DURHAM, N.C. — Blue fireworks and steam rose from the turf as the Duke players sprinted onto the field before the game, but it was Northwestern that came out fired up and ready to control the running game after the opening kickoff.
The Wildcats (2-2) jumped out to a 14-point first quarter lead and the NU defense controlled the game in the 28-10 victory over Duke (2-2) in front of 21,143 fans at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday afternoon .
Following a 30-point loss to Miami (Ohio) where the NU offensive line played like “sissies” according to lineman Matt Ulrich, NU came into the game as three point underdogs to Duke. But Ulrich and the rest of the Cats came out with a different attitude against the Blue Devils.
“We came off the ball like animals from the first play,” Ulrich said. “We played very physical football and we came out with an attitude.”
The Cats’ balanced offensive attack featuring sophomore quarterback Brett Basanez and senior running back Jason Wright outgained the Blue Devils 188 yards to 43 yards in the first quarter.
Basanez was sharp on short throws in the flat as he completed 8 of 10 passes for 99 yards in the first quarter. The 6-foot-2 quarterback from Arlington Heights completed passes to six different players, finishing with only 177 yards on 15 of 23 passing as NU primarily moved the ball with its running game.
Wright danced around and wiggled between Blue Devil defenders for 149 yards rushing and two touchdowns. When Wright headed to the sideline for a breather, Noah Herron busted through the holes for 100 yards on four carries, including a 69-yard scamper into the endzone, in which he ran from sideline to sideline for the Cats’ final score.
“They played physical, and we expected that, we just didn’t match their intensity,” said Duke coach Carl Franks. “Usually the team that rushes the most between Duke and NU wins the game. NU won the battle today.”
The Cats, who have been out-rushed the past two weeks, gained 286 yards on the ground and held the Blue Devils to only 90 yards rushing. Saturday’s game was the first time NU held an opponent under 100 yards rushing since the Cats limited Duke to 44 yards on the ground three years ago in a 38-5 win.
Duke came into the contest averaging 196 yards rushing per game, but NU slowed tailback Chris Douglas and fullback Alex Wade and no Blue Devil had a run longer than 16 yards.
“We regrouped on both sides of the ball this week,” NU coach Randy Walker said. “We stopped the run and ran the ball better today. We looked more like the football team we want to be.”
Walker was pleased with his offense’s rhythm, but questioned his own play calling after the game because the Cats failed to come away with any points on three drives that stalled within the Duke 30-yardline.
Hesitant to use redshirt freshman kicker Slade Larscheid, NU failed to convert on a pair of fourth down attempts after deciding not to kick what would have been two 43-yard field goals. The Cats also chose to punt after a 9-yard loss on a drive in the fourth quarter sent them back to the 31 yard line. Larscheid has yet to make a field goal this year, but the offensive players blamed themselves for failing to convert.
“We were not able to finish off our opponents today, ” Wright said. “We need to be able to put opponents away if we’re going to be the bowl team that we know we are.”
After marching down the field on their first two possessions, the Cats generated only 11 yards and one first down in the second quarter as tackles behind the line of scrimmage and penalties took them out of rhythm.
The Cats allowed the Blue Devils to cut the lead to 14-10 as three personal fouls on the defense accounted for 43 of the 90 yards on Duke’s two scoring drives.
“Penalties killed us today, ” defensive tackle Colby Clark said. “They were stupid mistakes, but our defense played tremendous today.”
NU’s defense, which features three lineman, three linebackers and five defensive backs, held Duke to fewer than 300 yards of total offense. The Blue Devils’ 10 points were the fewest the Cats have allowed in a game since they beat Duke 44-7 two years ago.
The Blue Devils’ longest drive of the day was it’s final series as NU played a prevent defense until Duke drove to the eight yard line and called a timeout with five seconds left. The Cats blitzed on the final play and recorded their sixth sack of the day — matching their sack total for all of last season.
“We weren’t going to let them score because that’s part of our new attitude,” Clark said. “The scheme is the same as last year, but our attitude is much better.
“We had something to prove today, and the way we played was a big moral victory.”
