Duke Game Preview
9/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 9, 2010
Video: Game Preview With Jim Grobe 
Game Notes: Wake Forest 
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By Steven Johns, WakeForestSports.com
By amassing 415 rushing yards against Presbyterian the Deacs were able to win easily, 53-13. Despite the big season-opening win and a 10-year winning streak against Duke, Wake Forest has its hands full hosting this weekend's matchup.
"They're really aggressive and are a pretty fast defense," said senior wide receiver Marshall Williams. "They've got some good corners and good safeties and their defensive line has looked pretty good as well. We see a very good team in Duke."
Duke, which amassed 542 total yards against Elon, also has a high-powered offense.
"They do have a great passing attack, great coach, great quarterback, two great receivers and they're really efficient with the ball," said senior safety Alex Frye. "So, it's going to be a nice challenge to overcome."
While Duke looked like a challenging team against Elon, Wake Forest didn't look too bad against Presbyterian. The Deacons, who scored their most-points in game since 1991 and their most points ever in Winston-Salem, scored six touchdowns on the ground and amassed 509 yards of total offense.
"I definitely liked the way we ran the ball," said Williams. "As a receiver it's kind of ironic that I say that, but running the ball does so much for us on the outside. When you're running the ball, a lot of the guys start playing lower, down closer to the line of scrimmage to stop the run. The next thing you know, play action, it's over the top."
Beating Presbyterian, however, does not mean that Wake Forest doesn't still have some problems, according to Grobe.
"We need to work on the mental part as much as anything," said Grobe. "We made too many mistakes. We need to look at ourselves a little bit as coaches and see if we're asking them to do too many things. With our effort, we thought we flew around pretty good, but we just made too many mistakes."
Frye also echoed Grobe's dissatisfaction with the team's mental toughness, noting Presbyterian's bounce pass touchdown as an example.
"The main thing that we need to work on is our mental efficiency," said Frye. "We had a couple times that we didn't concentrate as much as we needed to and that led to big plays, such as the Presbyterian trick play."
Wake Forest is 10-0 in its last 10 matchups against Duke, but seven of the last nine games at BB&T Field have been decided by less than nine points. The last three games in Winston-Salem have been decided by a combined six points.
It is also unusual for the two teams to meet up this early in the season.
"I'm a little discouraged that we are playing a conference game this early, but there is no way around it," said Grobe. "We're playing a really good Duke football team, and the stakes are a lot higher since we're playing in conference. You always want to start out strong in conference, so it's a big game for both of us."
"Even though we've won 10 in a row, every game is a different game," said Williams. "You can't rely on history. Duke is a very good team. They're very dangerous. We can't just rest on `we always beat Duke.' We've just got to go in and play our hardest, and hopefully come out with a win."
This matchup will also be the 91st game between these in-state rivals, who have met every season since 1967.
"Certainly the local players, as well as the guys who have played against each other during their careers, get a little more jacked up for this game," said Grobe. "We have a lot of players from North Carolina on the roster and so does Duke, so that always makes for a rivalry."
"I think it's fair to say (that Duke is one of our biggest rivals)," said Frye. "Especially with the way that they play us every year, I think that you can say that they are definitely our biggest rivalry. I know they want this game probably more than any other team that we play."
The Demon Deacons will add two key players that were absent from the Presbyterian game due to suspension. Wide receiver Chris Givens and defensive end Kevin Smith will both be available to play this weekend after Grobe reduced their suspension for good behavior. The suspensions were originally for two games.
Saturday's kickoff is scheduled for noon at BB&T Field. The game, which will open the 2010 slate of ACC contests, will be broadcast on the ACC Network, which was previously referred to as Raycom Sports. Check WakeForestSports.com for network affiliates.
