EVANSTON, Ill. -- For nearly three quarters of football Saturday afternoon, Duke (1-2) showed semblances of greatness, handling Northwestern (1-2) to the tune of a 21-13 advantage. But by the end of the game in Evanston, Ill., the Wildcats had rebounded from their early woes to beat Duke 26-21.
Duke's refreshing play began to go sour when junior tailback Chris Douglas re-injured an ankle injury in the second quarter. Duke also sustained injuries to backup tailback Cedric Dargan and starting defensive tackle Demetrius Warrick.
Duke persevered, however, grabbing a 21-13 lead early in the third quarter, keeping hopes alive that they could improve their program's record against Northwestern to 8-5. The Blue Devil running attack was forceful; the defense was responsive; quarterback Adam Smith was accurate; and play calling was intelligent.
In the remaining sixteen minutes of play, however, Duke errors allowed Northwestern to rally and end their eight-game losing streak, seizing a lead they would never relinquish with 10:39 remaining in the game.
"I feel we had a great chance to win," junior fullback Alex Wade said. "It's a game we should have won, but you've got to give them credit. We handed them the ball and they capitalized on it."
Despite a career game from Wade in which he bulled his way to 134 hard-fought yards with a 5.4 average per rush, Duke could not score after the 10:21 mark in the 3rd quarter. Wade explained Duke's deterioration with a simple--yet ironic--metaphor.
"When it rains, it pours," Wade said.
Quarterback Adam Smith, who solidified his starting role going 13-26 for 188 yards and two touchdowns, agreed with Wade's assessment.
"I don't think
Those three plays--a fumble from Khary Sharpe recovered by the Wildcats, a miscommunication with a receiver leading to an interception, and a poor handoff to Douglas that was fumbled and also recovered by Northwestern--were magnified by a handful of false start penalties and mishandled snaps. The lapses were fatal for head coach Carl Franks' much improved squad, and eliminated hopes of a Duke victory over Northwestern for the first time since 1998.
"We certainly helped Northwestern beat us," Franks said. "That, combined with big plays on their part."
Whether or not Duke's players got nervous after monopolizing the game is moot. It appeared as if the Blue Devils were unable to maintain a high level of play, and in fact returned to the Duke of old in their setback to the Wildcats.
"We didn't play our best," Franks said. "And even playing that way we had a chance to win."
On their first drive of the game, Duke's offensive line pummeled Northwestern, creating spaces for both Wade and Douglas. The highlight of the drive was a 41-yard pass play to tight end Andy Roland. Smith lobbed a beautiful ball overtop of the defense to a streaking Roland who was brought down at the Northwestern 21. Douglas would eventually score on an eight-yard dash over the right guard.
"Our offensive line did a great job," Wade said. "They were getting 4 or 5 yard chunks every play."
Duke's second scoring drive was marked by a 51-yard reverse by true freshman Ronnie Elliot. A shrewd play call, Smith handed the ball to Elliot while in motion, then made a ball fake
The Wildcats rallied at the end of the second quarter to cut the lead to 14-13 at halftime. The momentum shifted back to the Blue Devils on their opening drive of the second stanza. Duke marched 80 yards down the field, with bursts from Douglas of three, four, six, and 10 yards; gains by Wade of one, five, and six yards; and a first down pass from Smith to Senterrio Landrum for seven yards.
Smith then flung a spiraling ball along the right sideline to a wide open Khary Sharpe who strutted into the end zone, completing the drive in a timely 4:39.
"Smith was hitting some people today," Franks said.
Then something happened. To capitalize a steady drive, Northwestern scored on a 32-yard reverse run that left Ted Roof's defense perplexed. A second score, a one yard scamper from quarterback Brett Basanez, came on the heels of consecutive crossing patterns to Northwestern receiver Jon Schweighardt, moving the Wildcats 72 yards closer to the end zone.
Duke's defense gave Smith and company a few extra chances, thanks to acrobatic interceptions by Alex Green and Terrell Smith late in the second half. Duke could not take advantage, though, gaining just one first down before going four-and-out at midfield.
In the end, Duke's mishaps proved too costly as Northwestern's offense was able to muster just enough offense--430 yards worth--to outperform the Blue Devils, who accumulated 428 yards.
"We're all down right now," Franks said.
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