After opening the newly renovated Wallace Wade Stadium with a 55-0 thumping of N.C.Central, Duke looks to stay hot against No.23 Northwestern Saturday at 12:30p.m. The matchup will be the 17th between the two teams and both are looking to improve to 3-0 on the season.The Blue Devils will look to use their well-balanced offense to test a Wildcats defense that has been dominant thus far this season. Every week throughout the football season, we will break down a player on each team who could be the difference-maker in the upcoming contest:
Duke: running back Shaun Wilson
With redshirt junior Jela Duncan still out due to an upper body injury, Wilson has performed well when on the field this season. The Charlotte, N.C., native rushed for 77 yards in the team's 37-7 win against Tulane and followed it up a week later with 159 combined yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns against N.C. Central. The running back's ability to make plays in the passing game out of the backfield was on full display when he recorded the third longest touchdown reception in Duke football history after Wilson taking a short pass 89-yards to the house.
Although he remains behind senior Shaquille Powell on the depth chart, Wilson has impressed due to his agility and ability to read the weak spots in opponents’ defenses. He will certainly need to be on top of his game Saturday as the Wildcats boast one of the most feared defenses in the country and have only allowed 2.8 yards per rush through their first two contests. With first-year starter Thomas Sirk facing one of the toughest tests of his career, expect the Blue Devils to place an emphasis on running the ball and throwing short passes out of the backfield.
With some added motivation to perform well against Northwestern, Wilson's performance will be a key to a Blue Devil victory.
Northwestern: linebacker Anthony Walker
After taking the middle linebacker spot following an injury to senior Collin Ellis last season, redshirt sophomore Anthony Walker has been the mainstay of the Wildcats’ steel-forged defense. Walker recorded 51 tackles and a team-leading nine tackles for loss a year ago.The linebacker was not heavily recruited out of high school, but has excelled at the next level due to his high football lQ and ability to correct mistakes he made in the early going. In his breakout performance against Penn State, the linebacker returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown and was named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week.
In the first two games this season, Walker has picked up where he left off and stuffed his stat sheet with 17 tackles, one fumble recovery and 0.5 sack. The Miami native is the leader of a tenacious Northwestern defense that ranks fourth nationwide in scoring defense—allowing only 3.0 points per game this season—and has yet to allow a touchdown to its opponents. Spearheaded by Walker, the Wildcats defense will be the key to pulling out a tough road victory against the Blue Devils Sunday.
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