Three Takeaways From Wake Forest's Road Loss to Duke
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In their final regular season game, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons traveled to Durham, North Carolina, to take on the Duke Blue Devils.
Jake Dickert and his squad looked to reach nine wins in a season for the first time since 2021, while the Devils looked to punch their ticket to the ACC conference championship game. With both programs looking to end the regular season on a high note, there was no shortage of fireworks at Wade Wallace Stadium.
The Deacons ended up falling to the Blue Devils 49-32. For a Wake Forest defense that's been remarkably sound this season, it was definitely a bitter way to end an astounding season. Before allowing nearly 50 points to Duke, defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton's unit had been one of the best in the ACC.
Racanelli and Hernandez Shine in the Receiving Game
Wide receivers Sawyer Racanelli and Carlos Hernandez were major contributors in the receiving game on Saturday. Quarterback Robby Ashford had a solid day, throwing for over 340 yards along with a pair of touchdowns. Racanelli and Hernandez combined for 216 receiving yards on 13 receptions.
Racanelli, the senior from Brush Prairie, Washington, has had a relatively quiet year apart from his three receptions for 88 yards against Virginia Tech. Against a below-average Blue Devils defense, the wideout caught seven passes for 123 yards and a touchdown.
The emergence of Hernandez late in the season has been fun to watch for the Winston-Salem faithful. The junior has averaged 5.6 receptions, 130 yards, and a touchdown in the last three games of the season.
Claiborne and Co. Struggle to Establish the Run
At the beginning of the season, running back Demond Claiborne looked like a true game-wrecker, averaging over 5.5 yards per carry in four games. While the senior back has had bright spots since then, the Deacons entering conference play has affected his production greatly.
Wake Forest's offense once again struggled to establish the run. Their matchup against the Blue Devils quickly turned into a shootout with both teams airing the ball out frequently. On Saturday, the Deacons averaged just 3.9 yards per carry for a total of 124 yards on the ground.
Ashford and Ty Clark both recorded rushing touchdowns, but the lack of explosive plays on the ground forced Wake Forest into some obvious passing scenarios that limited their efficiency on offense. On 13 carries, Claiborne totaled just 56 yards against Duke.
A Plethora of Penalties
One of the glaring issues with this Wake Forest squad during the 2025 campaign has been their knack for getting penalized. The Demon Deacons were one of the worst in the country when it came to penalties, and that fact reared its ugly head against Duke this past weekend.
The Deacons were penalized eight times on Saturday for a total of 97 yards. Quite honestly, Wake Forest's secondary couldn't keep their hands to themselves as they were flagged for defensive pass interference on four separate occasions. While it might not have changed the result of the game, giving your opponent over 100 yards in penalties doesn't usually end in a win.
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Carson, a 2025 TCU graduate, is a sports journalist who covers college athletics for several On SI sites. While most of his experience is with TCU On SI, he also writes with Wake Forest On SI and Houston On SI. He also has a passion for the college baseball scene, most notably being a fan of TCU Baseball. In 2023, Carson was in Omaha and reported on the Men’s College World Series, where TCU finished 4th in the nation. His past work not only consists of major sports like football, basketball, and baseball, but with others like track and field and cross country as well.