Duke and Wake Forest will meet to end the 20025 regular season for both teams, just as they did in 2024. The similarities beyond that make for a much shorter list. How much has changed in the last year for Wake and Duke?
What A Difference a Year Makes
The 2024 Version
Around this time last year, Duke was wrapping up the season under first-year head coach Manny Diaz. Wake Forest had a 17-10 lead going into the fourth quarter, at which point Duke outscored the Deacs 13-0 for the 23-17 win in Winston-Salem. The Blue Devils finished seventh in the ACC at 5-3, and 9-4 overall after losing the Gator Bowl to Ole Miss.
For Wake, the loss was a foundation-shaking experience. The Deacs were already going to be left out of a bowl game, and with the loss, finished 4-8 for the second consecutive year. The post-game press conference was telling. Wake head coach Dave Clawson was visibly emotional after the loss, trying to explain another game that was there for the taking. He publicly lashed out at a reporter for their recent coverage of the team and misdirected some of that emotion at others. Several members of the media left the room that night, discussing how they believed they had just witnessed Clawson coaching his last game at Wake. The game was taking too much out of him for him to continue.
The 2025 Version
Fast forward 12 months, and Wake and Duke will conclude the regular season against each other once again, this time in Durham on Saturday afternoon.
Duke is 5-2 in conference play and 6-5 overall in the second season under Manny Diaz, good enough for sixth place in the ACC. The Blue Devils are vastly improved at quarterback. Darian Mensah, the transfer from Tulane, is throwing at a 67% completion rate with 26 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Duke is 11th in the country in passing offense at 291 yards per game. And the Blue Devils are not going to nickel and dime you on offense. They like to go big. They are averaging 425 yards per game, good enough for 32nd in the country. If the defense ever catches up to what is expected of a Manny Diaz-coached team, the Blue Devils will be competing for ACC titles.
So there is some visible change for Duke over the last 12 months, mostly to the positive side on offense.
A Different Look on the Wake Side
And on the Wake Forest side? Well, the change has been well-documented here and in other media outlets. While some of the faces in uniform are the same from last year, there is little else resembling the 2024 end-of-season Wake Forest team. Now there are press conferences with a head coach who, from time to time, has gotten emotional when talking about the support he has felt from the administration and fans; a coach who, at times, has gone into the post-game press conference visibly animated in his excitement over his team’s play.
And really, who is going to deny Jake Dickert those moments? The Deacs go into the regular season finale in Durham having already locked up a bowl game. Any win at this point just improves the quality of the bowl game to which they will be invited. At 8-3 overall and 4-3 in conference play, Wake Forest has exceeded most everyone’s expectations. Just not their coach’s. In late July, Dickert was professing his belief in this team. Most coaches do in late July. But his talks were not just the usual coach-speak sessions.
Things to Fix
Even with the bowl prospects ahead, and in the midst of deferring credit for the success to his staff and players, Dickert will still tell you where the team is not hitting where it should. “We still have repeated mistakes in the run game, that you felt the run game stall out at times,” he said earlier this week. He also continues to look for more out of special teams. “I thought we left two monsters [big plays] out there in the return game. Just missed a couple of one-on-ones.”
He is also aware of the blown lead in the season finale last season, and how that hurts just a little more in a Big Four game. “Obviously, after the game last year, that was a tough ending. And guys will carry that emotion with them this week. We’ve got to make sure we reset to finish this season the way we’re capable of finishing this season.”
The Manny Diaz Perspective
One area of the game that could be a particularly determining factor this week is with Wake’s defensive line. Duke’s offense is 86th in the country in giving up sacks. The Blue Devils have allowed 23 sacks so far this season. The Wake Forest defense has 23 quarterbacks on the season.
Diaz’ take on Wake Forest as he prepares his Blue Devils? “Impressive. Really, really impressive,” he opined earlier this week. “The way they play in all three phases, how hard they play, how tough and physical they play. They have an edge about them.” He even brought up ACC Coach of the Year potential for Dickert.
Feast Specifics
Wake held a team Thanksgiving meal, including family members who were in town for the holiday week and the game on Saturday. Dickert was also going to have a Thanksgiving meal with his wife and kids.
His must-have dish in the Thanksgiving feast? “One hundred percent green bean casserole. A hundred percent. My wife makes it. It’s elite. It’s elite.” Apparently, the crumbles Candice Dickert puts on top make the difference. Dickert also said his father-in-law makes a pork sausage stuffing. Yes, stuffing. Not dressing. “Anything on the stovetop, that’s amateur hour. That isn’t allowed in the Dickert household.”
Regional food allegiances aside, this year Dickert has called his defense elite. He has referred to the team’s strength and conditioning coaches as elite. Same with the training staff and the nutrition staff. We now add Candice Dickert’s green bean casserole to the season-long list of elite things.
Main Images: Amber Searls-Imagn Images
