Two games into the football season, it is becoming readily apparent that the toughest opponent the Blue Devils face this season may be themselves.
Duke made numerous mistakes on offense, defense and special teams that contributed heavily to the Blue Devils' 38-13 loss to Northwestern.
"We just didn't do the things that we needed to do," Duke head coach Fred Goldsmith said. "We made too many glaring mistakes.... We've got to be a better football team than this. We're creating a lot of our problems."
On offense, the Blue Devils had one fumble and two costly interceptions. The defense had several breakdowns on its side of the football. Special teams play, however, was where Duke certainly put its worst foot forward.
The Blue Devils gave up large numbers on kickoff and punt returns, including a 51-yard punt return for a touchdown to Brian Musso. They also had a field goal attempt blocked that would have cut the Wildcats' lead to two points and fumbled two kickoffs, recovering one of those fumbles themselves.
Still, with all of its mistakes, Duke was in the game until Northwestern showed the 29,312 fans in attendance at Wallace Wade why it went to the Rose Bowl last season-a vaunted power running game.
With 13 minutes left in the third quarter, Northwestern took over on its own 20-yard line, leading by only eight points. Ten plays and 80 yards later, the Wildcats scored to go on top 25-10 and the Blue Devil defense left the field demoralized.
Northwestern ran the ball eight times on the drive, and gained 77 of those 80 yards by lining up and running the ball right down Duke's throat. Heisman trophy hopeful Darnell Autry picked up 62 of his 157 yards rushing on the drive. It marked the 15th straight game in which Autry rushed for over 100 yards.
"I feel horrible that someone can run at will on our defense," Blue Devil middle linebacker Billy Granville said. "It was not like we were blitzing. They were running it right down our throats."
Any chance that the Blue Devils had of getting back into the game quickly dissipated. They went three plays and out on the next series, and then a special teams miscue slammed the door shut on Duke. Musso returned John Krueger's punt for a score, leaving the Blue Devils trailing by 22 points.
"The two scores in a row had an equal effect on the game," Goldsmith said. "It was kind of like a double-whammy. It was an easy punt to cover. It has been so many years since those things have happened on the kicking game. I just can't believe it."
Foiled by their own mistakes, the Blue Devils had plenty of chances before Northwestern's third quarter barrage of 20 points. They were never able to capitalize, however, as Duke seemed to go backwards whenever it had a chance to go forwards on offense.
Matt Rader stepped in and started at quarterback after it was determined that last week's starter David Green would not be able to play because of his sprained left ankle. Rader finished 26 of 47 with 289 yards, but he too made some youthful mistakes.
On Duke's opening drive, Rader moved the Blue Devils 71 yards in 12 plays to the Wildcat two-yard line. There, facing first and goal, Rader faked a handoff to Laymarr Marshall and through over the middle to tight end Jeff Hodrick. The only problem was that the ball never got to Hodrick.
Wildcat linebacker Tim Scharf was playing zone coverage over the middle, and he simply stayed his ground. The ball came right to him, and he made the easy interception.
"I don't want to talk about it," said Goldsmith of the interception. "It's disgusting."
On Duke's next possession, Rader fumbled the ball on Duke's 20-yard line when he was sacked on third-and-nine. The Wildcats quickly capitalized with a field goal that put them up 12-0.
"We killed ourselves on offense," Blue Devil receiver Corey Thomas said. "A lot of the mistakes we did to ourselves, and we've got to mature. We're going to be a much better team when we mature."
Rader and the Blue Devils finally put a dent in the scoreboard early in the second quarter. He led them on an 83-yard, 10 play drive to pay dirt, completing five of six passes for 72 yards.
He also got his first touchdown pass of his career on the drive. This time Hodrick was open in the end zone, and Rader found him for a six-yard strike. That made the score 12-7.
But the Blue Devil offense misfired on two golden opportunities on its next two possessions. First, after a Darius Clark interception, the offense sputtered inside Northwestern's red zone.
Duke's 36-yard field goal attempt was blocked, as the Blue Devil offensive line was unable to contain Northwestern's rush. The left side of the line collapsed and the Wildcats easily blocked the kick.
Then, trailing 18-7, the Blue Devils drove from their 26-yard line deep into Northwestern's territory, only to come up with a field goal. Duke faced first and goal from the Wildcat eight-yard line, but a delay of game penalty pushed it back five yards.
The Blue Devils got a reprieve from Northwestern when it was called for pass interference, moving the ball back to the seven-yard line. On the next play, however, Rader was sacked, and Duke had to settle for the less than satisfying field goal.
"That was pretty disappointing," Rader said. "We had them right where we wanted them, but they made a good play to get the sack."
The loss leaves the Blue Devils still winless on the season. They now take to the road for three straight games, starting with Army next Saturday at noon.
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