For the second straight game, the Blue Devils are in a 7-7 battle at halftime—but this time they have the momentum.
Duke (1-1) tied Northwestern (0-2) on a Jela Duncan touchdown run with 3:03 left in the first half at Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill., after allowing a Wildcat touchdown on the game's first possession, then tightening up on defense to keep the game close.
Although Northwestern had little trouble moving the ball—finishing the half with 222 total yards—the Blue Devils came up with sacks and a Bryon Fields interception to keep the home team off the scoreboard before tying the game. The Wildcats also missed a 34-yard field goal on the final play of the half.
Northwestern's offensive line controlled much of the first half, opening holes for running back Justin Jackson and giving quarterback Clayton Thorson enough time to find open receivers. On the Wildcats' first drive, Thorson scanned the field and found Garrett Dickerson across the middle of the field for a 26-yard touchdown pass. The play was just Northwestern's second passing touchdown of the year.
After the Wildcats drove into Duke territory on their next three possessions, though, sacks by Corbin McCarthy and Danny Doyle and Fields' interception at the goal line gave the Blue Devils life.
Duke made Fields' turnover pay off with an impressive 12-play, 99-yard drive after a Daniel Jones interception and an incompletion on a fake punt. On that fourth-down gamble, tight end Erich Schneider tripped, which ended one of two Blue Devil drives in Northwestern territory without points after Duke's opening drive.
A 39-yard pass to running back Shaun Wilson and a slew of short passes to T.J. Rahming and Anthony Nash set up Duncan's touchdown. After struggling to run the ball a week ago, Duke has 48 yards on 15 carries so far Saturday.
Jones finished the half 12-of-15 for 152 yards and the interception, and backup Parker Boehme could not get anything going in one possession of work.
Here are some observations from the first half:
- McCarthy made multiple tackles for loss from his strike safety spot, finishing the half with five tackles.
- Blue Devil defensive linemen Dominic McDonald and Quaven Ferguson exited the game with injuries, forcing Duke to tap into its depth up front.
- After struggling in his first two games of the season, Wilson made a few big plays in the first half, breaking free for a 12-yard run before his 39-yard catch set up Duncan's touchdown.
- The Blue Devils struggled when they could not get pressure on Thorson, who entered the game averaging 193.5 yards per game through the air. The redshirt sophomore already has 146 in the first half Saturday, though his team has been unable to find the end zone.
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