When Northwestern took the field at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, last September, coach David Braun’s squad was fresh off a commanding 38-7 win over UTEP. Then-No. 21 Duke flipped the script as the sun set, with a 38-14 win over its Big Ten foe.
This year, the Blue Devils (1-0, 0-0 ACC) will come to Evanston’s Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium to face the Wildcats (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten). Once again, NU is coming off a home win before facing Duke.
Since their 2023 loss to the Blue Devils, the ’Cats have won eight of their last 11 games dating back to last season.
Similarly, Duke’s program isn’t quite where it was after their September 2023 tilt. Head coach Mike Elko departed for Texas A&M, while quarterback Riley Leonard took his talents to Notre Dame.
Here are three questions to look out for as NU looks to start its season 2-0 for the first time since 2020:
1. Can Northwestern defeat Duke for the first time since 2016?
The Blue Devils have become a staple of the nonconference slate for the ’Cats, as the teams have faced off in seven of the last nine seasons, including each of the last three.
Since their first duel in 1985, Duke leads the head-to-head 12-10, winning the last five meetings. The Blue Devils have exceeded 20 points in each of the most recent five duels, and in four of the games, they surpassed the 30-point mark.
Duke’s redshirt sophomore quarterback Maalik Murphy and company scored 26 points against Elon in Week 1. From playing the Blue Devils last year and preparing for the upcoming game, Braun has some familiarity with their program.
“Duke’s going to do a great job of tempo on us and trying to put us on our heels,” Braun said.
NU has turned a new leaf compared to its performances in the prior few years. Toward the latter half of the 2023 season, the ’Cats’ defense became a force to be reckoned with. That trend appears to have translated to 2024, as Miami (Ohio) only managed six points in Week 1.
After years of struggle against the Blue Devils, NU is considered a 2.5-point favorite in this upcoming matchup by the sportsbooks.
2. Will the Wildcats or Blue Devils prevail in the trenches?
Perhaps the biggest indicator of who will win Friday night’s encounter will be how each team’s respective offensive and defensive lines perform.
Throughout the offseason, fans wondered how the ’Cats’ offensive line — one of the team’s weaknesses — would perform. In Week 1, against Miami (Ohio), the unit allowed zero sacks on graduate student quarterback Mike Wright.
“Going into next week, that Duke defensive line (is) a talented group,” Braun said in his postgame presser. “Excited for our group to continue to build off of today.”
Duke’s defensive line notched a total of eight sacks and 16 tackles for loss in their Week 1 win over Elon. Slowing down this unit will be paramount to NU’s success.
On the flip side, the ’Cats’ defensive line presented challenges across the board to Miami (Ohio). The RedHawks struggled in the run game, only managing 1.7 yards per carry. Dropping back to pass also was an issue at times, as NU totaled four sacks by the game’s conclusion.
“I think our guys did a good job in the run game of getting off of blocks,” Braun said. “They were condensing gaps, which just makes it easier (for) tackles and those playing behind them.”
3. What form will Northwestern’s offense find in its second game of the season?
After a season where the ’Cats had just one fumble lost in 13 games, Wright lost two in the first half against Miami (Ohio). However, on the first drive of the second half, he led the team on an eight-play, 62-yard drive for a touchdown.
The momentum that NU found in the second half is promising as the team looks forward to facing Duke’s staunch defense, which allowed just three points to its FCS foe Elon.
For the ’Cats, who scored just 13 points in Week 1, it’s all about maintaining a high level of consistency.
“If we can protect the football and stay ahead of the chains and not hurt ourselves, the rest will take care of itself, and that’s what’s exciting moving forward,” Braun said. “I feel like there were so many missed opportunities out there that we control.”
Wright called his first half fumble on the goal line him “being too excited to score.” With the jitters of the first game out of the way, NU will aim to have a more consistent output for all four quarters against the Blue Devils.
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