It was a banner day for both Duke and Jordon Byas at Wake Forest Saturday. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

It didn't take Jordon Byas long to recover from his knee surgery.

In his second game this year, Byas was named the ACC defensive back of the week as he registered a career-high 11 tackles and his first career interception in Duke's 34-27 win at Wake Forest. Five of his tackles, including a half-sack and tackle for loss, came in the fourth quarter when the score was tied 20-20.

A screenshot from an athletics department video reveals a completely different Wallace Wade Stadium 

Updated 3:45 p.m.

Over the weekend, Duke announced a university-wide fundraising campaign, Duke Forward, that aims to raise $3.25 billion. Part of the plan involves a $250 million goal for athletic facilities upgrades, including major renovations to Wallace Wade Stadium and Cameron Indoor. Read more about the capital campaign in general here. For a look at athletics specifically, click here.

It's a bit wet here at BB&T Field today. Credit: Laura Keeley

Howdy! It's a yucky, rainy day in Winston-Salem, where Duke will look to end its 12-game losing streak against Wake Forest.  A few bite-sized information bits to consider before the 12:30 p.m. kickoff:

*If you haven't seen it on our site, check out my story on how to build a football program. Both Jim Grobe and David Cutcliffe generously made time in their schedules this week to sit down with me and talk about their approach to rebuilding a long-suffering team. Their methods are not exactly the same. Obviously, Wake Forest has successfully built itself into a team that is perennially competitive, with the 2006 ACC Championship, in Grobe's sixth year, as the zenith. 

Meanwhile, at Duke, David Cutcliffe is in his fifth year. As he says, at this point, the program is ahead of the team. Cutcliffe loves his staff, he loves the facilities upgrades (like removing the old moldy carpet in the tunnel that led to the field) and, now, he would love to start winning more games. Today provides a perfect opportunity.

*Also, check out the game preview. I predicted a Wake Forest win, but I wouldn't be shocked to see the Blue Devils end the streak. Here's a blueprint for a Duke win:

Conner Vernon is just six catches from setting a new ACC record for career receptions. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Duke at Wake Forest

When: 12:30 p.m.

Where: BB&T Field, Winston-Salem

Line: Wake Forest by 3

TV/Radio: ACC Network/WRAL, WDNC-620 AM, WKIX-102.9 FM

What they’re saying nationally about Duke:

ESPN’s Heather Dinich: The Blue Devils haven’t even played a league game yet, so you can’t count them out of the Coastal Division race, either. So far they’re on track to get to a bowl game, but they’re going to have to show they can win in their conference, too. 

CBS Sports’ Sean Bielawski: This is a big game for both teams, but it is a little more meaningful for the Blue Devils. Duke is looking to get back to a bowl game for the first time since 1994. After next week's game against Virginia, the schedule gets considerably tougher in the second half of the season. This might be a must-win for Duke to make it to six wins and bowl eligibility. 

Fox Sports South’s Andrew Jones: Duke’s football game Saturday at Wake Forest is the biggest the program has played since Oct. 29, 1994.That afternoon, the 7-0 and 13th-ranked Blue Devils ventured to Tallahassee to play one of 14 consecutive Florida State teams that finished ranked among the top four in the nation. The Seminoles were also the defending national champions. (Duke lost 59-20)

What they’re saying nationally about Wake Forest:

Dezmond Johnson and the rest of the defensive linemen have done a much better job pressuring quarterbacks this year. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Earlier this week, I took a look at Duke's defensive line, which, from my perspective, is the most improved unit on the team. To use a quote from DL Kenny Auninike, it all starts up front. By generating pressure on the quarterback, the secondary is put in a better position to make plays. 

So far, so good. 

"We definitely had some success," Anunike said. "We really like that, and now we know that we can do this. We can generate sacks, get back there and wreak havoc. We can carry this to Wake Forest, into conference play and all the way through to show everyone that this is a new Duke team, and we are competitive in the ACC."

Earlier today, head coach David Cutcliffe was asked about the line's success on the weekly ACC coaches teleconference.

Conner Vernon has broken a few tackles off of bubble screens this year. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—It was a question that would cause many Duke fans pause and maybe even make some sort of audible noise. 

"Has Duke faced a lot of the bubble screen, jail break screen stuff?"

This was posed to Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe during his weekly sitdown with the print media. He had an immediate answer.

Last year, a few inches made the difference as Wake Forest WR Chris Givens scored the go-ahead touchdown to beat Duke 24-23. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

The 12-game winning streak Wake Forest has going against Duke is certainly impressive for its longevity. It’s also rather remarkable when considering how close many of the recent games in the series have been. Consider the following:

*Ten of the past 16 contests have been decided by seven points or fewer

*Wake Forest has won six straight home games against the Blue Devils, with five of those six wins coming by 2, 2, 1, 3 and 6 points.

*The 2010 edition was the second-highest scoring game in ACC history, with the two teams combining for 102 points (Wake edged Duke 54-48).

Brandon Connette, still Duke's preferred red zone option, scored two touchdowns against Memphis, one on the ground and one through the air. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Think about it: Duke gave the ball away four times and still won. Five years ago, that would have been unimaginable. But yesterday, despite Duke, as Brandon Connette put it, “shooting itself in the foot” the entire first half and on the opening drive of the second half, the Blue Devils ended up with a 38-14 win over Memphis.

The Blue Devils were happy after the game. Head coach David Cutcliffe attributed this to the fact that the team got better as the game went on, and not so much because Duke is 3-1 for the first time since 2008 (and, before that 1994).

Here’s a look back:

Updated 11 p.m.

DURHAM – It took Duke’s offense until late in the third quarter to stop turning the ball over and begin to pull away from an inferior Memphis team.

Hardly a cloud in the sky over Wallace Wade Stadium today. Credit: LAURA KEELEY

Welcome, ladies and gents, to the final event of Duke's homecoming weekend, as the Blue Devils are set to take on Memphis. I can personally confirm that there is a healthy number of alumni back, so we'll see if that translates to a bump in attendance. Speaking of attendance, here are a few other pregame thoughts as the clock ticks closer to 6 p.m.: