BY GREER SMITH

gsmith@hpe.com; 336-888-3519

WINSTON-SALEM -- The freshmen who came in with a bang now face going out unceremoniously with a wimper.

The crew that helped Wake Forest win an ACC championship and an Orange Bowl berth as rookies will try to put a respectable finish on a disappointing season when the Demon Deacons battle Duke on Saturday in Durham.

There's no chance of an ACC title this time, no chance of a bowl game, not even a chance of a winning season.

Instead, the Deacs can snap a five-game losing streak and finish 5-7 instead of 4-8. Whatever the outcome, it will be a long way from the 11-3 record in 2006 that stands as the high-water mark for coach Jim Grobe.

"There's no gimmicky stuff you can do to motivate the guys at this point," Wake coach Jim Grobe said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. "Your love for the game is going to show. If you love to play and you know that these might be the last snaps that you ever play, I'd like to think that would be a good motivator. I can't guarantee it.

"We certainly have some guys in the senior class that have a different energy level as far as love of the game. The thing you've got to hope for is even though we are not playing for a bowl game, the guys, especially our seniors, will play their very best just for their love of the game."

The 22 seniors can claim one spot in the Wake Forest record book. A victory over the Blue Devils would give them 33 wins, the most of any class in Wake history. They already would have the mark if not for losing five games by no more than three points.

"We set the bar high as freshman winning the conference," said Riley Skinner, who will leave with school records for passing attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns, completion percentage and efficiency.

"This is not the way we wanted to end it. We could have had eight or nine wins, but we didn't make enough plays. We want to end it on a good note."

Senior defensive lineman Jon Russell tries to focus on the body of work by the class instead of not being able to produce another winning season.

"It's been a special time for the senior class," Russell said. "Time and time [again] you get asked about the disappointments of this season, but this is one of the bittersweet moments. You look back and look at the good times and they overshadow the disappointment of this year.

"It will soften the blow if we can go over to Durham and beat a good Duke team."

NOTES -- Grobe said that safety Josh Bush will miss Saturday's game, putting redshirt sophomore John Stamper in the starting lineup. Grobe said that Busch has been hospitalized for a week to treat blood clots and an infection arising from suffering a vein bruise near his collarbone in the Georgia Tech game. Grobe said Bush needed surgery to remove the infection and will require blood thinners and antibiotics for 4-6 weeks.