Duke takes good with the bad from loss to Wake Forest

DURHAM, N.C. - A year after a devastating loss to Wake Forest cost Duke coach Carl Franks his job, the Blue Devils look like they&#39;re back in the same spot 1-6 overall and winless in the Atlantic Coast Conference heading into Saturday&#39;s game at the Deamon Deacons.<br> <br> But Duke linebacker Brendan Dewan believes this year&#39;s team is in a better position than last year&#39;s squad, which fell behind Wake Forest 42-0 on the way to a 42-13 homecoming pounding.<br> <br> ``It essentially made coach (Ted) Roof our coach,&#39;&#39; Dewan said. ``That&#39;s the good, it&#39;s what I wanted. He&#39;s the person to lead the program where it needs to go.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Roof, who was in his second season as defensive coordinator, initially was elevated to head coach on an interim basis, but got the permanent job after leading Duke to a 2-3 record in the final five games of the season.<br> <br> This year, Dewan and his teammates have been unable to build on the momentum of last season&#39;s finish. The Blue Devils&#39; lone win this season is against Division I-AA The Citadel.<br> <br> Now, they get another chance against Wake Forest (3-4, 0-4).<br> <br> ``It certainly stirs some emotions, in my eyes,&#39;&#39; Roof said. ``But it&#39;s a different team, and it&#39;s a different year. That revenge sounds good, but the first time you get hit in the mouth, it kind of goes away.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Despite the recent history the Deacons have won four straight in the series Duke has owned this rivalry that started in 1889. The Blue Devils lead with an all-time record of 53-29-2, and many of their historical highlights came against Wake Forest.<br> <br> That includes the 1962 game, which Duke won 50-0 for its largest margin of victory ever against an ACC opponent, and the Blue Devils&#39; most recent victory in 1999. In that one, Duke scored a school-record 34 points in the first quarter and hung on to win 48-35.<br> <br> Last week, the Blue Devils stayed close to Virginia for nearly 3.5 quarters before losing 37-16. The offense gained 323 yards a season high against a Division I-A opponent and tailback Cedric Dargan rushed for 108. He appears completely healed from a leg injury that kept him out of four games.<br> <br> ``I think we&#39;re going in the right direction,&#39;&#39; wide receiver Ronnie Elliott said. ``Our execution was a little better. That&#39;s what we&#39;ve been talking about the past few weeks, not beating ourselves. If we just continue to get better, we can be a pretty good offense.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> If only the same could be said about the defense. The Cavaliers piled up 348 yards on the ground, with Alvin Pearman getting 223 of those.<br> <br> The bad news for Duke is that Wake Forest puts a similar emphasis on the running game. The Deacons trail only Virginia in yards rushing in the ACC.<br> <br> ``Yeah, that&#39;s a concern,&#39;&#39; Roof said. ``They&#39;re not worried about how they get their yards. They just want to have one more point than you at the end of the game. They&#39;re very efficient.&#39;&#39;