Duke came up short in its first test of the season.
On a hot, sunny afternoon at Wallace Wade Stadium, the Blue Devils fell to the No. 23 Wildcats 19-10. After producing 357 yards and 401 total yards against Tulane and N.C. Central, redshirt junior quarterback Thomas Sirk struggled Saturday, finishing with 150 yards through the air and a costly interception just before halftime. The Duke offense never found a rhythm and did not take many looks downfield, relying instead on short passes that did not generate enough yardage to stay on the field.
“It's disappointing to lose a game we thought we might have a real good shot at winning,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “They’re a really good football team. We have to learn to play well when things don’t go well for you…we had a chance to win the game. We, in both halves, struggled offensively on third downs. I don’t know if we played as hard in the fourth quarter, [with] seven or eight minutes to go, after you get deflated.”
Duke (2-1) struck first, capitalizing after redshirt junior safety DeVon Edwards returned an interception of Wildcat quarterback Clayton Thorson for 24 yards. The Blue Devils quickly turned the turnover into points when Sirk rushed for a four-yard touchdown to end a five-play, 26-yard drive.
But after that, the Blue Devil offense went cold, putting pressure on the defense to keep Northwestern (3-0) off the scoreboard.
Duke’s defense initially answered the bell. Throughout the first half, the Blue Devil defense stifled Northwestern’s running attack and Thorson. The smaller defensive line held its own against the Northwestern’s high-powered running attack, which entered the game average 279.5 rushing yards per game. Although the Wildcats broke several big runs when rushing between the tackles, Duke’s defensive ends and defensive backs closed the gaps on the outside to keep the Wildcats out of the end zone in the first half.
Sophomore Justin Jackson finished with 120 yards on the ground to lead the Wildcats, but did not break off any game-changing runs.
“We knew they had a good running back, so we focused on the run,” senior linebacker Dwayne Norman said. “We knew he was fast, so we focused on lateral movement. It’s definitely hard.”
When Duke finally began to mount an offensive threat late in the second quarter, Northwestern defensive lineman Dean Lowry deflected a Sirk screen pass to himself for an interception to end a drive that could have given the Blue Devils a two-score lead heading into the locker room.
After Duke’s defense held firm, a fumble by sophomore running back Shaun Wilson on the Blue Devils’ next series gave the Wildcats back the ball with time to score. Northwestern took advantage of good field position at the Duke 35-yard line as Jack Mitchell knocked a 37-yard field goal through the uprights to cut the deficit to 7-3.
If the Wildcats had not turned the momentum of the game before halftime, they left no doubt right after intermission. Solomon Vault returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to give Northwestern a lead it would not relinquish. After holding Duke to a three-and-out, the Wildcats then went on a 10-play, 53-yard drive and added on a Mitchell 44-yard field goal.
“We weren’t close on that kickoff coverage,” Cutcliffe said. “We had some people that obviously got themselves out of position. We cover very strong to a corner. I’m going to see where the ball came down, where the ball was caught. But also, we should have people there when somebody comes back across the field.”
With 3:45 left in the third quarter, following a Duke turnover on downs, the Blue Devil defense came up big again. Cornerback Alonzo Saxton II ended a Northwestern drive by intercepting Thorson at the Duke 32-yard line, giving Sirk and the offense another chance.
Duke tried to come back, as senior running back Shaquille Powell gashed the Wildcats on a 16-yard run to set up a 38-yard field goal by Ross Martin to trim the lead to 12-10, but Duke’s defensive line began to wear down in the fourth quarter. Following two six-yard runs by Jackson, backup running back Warren Long found a seam on third and one and sprinted 55 yards untouched into the end zone to extend the Wildcat lead to 19-10.
“I think they had 19 yards rushing in the first half. But something happened,” Cutcliffe said. “When you keep going back on the field…our offense usually stays on the field a bit. I think there’s some human nature involved in all of that.”
The Blue Devils did not take many looks downfield all afternoon, making a comeback effort difficult as the clock dwindled. The reliance on screen passes and short throws allowed the Wildcats to frequently play up against the line of scrimmage to stop the run, and Duke’s 3-of-17 performance on third down conversions meant a busy afternoon for punter Will Monday.
“They do a good job of just trying to keep everything in front of them,” Cutcliffe said. “When we’re throwing the football, they have a pretty good pass rush, but they just do a good job of trying to keep everything in front of you. Maybe we have to take more [chances]. That’s what we have to evaluate.”
Duke’s last chance to get back in the game came and went with 5:44 left, when junior Ryan Smith fumbled a punt near midfield.
The Blue Devils will have to regroup quickly and will look to rebound against another ranked opponent when they take on No. 14 Georgia Tech at Wallace Wade Stadium Saturday at noon.
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