Takeaways from Wake Forest's 34-31 loss to Duke
In a quarterback duel that ended with a combined seven passing touchdowns, Riley Leonard and Duke came out on top in a heartbreaking loss for Wake Forest.
Read below for our takeaways from the game.
Sam Hartman doesn’t deserve the blame
In his postgame press conference, Hartman put the loss on his shoulders.
“It's on me, really,” he said. [It’s] frustrating being a fifth year senior and not executing those situations.”
While, as a captain and fifth-year player, it’s an honorable thing to do, that doesn’t tell the story of how he played.
Hartman completed 26 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns. And some of his throws were pretty incredible. For example, he threaded a third down 30-yard ball to Blake Whiteheart in the first quarter to continue what would be a touchdown drive. In the fourth quarter, his vision to find A.T. Perry in the end zone with a needle through several defenders, was his best pass of the night and gave Wake Forest what could’ve been the game-winning score.
The two drives where Hartman felt he was most to blame — the last two — were not what they seemed to be at first glance. With five minutes remaining and a chance to close out the game — Wake Forest needed to get two first downs — they earned the first, but Hartman was later sacked on third down to give the ball back to the Blue Devils. It seemed that Taylor Morin may have been open on that third-down play, and he was, but Hartman was already under pressure and escaping to the other side of the field when that separation occurred.
READ: Wake Forest fails to close out game in 34-31 loss to Duke
On the final drive, with the Deacs trailing by three, every single Hartman pass was well placed and catchable. The fourth-down interception was the only exception, and even that desperation throw hit Perry’s hands.
He may take the blame, but Hartman played a good game. His 87.2 PFF passing grade is better than what he posted in the six-touchdown game over Clemson, and his second best of the season. In fact, he was the No. 5 Power Five quarterback in passing this week. In nearly every instance, he put his team in a position to win. Wake Forest did not lose because of their quarterback.
The secondary proved to be Wake Forest’s downfall
Wake Forest’s secondary has been at a disadvantage all season — Coby Davis and Nick Andersen were ruled out early, and star safety Malik Mustapha hasn’t played in weeks.
READ: Key Stats from Wake Forest's 34-31 loss to Duke
It was evident in the loss to North Carolina, when Drake Maye beat Wake Forest through the air to the tune of 448 yards. Riley Leonard did the same thing to the Deacs on Saturday.
With 391 yards passing, many of Leonard’s completed passes went deep. He connected on 12 throws of over 15 yards, and five for 30 or more. Most notably, each of Leonard’s four touchdowns came on a long pass.
On Duke’s second touchdown of the game, receiver Jalon Calhoun was left open by a break in the defense, and a missed tackle allowed him to coast in the end zone from 46 yards out.
On their final two scores, Isaiah Wingfield and Gavin Holmes were bested in solo coverage.
Perhaps the most glaring, though, is the first touchdown. On what first appeared to be a simple dump off for a minimal gain, Sahmir Hagans knifed his way through the Deacons defense for an additional 22 yards on the way to the end zone.
“Our play on the perimeter all season has been a problem,” head coach Dave Clawson said after the game. “It's been our Achilles heel all year. It was a problem in the Clemson game. And now, [in] game 12 against Duke, it's a problem. When it doesn't get fixed, that is on me.”
READ: Game Summary - Duke defeats Wake Forest 34-31
The defense consistently faltered on third down
At first glance, one could say Wake Forest won the third-down battle defensively — Duke converted on less than half of their attempts. But, in critical situations, the Deacs faltered. Two of the Blue Devils’ touchdowns came on third down, including the Hagans scamper through the defense.
And on another third-down, a 31-yard pass to Calhoun breathed life back into a Duke drive that would end with seven points.
Another note, Duke’s third-down conversions did not primarily come from short distance. Of the Blue Devils’ six wins on third down, five were with seven or more yards to gain. Getting to stop on those third-and-longs would have gone a long way for the Wake Forest defense. They were missed opportunities.
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