Wallace Wade Stadium has a capacity of almost exactly 40,000. Part of the revitalization of Duke football was getting butts in seats to watch an exciting football team rather than a punchline.
Thanks to head coach David Cutcliffe and players future NFL quarterback Daniel Jones, the Blue Devils have been bowl eligible in six of the last seven seasons. So a matchup against a high-scoring Wake Forest team should be a big draw, right? Wrong. So wrong.
Crowd update just before kick off. #WakeForestvsDuke @RedditCFB pic.twitter.com/6JOiZJqL9I
— Dan Hawk (@danielwhawk) November 24, 2018
The 5-6 Demon Deacons will have to square off against the 7-4 Blue Devils in front one of the smallest crowds you'll ever see in FBS football.
It might be Thanksgiving break for both schools, but it seems hard to believe that a school of nearly 15,000 students and 6,500 undergrads can't fill up a good chunk of seats.
Say a prayer for the Duke band, who look equal parts lonely and miserable as they sit alone and look completely miserable.
The Duke Band looks so lonely today for #WakeForestvsDuke. @RedditCFB pic.twitter.com/lDLuTPj6j0
— Dan Hawk (@danielwhawk) November 24, 2018
Duke-Wake Forest may not be Michigan-Ohio State or Auburn-Alabama, but two fun to watch, improving teams deserve better than a crowd of what looks like a couple hundred people.