The Blue Devils fell victim to costly turnovers Saturday afternoon in a 19-10 loss at Wallace Wade Stadium against Northwestern. Duke took a four point lead into halftime, but the Wildcats found their stride coming out of halftime and outscored the Blue Devils 16-3 in the second half to put the game out of reach. Although Duke’s defense was able to limit Northwestern to just 271 total yards, the Blue Devils fell to 2-1 on the season.
Offense: C
Pass: Quarterback Thomas Sirk struggled in his first tough test of the season. The redshirt junior completed only eight passes to his wide receivers for 59 yards and was largely ineffective throughout the game. Sirk was unable to stretch the field and resorted to short dump off passes to his running backs that were immediately swallowed up by Northwestern linebackers.
The Glen St. Mary, Fla., native struggled under duress from the Wildcat front seven, often looking overwhelmed in the pocket and not moving through his progressions downfield. Although Sirk completed 24 of his 39 passes, the passing game racked up only 150 yards. But perhaps the biggest worry for head coach David Cutcliffe was Sirk's drive-killing interception late in the first half. After moving the ball down to Northwestern's 11-yard line, Duke had a chance to add to their 7-0 lead that promptly ended when Sirk's screen pass was read perfectly by Northwestern defensive lineman Dean Lowry and picked off.
Rush: Early in the game, Duke was largely successful employing its ground-and-pound offense and was only slowed by occasional penalties and turnovers. A costly fumble by running back Shaun Wilson—that proved to be one of the turning points of the game—came after a solid pickup and still showed the team's ability to open up holes for its runners. But as the contest continued, the Blue Devils predictable play-calling allowed Northwestern to commit to stopping the run.
Duke's 5.1 average per carry on the ground was misleading as Sirk was often forced to rush for 5 to 7 yard gains on third down and long because he could not find open wide receivers down the field. The Wildcats were more than content giving up these short scrambles and giving themselves another opportunity to lay a hit on the quarterback.
X’s and O’s: Blue Devils offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery was not nearly creative enough against one of the best defenses in the nation. Duke's reliance on the inside rush and swing passes was an exercise in futility against Northwestern's speedy defensive front and eventually led to the Blue Devils defeat. Although his limited game plan was a direct consequence of Sirk's limited experience as a starter, most would have liked to see Duke get creative and at least attempt to gain yards with a trick play or two.
Defense: A-
Pass: Duke’s defense terrorized Wildcat quarterback Clayton Thorson and finished with two interceptions on the night. The freshman did not look comfortable in the pocket for most the game and finished with just a mere 70 passing yards on 9-of-23 passing. In this game, the Blue Devil defense was its best offense, handing the offense the ball with only a short field to go.
DeVon Edwards’ 27-yard interception return set up Duke’s sole touchdown of the game and cornerback Alonzo Saxton II’s ended a threatening Northwestern drive with his interception in the third quarter. A promising pass rush forced Thorson to leave the pocket multiple times and allowed the Blue Devil defensive front to come up with a couple of sacks.
Rush: Outside of a defensive miscue on a back-breaking 55-yard touchdown run by Wildcat backup running back Warren Long, the defense was able to hold Northwestern's rushing attack in check. Starter Justin Jackson had a tough time getting going and finished with only 29 yards in the first half before making a few big runs late in the game. Star safety Jeremy Cash once again wreaked havoc near the line of scrimmage and recorded 3.5 tackles for losses.
X’s and O’s: Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles should be pleased with the performance his unit put forth Saturday afternoon. Forced onto the field for much of the contest due to a struggling offense, the Blue Devil defense stood their ground before finally wilting in the heat late in the second half. The secondary shined in the loss and recorded two interceptions, while the defensive front proved that their fast start to the season was not a product of their competition.
Special Teams: D
The opening kickoff to start the second half resulted in a 98-yard kickoff return that completely shifted the tide of the game in Northwestern’s favor. The kickoff coverage was beat badly and allowed Wildcat return man Solomon Vault to nearly reach the end zone untouched after making his initial cut.
The Blue Devils also struggled in the punting game as three-time all-ACC punter Will Monday only had three of his 11 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Return man Ryan Smith struggled as well and fumbled away the team's last chance to rally in the contest.
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