Overview
- Darian Mensah set Duke’s single-season passing touchdown record during the game and finished with 28 TD passes overall, adding his first rushing score of the season on a 24-for-35, 268-yard night.
- Duke secured a spot in the Dec. 6 ACC championship against Virginia later in the day after No. 21 SMU was upset by Cal.
- Wake Forest’s four turnovers and 97 penalty yards swung the game’s flow, with Duke converting 14 points off takeaways, starting on average at its own 44 and scoring four touchdowns on drives of 35 yards or less.
- Special teams flipped field position as Sahmir Hagans delivered an 80-yard kickoff return to set up a fourth-quarter score, and punter Kade Reynoldson converted a 26-yard run on a late fake punt based on a coverage read.
- Anderson Castle and freshman Nate Sheppard each rushed for two touchdowns for Duke, while Wake quarterback Robby Ashford threw for 342 yards with two TDs and added a rushing score and a two-point conversion.