EVANSTON, Ill.—After scoring a program-record 49 points in the first half of their season-opener against N.C. Central, the Blue Devils looked like they could have a high-powered attack in 2016.
In its last 10 quarters of play, Duke’s offense has been anything but, scoring just 27 points.
Saturday’s offensive performance against Northwestern was reminiscent of the Blue Devils’ Week 2 effort against Wake Forest. Duke had several possessions in Wildcat territory but was hampered by turnovers from quarterback Daniel Jones and breakdowns across the board.
Through three games, the Blue Devils have 10 turnovers—including eight fumbles—and are averaging 7.3 penalties for 56.3 yards per contest. Duke has never averaged more than six penalties per game since head coach David Cutcliffe arrived in 2008.
“That’s just the story of our season so far,” redshirt senior wide receiver Anthony Nash said. “We just can’t shoot ourselves in the foot.”
Duke had several chances to cut into the Wildcats’ lead Saturday but struggled to sustain drives beyond midfield. On five drives, the Blue Devils moved into Northwestern territory but did not come up with any points, with negative plays, penalties or turnovers sending the offense in the wrong direction.
One of the more notable offensive setbacks came early in the second half when Duke was in the red zone with a chance to take the lead. But the Blue Devils—who finished with just 10 fewer yards than the Wildcats—squandered that scoring opportunity when All-American linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. forced and scooped up a Jones fumble at the Northwestern 21-yard line.
The redshirt freshman’s other turnover—which came in the first quarter—was just as costly. After the Blue Devils reached the Northwestern 34-yard line thanks to four straight completions, Wildcat safety Godwin Igwebuike jumped in front of Duke’s Chris Taylor for an interception.
“Offensively we have found a way to just self-inflict,” Cutcliffe said. “Nothing particularly just on Daniel, nothing on just the offensive line. There’s a lot of parts. We have to find and fix those parts…. It involves looking at our personnel. It involves looking at our schemes.”
In the second half, the Blue Devils simply struggled to move the chains. Seven of Duke’s final nine drives ended with the Blue Devils either punting or a turnover on downs, and at one point in the third quarter, Duke failed to record a first down on four consecutive series.
Despite completing 27 of his 48 passes for 279 yards against the Wildcats, Jones displayed his youth for the second straight week. The Charlotte native has looked uncomfortable in the pocket at times and has held the ball too long, making himself susceptible to sacks and quarterback hurries.
When he has gotten rid of the ball quickly, Jones has often found receivers running shorter routes. In the second half against the Wildcats, the Blue Devils had just two passes go for more than 15 yards, and both came after Northwestern had already taken control thanks to Duke’s third-quarter mishaps.
Jones’ insecurity in the pocket is likely in part because of the inconsistency along the offensive line. Against Wake Forest, the pocket repeatedly collapsed on Jones as the Blue Devils surrendered five sacks. And although the Wildcats only recorded two sacks Saturday, one of them resulted in Jones’ fumble, which may have made the signal caller even more jumpy in the pocket.
“Very typical of most young quarterbacks is that you confuse quick and hurry. He does look hurried at times,” Cutcliffe said. “You also have to manage the mental parts of moving the chains and he can do that…It’s going to come. I trust him.”
Despite their offensive struggles against the Wildcats, the Blue Devils can take comfort knowing that they ran the ball more effectively Saturday. After rushing for just 37 yards on 30 carries against Wake Forest, Jones and running backs Jela Duncan and Shaun Wilson combined for 129 yards on 30 carries Saturday.
How Duke’s offense improves in the next few weeks will likely determine whether the Blue Devils can turn their season around. The unit’s unstable play has put more pressure on Duke’s defenders to stay on the field and come up with stops. For the second straight week, the Blue Devil defense got tired and allowed 17 second-half points, including several big plays.
“It’s frustrating because we’re a great offense. It’s just that we’re not consistent at times,” Nash said. “We have a cold streak and we just can’t have that as a team to be elite.”
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