Daniel Jones ran in a zone read keeper for a 7-0 led in the first quarter. Jones, who played in place injured quarterback Thomas Sirk, was all everything for the Blue Devils in the game. He threw the ball almost fifty times for three hundred thirty-two yards and accounted for both Duke rushing touchdowns.
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Carney answered the Duke score in the second quarter, and then one upped Jones in the third with another rushing score to make a 14-7 game. Jones answered with his second score for the tie. Carney then rumbled for fifty-five yards and the last touchdown of the game. Wake tacked on a field goal in the fourth quarter for the final margin.
Jones had a chance in the fourth quarter, but he threw his only interception of the game to seal it for Wake Forest. In the end the freshman quarterback could not win it by himself.
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Carney accounted for all of Wake’s touchdowns, but he had some help. Hinton ran the ball for sixty-three more yards. He also threw for over a hundred though he only threw eleven times in the game.
Duke’s Anthony Nash accumulated one hundred twelve receiving yards in defeat.
Next: 5 Games to define Wake Forest
With this win, Wake Forest has a good opportunity to go 3-0 in the young season. They play the Delaware Blue Hens of the FCS next week. No doubt they hope to continue the rushing success that they had against Duke.