Duke faces off against Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., for the first away game of the Manny Diaz era. With 30 minutes to go, the Blue Devils are trailing 10-7 against the Wildcats:
Five observations
Conservative play-calling: Offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer called up several deep passes for quarterback Maalik Murphy in Duke’s Week 1 contest against Elon, with mixed results. However, Murphy has generally thrown short against Northwestern so far, as evidenced by his four yards per attempt mark. Several screen passes have generally been ineffective against the Wildcats’ defense, and the Blue Devils have failed to achieve chunk yardage thus far in the game.
Run struggles: The Blue Devils’ problems in the run game continued from their contest against Elon Aug. 30, as the team garnered just 42 yards on 15 rush attempts. Perhaps Duke’s best run of the half came in the first quarter, when graduate running back Star Thomas converted a third-and-2 up the middle for a nine-yard gain. In the first quarter, Jaquez Moore had to be helped to the injury tent following an eight-yard gain, forcing the Blue Devils to rely more on Thomas.
Wildcats' ground attack: Northwestern set the tone of the game early with their run game, with Duke’s run defense failing to respond for much of the half. In the first minute of the game, running back Cam Porter broke free for a 44-yard gain before being tackled by linebacker Alex Howard. For the final play of the first quarter, dual-threat Wildcats quarterback Mike Wright broke free for a 12-yard-gain. With starting linebacker Nick Morris Jr. out with a lower-body injury, Duke’s back-seven is under higher pressure from the likes of Porter and Wright. Overall, the Blue Devils allowed 73 yards rushing in the first half, a relatively disappointing mark for head coach Manny Diaz.
Tight coverage: As opposed to its difficulties in stopping the run, Duke’s secondary mostly lived up to its pedigree, holding Wright to 10-of-18 passing for 96 passing yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Defensive back Joshua Pickett notched a highlight in the first quarter when he broke up a pass intended for Wildcats wideout A.J. Henning, and Terry Moore recorded a big interception in plus territory.
Exceptional punting: The Blue Devils’ freshman punter Kade Reynoldson has been on a heater against the Wildcats so far, with the highlight being a 44-yard punt in the first quarter. The ball rolled out of bounds at the Wildcats’ 4-yard-line, forcing a tough drive that ended in an interception off Wright. Near the end of the quarter, Wildcats punt returner Henning bobbled Reynoldson’s punt, leading to a tackle at the 12-yard-line courtesy of Howard and linebacker Cam Bergeron. Northwestern started four drives in the first half inside its own 15-yard-line, showcasing the tenacity of special teams coordinator Gabe Infante’s unit.
By the numbers
Two receptions by Jordan Moore: Wideout Jordan Moore was arguably Duke’s most dynamic player on offense in its opener against Elon, hauling in seven catches for 112 yards. However, he has had a relatively quiet game thus far, catching his only two receptions on a singular drive in the second quarter. The Blue Devils will hope to get him going immediately, as they begin the second half with the ball.
Five tackles for loss: The Blue Devils continued their dominance in tackles for loss from their opening contest against Elon, resulting in a combined 18 yards of lost offense for the Wildcats. Defensive lineman Kendy Charles recorded 1.5 tackles alone, showcasing his potential for the Blue Devils in the trenches.
11 minutes of possession: The Wildcats dominated the time of possession in the first half, barely allowing the Blue Devils to get 11 minutes of possession. Part of that dominance was due to a punt return bobble by Que’Sean Brown in the second quarter, which gave Northwestern a short field to allow for a Cam Porter touchdown two plays later.
A play that mattered
In the middle of the first quarter, the Blue Devils’ defense forced a third-and-6 deep in Wildcats territory. Wright threw left, looking for wideout Frank Covey IV. However, junior defensive back Terry Moore was at the ready, leaping to secure Duke’s first defensive interception of the season. Four plays later, Murphy found wideout Eli Pancol on a crossing route for the graduate student’s second touchdown of the season, giving Duke a 7-3 lead.
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