Off to their worst start since 2012, the Blue Devils will go on the road for the first time this season hoping to find solutions to a string of problems that have surfaced in their first two games.
Duke will travel to Ryan Field Saturday to face Northwestern at 8 p.m., the second meeting of a four-year series between both squads. Coming off a disappointing home defeat against Wake Forest last weekend, the Blue Devils will to try avenge a loss to the Wildcats in 2015, and, more importantly, avoid falling below .500.
“We do have a sense of urgency,” Duke redshirt senior wide receiver Anthony Nash said. “We want to win. We don’t want to have two losses in a row. That’s not what we’re looking forward to.”
In order to avoid a two-game losing streak, the Blue Devils (1-1) must address several issues on offense that have plagued them through their first two games.
Although redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Jones finished 31-of-48 for 332 yards a week ago, the Blue Devils failed to establish their running game. Wake Forest repeatedly loaded the box with seven or eight defenders, daring Duke to pass. After rushing for just 35 yards on 19 carries in the first half, head coach David Cutcliffe abandoned the run as running backs Jela Duncan and Shaun Wilson combined for just one carry in the second half.
Instead, the Blue Devils opted to rely on Jones’ arm in hopes of taking advantage of one-on-one coverage on the outside. But Duke’s woes along the offensive line combined with Jones’ tendency to hold the ball too long in the pocket resulted in five Demon Deacon sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
The Blue Devil offense can expect to see more single coverage and bunched defenders around the line against Northwestern (0-2). Led by cornerback Matthew Harris and safety Godwin Igwebuike, the Wildcats have an athletic secondary that intercepted Illinois State twice last weekend.
Ball security has also been a problem for the Blue Devils, beginning with their season-opener against N.C. Central when they lost five fumbles. And against Wake Forest, Jones had a pair of fumbles and an interception.
The turnovers have put pressure on Duke’s defense to stay on the field longer and make stops with its backs against the wall. Although the time of possession difference between the Demon Deacons and the Blue Devils was just four minutes, the Duke defense fatigued in the second half.
“We try to do what we can on the defensive end. Our [coaches have] a motto, ‘if they give us an inch, we’ll defend it,’” redshirt senior safety Devon Edwards said. “That’s put a lot of pressure on [the defense] on trying to change the game and create some points on our end of the field.”
Keeping defenders off the field will be especially important against a Northwestern squad that relies on its running game to wear down opposing defenses. The Blue Devils fell victim to that approach in a 19-10 loss to Northwestern last season when the Wildcats rushed for over 200 yards and seized the lead in the second half.
Northwestern’s offense revolves around junior Justin Jackson—who caused Duke trouble a year ago when he finished with 120 yards on the ground. The second-team All-Big Ten running back has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons and has continued that success this year, recording three of the Wildcats’ four touchdowns.
“They’ve got weapons and they’ve got good football players on offense. They bothered us a year ago,” Cutcliffe said on the ACC’s weekly teleconference Wednesday. “So we will have our hands full. I expect them to play extremely well, and that’s what we’d better plan for.”
But as is the case for Northwestern, Duke’s defense should be able to stack the box and key in on the running game. The Wildcats’ struggles to throw the ball are a main reason why they remain winless this season. Quarterback Clayton Thorson threw for just 70 yards with two interceptions a season ago against the Blue Devils and has struggled once again this fall. The redshirt senior has completed just 50.8 percent of his passes and averaged 193.5 yards per game this season.
The meeting with Northwestern is especially significant with Duke’s schedule becoming more difficult in the weeks ahead. The Blue Devils will face one of their toughest tests of the season against No. 18 Notre Dame next Saturday.
Despite the importance of defeating the Wildcats, Edwards and Cutcliffe expressed concerns about a lack of effort in practice from the team’s younger players early in the week.
On Wednesday, Cutcliffe said he was happier with the team’s approach in practice.
“There was some intention to get better today,” Cutcliffe said. “There was more progress made today. Will it be enough? I don’t know just yet.”
Hank Tucker and Mitchell Gladstone contributed reporting.
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