Jordan Moore caught a 39-yard pass from Maalik Murphy on the game’s final play as Duke rallied to beat host Wake Forest 23-17 in Saturday afternoon’s regular-season finale at Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Blue Devils went 76 yards in seven plays in a hurry-up approach after forcing a Demon Deacons fumble.
Moore broke free for the deep pass from Murphy, who hadn’t allowed enough time for a last-second field goal, but it didn’t matter.
Duke (9-3, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) holds a three-game winning streak going into a bowl after coming back from a 14-point deficit in the second half.
Murphy threw for 235 yards with one interception. Moore, who was briefly injured early in the second half, made five catches for a team-high 98 yards.
Wake Forest (4-8, 2-6) has back-to-back losing seasons, this one ending with four straight losses. Hank Bachmeier threw for 207 yards and a touchdown.
A Duke fumble gave the Demon Deacons the ball at the Blue Devils’ 14 early in the third quarter. Three plays later, Bachmeier threw to Horatio Fields for a 9-yard touchdown pass.
The Blue Devils, trailing 17-3, finally got going after an exchange of punts. They went 42 yards in four plays with Star Thomas running 3 yards for a touchdown.
Then Wake Forest fumbled the ensuing kickoff, with the Blue Devils recovering at the Demon Deacons’ 45. Duke was back in the end zone in seven plays on Murphy’s 2-yard keeper.
Todd Pelino’s 45-yard field goal provided the game’s first points in the second quarter after Wake Forest’s Matthew Dennis missed earlier on a 43-yarder with the ball bouncing off the left upright.
Tate Carney’s 8-yard run and Dennis’ 37-yard field goal gave Wake Forest a 10-3 lead by halftime.
Duke’s defense recorded five sacks.
In the first half, Wake Forest fifth-year player Taylor Morin became the program’s all-time leader in receiving yards. He ended the game with 47 yards on eight catches, putting his career total at 2,974 yards.
–Field Level Media
