My Take, film review: Duke 24, Wake Forest 21

When you’re starting a third-string QB on a short week, all you’re looking for is a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter.

Hence, Duke is bowl eligible after last week’s win over Wake Forest, squeezing out the Deacons with Todd Pelino’s 26-yard field goal on the last play.

Here is a breakdown of the 16 most-important plays from Duke’s final-seconds win over Wake Forest:

Pre-snap situation: 0-0 | 14:01, first quarter | WF ball | First-and-10 from own 40.

Momentum check: It’s the third play of the game and WF already has a first down.

Play result: Mitch Griffis sacked by Terry Moore for a 7-yard loss.

Breaking it down: Mainly want you to take stock of how well-timed this blitz is from Moore.

He’s leaning a little bit until firing at the snap. The assist goes to Brandon Johnson and Anthony Nelson for occupying the right side of the line and opening up the rush lane, and Moore just has to read and react to the fastest way to the QB.

Wake Forest has given up more sacks than any other team in the ACC and almost anyone else in the country. It’s already in Duke’s repertoire to bring pressure; this was bound to be a game with a lot of it, though.

Pre-snap situation: 0-0 | 8:19, first quarter | WF ball | Third-and-4 from Duke’s 38.

Momentum check: WF mustering the first significant drive of this game.

Play result: Demond Claiborne runs for 10-yard gain.

Breaking it down: You know the whole, “sometimes you just get beat” approach to certain plays?

That’s what I think this is for Duke.

The Blue Devils just get blocked. It’s a good play for Wake’s offensive line and Duke needed better penetration or disruption.

This certainly isn’t going on Tre Freeman’s highlight tape.

Pre-snap situation: 7-0 WF | 6:28, first quarter | Duke ball | Third-and-10 from own 25.

Momentum check: WF has a 7-point lead and Duke has 7 yards.

Play result: Grayson Loftis sacked by Jasheen Davis, loses a fumble, Davis recovers.

Breaking it down: Remember how Mike Elko explained that things went awry against Florida State with Henry Belin IV in the game because of how many third-and-longs Duke faced?

The Blue Devils’ first two third downs needed 12 and 10 yards to get a first down. It’s hardly the recipe for winning games with a backup QB, let alone a third-string QB.

I think it’s nitpicky … but I think if there’s anything to change about this play, it’s that Loftis needed to step up in the pocket. You’ve got a three-man rush and the edges are going wide, so there’s a whole lot of ground in the pocket in front of you.

But like I said, that’s nitpicky if he’s a veteran; hard to expect that of a freshman.

Pre-snap situation: 7-0 WF | 14:28, second quarter | Duke ball | First-and-10 from Wake’s 32.

Momentum check: Duke just got its first big offensive play, Jaquez Moore’s 25-yard run.

Play result: Moore runs for a 32-yard touchdown.

Breaking it down: That point from the second play we covered, about sometimes you just get a well-blocked play?

This was Duke’s turn.

It’s impressive acceleration from Moore and he runs through an arm-tackle attempt. He’s an explosive runner and made such an impressive jump in his physicality from last season to this one.

But the blocking makes this happen. Maurice McIntyre does a great job pulling from the left side. Jake Hornibrook makes two blocks in the middle. Jeremiah Hasley seals a linebacker who commits a little too far up the field.

As Elko likes to say, we can make this game however detailed and intricate as we want; it still comes down to basic principles of “can you block the other team?” and “can you tackle their guys with the ball?”

Pre-snap situation: 7-7 | 9:50, second quarter | Duke ball | First-and-10 from own 27.

Momentum check: Duke just stuffed a fourth-and-1 rush attempt.

Play result: Loftis intercepted by Quincy Bryant.

Breaking it down: Quarterbacks are responsible for every interception but there are varying degrees of responsibility.

This one … I’d say Loftis is minimally responsible.

Kevin Pointer Jr. blows into the backfield, past McIntyre, and hits Loftis as he’s throwing. That’s what leads to the lame duck of a throw that’s picked off in the middle of the field.

It’s not a slow-developing play-action or anything. Jordan Moore is open on a 10-yard out route, which is where the ball is headed with a clean throw. I don’t know what Loftis could’ve done differently other than just eat the sack.

Say this for McIntyre: He does make a hell of a form tackle for an offensive lineman.

Pre-snap situation: 7-7 | 8:16, second quarter | WF ball | First-and-goal from Duke’s 8.

Momentum check: After the wild swings of a few minutes ago, WF positioned to take the lead.

Play result: Griffis runs for an 8-yard touchdown.

Breaking it down: Nick Morris Jr. played 25 snaps in Duke’s previous three games combined. With Dorian Mausi out against Wake Forest, the third-year linebacker matched a career-high with 35 snaps against the Deacons (per PFF).

He played really well. He and Freeman tied for the team lead in tackles with 11. PFF graded Morris at 91.0 overall (elite level), and had him without missing a tackle.

Morris wasn’t perfect, though, and I think he bites a little too hard on the middle of the line — which allows Griffis to break this outside for the touchdown.

You’ll see it on the tweet below; he’s the linebacker on the side where Griffis escapes and he just takes one or two extra steps toward the middle. Griffis has an alley to the outside because Jaylen Stinson blitzed and got picked up by the pulling center.

Pre-snap situation: 14-7 WF | 7:01, second quarter | Duke ball | Third-and-1 from own 34.

Momentum check: Wake Forest just reestablished its 7-point lead.

Play result: Jordan Waters runs for 24-yard gain.

Breaking it down: I don’t know if anybody was looking for evidence of the contrary, but here’s the perfect play to illustrate why Duke is confident in Brian Parker II’s future.

He seals the edge perfectly, to the point that the linebacker who comes too far down is sandwiched on the other side of the defensive end he’s blocking. That, plus a superb downfield block by Jordan Moore, is why Waters runs for 24 yards instead of 4-6 yards.

And here’s the thing: Waters isn’t supposed to bounce this. But he sees safety Malik Mustapha coming to fill the hole where the play is designed to go, and bounces it to the opposite side.

For all of the talk about riding the “hot hand” at running back … sometimes you’ve got games with both RBs having hot hands.

Pre-snap situation: 14-7 WF | 1:02, second quarter | Duke ball | Second-and-goal from Wake’s 4.

Momentum check: Duke has marched down the field with an impressive response after going down by a touchdown, with three third-down conversions.

Play result: Waters runs for 4-yard touchdown.

Breaking it down: I’m not sure there’s much to this one other than Duke relying on its running game, which is no surprise.

You should first take note of the block by Nicky Dalmolin against Mustapha. He’s one of the hardest-hitting safeties in the ACC and Dalmolin lays a solid block on him coming across the formation.

From there, take stock of the left side of the line — Parker and McIntyre — washing down the line and creating the running lane for Waters.

Pre-snap situation: 14-14 | 10:42, third quarter | WF ball | Third-and-1 from Duke’s 18.

Momentum check: An offside call just nullified a turnover by Griffis, and the Deacons are in Duke’s red zone for the fourth time in their last six complete possessions.

Play result: Justice Ellison tackled by DeWayne Carter for a 3-yard loss.

Breaking it down: This was such an important play for Duke — regardless of the missed field goal that came next.

The Blue Devils just had a takeaway taken away because of an offside, with R.J. Oben lined up in the neutral zone. Not only does your first turnover get nullified, a third-and-6 becomes third-and-1.

Seems like the recipe for a let-down play.

Instead, Duke’s defensive line fires off of the ball and gets a TFL that removes the chance Wake Forest keeps the offense on the field. Carter blows up George Sell and it is, as the tweet below says, a prime example of “players make plays.”

It’s worth pointing out the jobs of Anthony Nelson and Wesley Williams, who also get penetration and are there to clean up Ellison after Carter makes initial contact.

Pre-snap situation: 14-14 | 6:56, third quarter | WF ball | Second-and-10 from own 36.

Momentum check: Idling a bit, but WF has been the better team and doesn’t have a lead to show for it.

Play result: Griffis pass to Taylor Morin for 61 yards.

Breaking it down: Miscommunications happen and that’s the case here.

It’s pretty clear Chandler Rivers is playing zone and thinks he’s passing Morin off to a deep safety. Nobody is there, obviously, because the rest of Duke’s secondary is in man-to-man.

The more concerning part is that because it’s an underthrown ball, Morin has to catch it at the 23, and then Duke can’t get him on the ground until he cuts all the way across the field and gains another 20 yards.

It’s not the greatest look for Rivers to get up and start screaming at Duke’s sideline … but it’s an emotional game that you have to play with emotion.

Pre-snap situation: 14-14 | 4:42, third quarter | WF ball | Third-and-goal from Duke’s 5.

Momentum check: Wake Forest on the doorstep but third-and-goal from the 5 isn’t an easy conversion.

Play result: Griffis scrambles for a 5-yard touchdown run.

Breaking it down: I mean … Duke covers the play well. Maybe some nits to pick with rush lanes and the D-line losing contain. But there are still two players, Freeman and Terry Moore, in the middle of the field who are in position to make a play.

The main thing I see is just Wake’s QB making a play. It happens — the whole “they’re on scholarship, too” argument. Freeman could’ve come up the field with a little more control, but that’s asking a lot of a linebacker who’s trying to cut off the angle.

Pre-snap situation: 21-14 WF | 15:00, fourth quarter | WF ball | Third-and-5 from own 49.

Momentum check: After WF takes the lead, Deacons get the ball back around midfield. Feels like a game Duke can’t win if it’s behind by two scores in the fourth quarter.

Play result: Griffis scrambles and fumbles, recovered by Duke’s Aeneas Peebles.

Breaking it down: Two things really stand out to me on this play and both are fitting.

One is that it’s Freeman who jars the ball loose from the airborne Griffis. You don’t have to read back too far to see why this is fitting; he’s the one who over pursued just a little bit and allowed the helicoptering touchdown by Griffis on Wake’s previous possession.

Two is that it’s Peebles coming out of the pile with the ball. He lined up offside on the first play of this possession, the second time a Duke defensive lineman was called for that in this game. And Peebles also showed some frustration earlier in the game at winning pass-rush battles against the slow-mesh, only for it to be a handoff.

Pre-snap situation: 21-14, WF | 11:47, fourth quarter | Duke ball | First-and-10 from Wake’s 29.

Momentum check: This possession started at midfield and Duke just benefited from an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Wake’s Aiden Hall.

Play result: Loftis passes to Jordan Moore for a 29-yard touchdown.

Breaking it down: Other than the dime of a throw, it’s the pre-snap motion that intrigues me on this play.

Loftis brings Moore in motion so that he’s got a little sideways momentum at the snap, and so that he’s operating from the middle with the wide part of the field to work with. I think that’s why he’s able to beat the cornerback to the inside — because DaShawn Jones (Wake’s No. 10) — is guarding against the back-shoulder throw to the front pylon.

But the top takeaway here is how comfortable Loftis looks in climbing the pocket and stepping into a throw.

Remember in the first quarter when it was a three-man rush and the ends went wide, and he had room to step up and didn’t? It was a strip-sack and Duke’s first turnover …?

This isn’t quite the same, with Wake’s edges keeping contain, but Loftis climbs the pocket in the way he didn’t earlier. That’s some impressive in-game growth for a freshman to make.

Pre-snap situation: 21-21 | 4:22, fourth quarter | WF ball | First-and-10 from Duke’s 40.

Momentum check: Wake Forest just converted a third down and is marching for a go-ahead score.

Play result: Griffis pass intercepted by Ryan Smith.

Breaking it down: I always think of baseball as the sport that’s the example of it sometimes being best to wait for your opponent to make a mistake.

Football has a spot high on that list, though.

Credit Smith for being aware of a fluttering ball and picking it off. I think Griffis arm is moving forward when he releases, so if it drops, it’s second down. But this has a lot to do with Wake’s first-year starter losing his grip on a deep throw.

Pre-snap situation: 21-21 | 2:12, fourth quarter | Duke ball | Third-and-13 from own 34.

Momentum check: Duke got the turnover, but faces third-and-long because of a first-down holding call.

Play result: Loftis’ pass incomplete; pass interference called against Jones, 15-yard penalty and first down.

Breaking it down: Not to repeat myself … but this has more to do with Wake Forest gifting Duke a first down than it has to do with anything the Blue Devils do.

It’s an overthrown deep ball. I don’t think Duke calls this, or Loftis throw this, with the specific intention of drawing a penalty — but I do think Moore knows he’s got to sell whatever contact is made.

Pre-snap situation: 21-21 | 0:59, fourth quarter | Duke ball | Second-and-8 from Wake’s 38.

Momentum check: Duke has methodically moved to the edge of kicker Todd Pelino’s range with one minute left.

Play result: Loftis pass complete to Sahmir Hagans for 8-yard gain; Jones called for unnecessary roughness and additional 15 yards.

Breaking it down: If the other team is going to gift you 15 extra yards and put you in comfortable range for your kicker, it’s not like you’re turning that down.

Hagans certainly earned the extra yardage because this had to hurt.

Not to spend too much time on the penalty, it was one of Loftis’ better throws of the night — to the sideline on the far side, a strike that results in a first down before the penalty. Hagans does a great job of shielding Jones from the ball, too, so that he’s the one making a play on the ball.

And that’s it, as far as most-important plays. Duke managed its way into a win over a Big 4 rival and can complete the season sweep with a win in Chapel Hill this weekend.