DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke will hit the road Saturday in an attempt to snap a four-game losing streak and to end the regular season on a positive note against an old Big Four rival, Wake Forest.
            
Since losing to Miami on a controversial final play, not much has gone right for the Blue Devils. But several players said Tuesday that the team's fourth-quarter comeback at Virginia re-energized the team.
            
Duke, down 42-20 after three quarters at Scott Stadium, rallied to score 14 straight points in the final period – and barely missed a potential game-tying touchdown in the final seconds.
            
“I enjoy watching our team fight to the end,” junior safety DeVon Edwards said.  “That did bring a lot of energy. It brought us together. It brought us back to doing what we do – forcing three-and-outs; scoring points when we need to score points.
            
“I think that helped us get back onto what we are used to doing. The second half, we played the best we've played in the last four games.”
            
Senior defensive end Kyler Brown also suggested that the fourth quarter comeback was a turning point for this team.
            
“I think we do have confidence and I think a lot of that stems from out last quarter against Virginia,” Brown said. “We came back as a team and were able to get ourselves in position to tie the game. We ended up not being able to do that, but knowing that we can make those types of plays and get it done is something we can do from the beginning.”
            
Senior center Matt Skura said the rally shows something about this Duke team.
            
“It shows we're never going to back down,” he said. “We have a lot of pride in this program. We're going to give it everything we have until the final seconds. If we have to go four overtimes, we'll have to do that as well.”
            
That was a reference to Duke's last win – a four-overtime victory at Virginia Tech. That dramatic victory made the Blue Devils 6-1 and had them in the thick of the Coastal Division title race. It also guaranteed Duke a fourth straight bowl trip – but, obviously, the Blue Devils would much rather go to a bowl coming off a victory than to enter with a five-game losing streak.
            
“November is always a big test,” head coach David Cutcliffe said, “It's a test of how you practice and what the circumstances are for your team emotionally and how healthy they are. For all the November factors, you love it when you blend it all together and make it work.”
            
That's something the Blue Devils have been able to do the two previous seasons, when Duke was a combined 7-2 in November.

The Quarterback Shuffle
Both Duke and Wake Forest are likely to use two quarterbacks on Saturday.
            
Cutcliffe said his quarterback rotation is still in flux as he and his staff will evaluate the health of junior Thomas Sirk, who has started 10 of 11 games so far. His other option is sophomore Parker Boehme, who started for the banged-up Sirk in the loss to Pittsburgh, then came off the bench Saturday to spark the fourth-quarter rally against Virginia.
            
“Both of them are playing pretty well,” Cutcliffe said of his two quarterbacks. “You are going to see Parker play. I do believe that there are times when you go with a hot hand. It's hard to predict. I like that both are competing – hard. That's a positive for a team.”
            
One aspect of Cutcliffe's quarterback call this week will depend on Sirk's health – he was unable to play two weeks ago and took some solid hits last week at Virginia.
            
“We're still kind of day-to-day in evaluating where he is,” the Duke coach said, acknowledging that the medical staff has the first call on Sirk's status. “He looked good today [in practice] and felt good today.”
            
Boehme said that the uncertainty over playing time isn't a problem for him or Sirk.
            
“Thomas and I, we're great friends,” he said. “We don't feel like there's any tension or quarterback controversy. We have a great relationship. We're roommates [on the road] and we're always talking and calling each other about plays and defenses – just trying to prepare each other each week.
            
“It's a fair opportunity for both of us. Practice by practice, game by game – it's based on performance. If Coach feels Thomas is practicing better, he should clearly be the starter and the one playing the most.”
            
Wake has been using two quarterbacks for most of the season. Sophomore John Wolford is one of the ACC's leading passers, averaging 145 yards a game, while freshman Kendall Hinton (a product of Durham's Southern High School) is the team's leading rusher.
            
“That's definitely something we've got to make adjustments to on the fly,' senior defensive end Kyler Brown said. “As they come out of the huddle, we have to see who's back there and who's more likely to be a passing threat and who's more likely to be a running threat.”

Edwards Does it Again
Junior return ace DeVon Edwards returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown last Saturday at Virginia – the third kick he's brought back all the way this season and the sixth kickoff return touchdown of his career.
            
“He's a warrior,” Cutcliffe said of Edwards. “There is not a better kickoff return man playing football. He is so courageous and so tough. He gives you everything he's got.”
            
Indeed, the Georgia native is on pace to become the greatest kickoff return man in ACC history. His six kickoff return touchdowns are just one short of the ACC record of seven, set by Clemson's C.J. Spiller. He's already 10th in ACC history in total kickoff return yards – with another season to go.
            
And Edwards's career average of 28.4 yards a return is the best of any ACC kick returner to rank in the top 30 in total yards.
            
That doesn't mean Edwards is always successful. Between his 100-yard TD return against Georgia Tech on Sept. 26 and his long one against Virginia, Edwards and the Duke kickoff return game were largely held in check.
            
Part of that was the refusal of several teams to kick the ball to Edwards. There were other problems.
            
“We were just a little disappointed in getting the consistency of blocking,” Cutcliffe said. “And teams, they beefed up and they worked hard in covering kickoffs against Duke – I would too. They did a better job of covering and we didn't do as good a job as we would like. They put the ball in tough spots.”
            
Edwards said that starting with the Miami game, he began to get chances again.
            
“We did go through a point where everybody was trying to kick it out of the end zone or sky kick it,” he said. “Then teams were kicking it to me. Our guys had to get back into 'Okay, we're going to get a chance this time.' When we get everything done on the right page, we produce numbers.”
            
Cutcliffe said that he's concerned about Edwards's health – the 5-9, 180-pounder is one of the top tacklers on the team -- eighth in the ACC with an average of 8.2 tackles a game – and he takes a physical pounding as a defender.
            
“Another part of it is getting that guy healthy,” the Duke coach said. “He wasn't close to full speed Saturday to be honest with you – and he outran everybody.”

Breakout Receivers
Duke lost two of the team's top receivers a week ago, but two players stepped up at Virginia and turned in career games.
            
Freshman T.J. Rahming caught a career-high 12 passes for a career-high 190 yards and his second career touchdown. Junior Anthony Nash caught five passes (matching his career high) for a career-high 104 yards.
            
“They're both fast,” Cutcliffe said. “Anthony is a big guy who uses his size well. T.J. has the short space quickness, a lot like the guy who wore No. 3 last year [Jamison Crowder]. He's healthier. He had a terrific camp and a good start, then had the knee issue.”
            
Rahming, who caught 19 passes in Duke's first five games, missed the Army game with an injury. He returned for the Virginia Tech game, but had not been effective, catching just two passes in the next four games.
            
Nash arrived at Duke as a slender speedster and was clocked multiple times at 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash. But he's found it difficult to get on the field, catching just five passes for 47 yards in his first two seasons.
            
Ironically, it was Rahming's injury that seemed to give Nash a chance. He caught five passes for 57 yards at Army, then caught three for 72 yards at Virginia Tech. Nash has now topped the 100-yard receiving mark in two straight games.
            
“He's a great blocker and clearly catches the ball very well and [is good at] running after the catch,” Boehme said of Nash. “He isn't scared to catch a ball over the middle. He brings a lot to the team. He gets open with his speed all the time.”
            
Cutcliffe said the progress of Rahming and Nash, who team with steady senior Max McCaffrey at wide receiver, is important to the program.
            
“I think those guys are maturing,” he said. “I like what's happening at the receiver position right now. I think Anthony and Max are really good leaders and I think our young people are falling into what they need to accomplish.”

Protecting the QB
One thing Duke has been doing very well in recent years is protecting the quarterback.
            
A year ago, Duke allowed just one sack a game. In each of the last two seasons, Duke has led the ACC in least sacks allowed per pass attempt.
            
That's changed the last two weeks. After giving up just seven sacks in the team's first nine games, the offensive line has allowed eight sacks in the last two games – three against Pitt and five in the loss to Virginia.
            
Except Cutcliffe said those numbers aren't entirely the fault of the offensive line.
            
“People have done a good job and we haven't done as good a job,” he said. “It hasn't always been the offensive line. You've got to have everybody involved.
            
“We had a couple of unusual circumstances up at Virginia, where guys literally lost their footing. That's an outlier.”
            
The Duke coach also said that game circumstances have led to the increased sacks in the last two games.
            
“When you get behind and you're not running the ball, then you're going to give up more sacks because people know what to expect” he said. “We're scrambling to get back in games.”

Playing Without Cash
Senior safety Jeremy Cash has been one of the nation's top defensive players over the last two years. He won All-America honors a year ago and is a strong candidate for several national defensive player of the year awards this season.
            
But Duke will be without its defensive ace for a half Saturday. Cash was ejected from the second half of the Virginia game for targeting and will have to sit the first half of the Wake Forest game.
            
Corbin McCarthy, a senior with more than 1,100 career snaps to his credit, will fill in for Cash in the first half, along with sophomore Phillip Carter, who saw extensive duty filling in for banged up safety Deondre Singleton last week and did “a really, really good job”, according to Cutcliffe.
            
“I feel really good in that regard,” Cutcliffe said.
            
His words were echoed by Brown.
            
“We're going to have Corbin who can make some great plays as well,” the veteran defensive end said. “From a defensive perspective, Jeremy is an All-American, but Corbin is definitely suited to fit the position.”
            
And one more bright spot.
            
“The positive of it all is we have a healthier, fresher Jeremy Cash in the third and fourth quarter,” Cutcliffe said.