Oct. 30, 2004

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes

By AARON BEARD
AP Sports Writer

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Chris Barclay rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown Saturday to lift Wake Forest past Duke 24-22 in a matchup of teams looking for their first Atlantic Coast Conference win.

Ben Mauk also had a touchdown pass for the Demon Deacons (4-4, 1-4 ACC), who beat the Blue Devils for the fifth straight time. With the win, Wake Forest avoided its first 0-5 league start in four years.

Mike Schneider threw for a career-high 300 yards and two scores for the Blue Devils (1-7, 0-5), while Cedric Dargan ran for 113 yards.

Wake Forest had lost four league games by a combined 23 points, including overtime losses to Clemson and North Carolina State. Last week, the Demon Deacons lost to Florida State 20-17 on a field goal with just more than a minute to play.

There was more late-game drama in this one, but no heartbreak for Wake Forest. Barclay's 2-yard score late in the first half put the Demon Deacons ahead to stay, though Wake Forest had to hold off a Duke rally in the final 90 seconds to seal it.

In the process, Mauk may have given Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe something to think about regarding his quarterback rotation.

The Demon Deacons had rotated the redshirt freshman with starter Cory Randolph all season, but Mauk was the one moving Wake Forest's offense Saturday. Mauk directed all four scoring drives, while Randolph threw for just 1 yard and had three turnovers.

Duke, which ranked last in the ACC in several offensive categories, had a season-best 423 total yards. But they were done in by their own first-half mistakes and inability to get the ball into the end zone. Their first two drives ended with turnovers - one coming at Wake Forest's 1 - while three other drives managed only to set up field goals for Matt Brooks.

Those miscues proved crucial, preventing them from building a comfortable lead despite outgaining Wake Forest 160-21 in the opening period.

Barclay's run gave Wake Forest a 14-9 halftime lead, which grew on Ryan Plackemeier field goal early in the third.

The Blue Devils took advantage of a fumble by Randolph to set up a 3-yard scoring pass from Schneider to Andy Roland, cutting the deficit to 17-15. But Schneider's pass on the conversion attempt was incomplete.

Wake Forest answered immediately. Mauk had a 17-yard keeper on the next play, starting a 54-yard drive that ended with Micah Andrews' 1-yard run for a 24-15 lead.

Duke pushed inside the 20 on its next drive, but - as it did all day - failed to convert when it needed to most. Schneider threw two straight incompletions and Dargan was stopped for no gain on third down, and Brooks missed a 31-yard field goal late in the third.

That miss became even more critical when the Blue Devils got a TD pass from Schneider to Ronnie Elliott with 1:04 to play, pulling to within 24-22. The Blue Devils failed to recover the onside kick, allowing the Demon Deacons to kill the clock.