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Wake QB Ben Sankey
threw three TD passes
in the second quarter.
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Football Slips Early Against Duke, Does Not Recover
Deacs need upset win over No. 13 Ga. Tech next weekend to become bowl eligible.
Nov. 13, 1999
Box Score
By DAVID DROSCHAK
AP Sports Writer
DURHAM, N.C. - Scottie Montgomery scored three touchdowns in Duke's
school-record 34-point first quarter and the Blue Devils held off Wake Forest
48-35 Saturday, seriously damaging the Demon Deacons' postseason hopes.
Wake Forest (5-5, 2-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) will have to upset No. 13
Georgia Tech at home next weekend to become bowl eligible for the first time
since 1992.
Duke (3-7, 3-4) scored its most points since beating Wake Forest 51-26 in
1994. The Blue Devils also secured their most ACC wins in a season since that
year.
The wild game featured two 99-yard kickoff returns - one by Montgomery on
the opening play of the game and one by Wake Forest's John Stone, whose
school-record score with 5:06 left in the third quarter moved the Demon Deacons
to within 13 points with plenty of time left.
However, Duke, coming off a 58-7 loss at Clemson and playing without
starting quarterback Spencer Romine (foot) and star place-kicker Sims Lenhardt
(groin), won with a strong performance by the ACC's worst defense, which
intercepted Wake quarterback Ben Sankey four times and sacked him five times
The Blue Devils sealed the win by stopping Wake Forest wide receiver Jamie
Deese an inch short of the goal line with 5:33 left.
Duke, outscored 76-10 this season in the first quarter, struck for three
scores in less than two minutes of possession time against a stunned Wake
Forest team.
After Montgomery's return of the opening kickoff, a 48-yard run by Letavious
Wilks on Duke's next series set up Kevin Thompson's 10-yard scoring pass to
Richmond Flowers. Following an interception, Duane Epperson scored on a 13-yard
run for a 20-0 lead.
Thompson's 28-yard pass to Montgomery with six minutes left in the opening
period increased the lead to 27-0. A bad pitch by Sankey led to Duke's fifth TD
of the period two minutes later - a 6-yard run by Montgomery.
The Demon Deacons had committed only 11 turnovers all season, but coughed
the ball up four times in the opening half as Sankey threw three interceptions
and lost a fumble.
Duke's previous high point total for a quarter was 32 in the fourth quarter
against Penn in 1954. The 34-point first quarter was one shy of the ACC mark
set by Clemson against Wake Forest in 1981.
Sankey did throw three TD passes in the second quarter, but his third
interception led to a 10-yard scoring run by Wilks 4:46 before intermission,
and Duke led 41-21 at halftime.
