Duke To Take On Northern Illinois In The Quick Lane Bowl In Detroit

Duke who is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference and who is coached by David Cutcliffe who is in his tenth as the head coach missed out on a bowl opportunity a year ago.

This year though they're back on the bowl scene  as they will take on Northern Illinois who is a member of the Mid American Conference "according to http://getsomemaction.com/index.aspx?path=football in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit Michigan at Ford Field that is home of the   NFC North member of the National Football League the Detroit Lions.

Duke finished the regular season with a record of 6-6 while they were 3-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. "according to http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/150/duke-blue-devils

As for their last game, Duke went on the road and beat Wake Forest in Winston Salem on November 25th  for their sixth win of the season and became bowl eligible.

Daniel Jones threw for two touchdowns and ran for another and Duke earned bowl eligibility by beating Wake Forest 31-23 on Saturday. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211687169

The Blue Devils closed their regular season by winning back-to-back games for the first time since starting the season 4-0, and reached the six-win mark for the fifth time in six years. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211687169

Duke (6-6, 3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed 17-3 after John Wolford threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Alex Bachman with 6:44 remaining in the first half. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211687169

But the Blue Devils clawed back thanks to Jones' two touchdown passes that countered field goals by Wake Forest. Duke took its first lead when Jones scored from 1 yard out to make it 24-23 with 13:53 remaining. It extended the margin to eight points on a 4-yard run by Brittain Brown with 8:23 to play. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211687169

Jones finished 25 of 44 for a career single-game high 346 yards for the Blue Devils, whose 443 total yards were their fourth-most this season. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211687169

The loss snapped a two-game win streak for Wake Forest (7-5, 4-4), which could have closed a regular season with three straight wins for the first time since 1967. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211687169

THE TAKEAWAY
Duke: The Blue Devils' defense showed up again. It was the fifth game in a row, and 10th time in 12 games this season, that Duke surrendered fewer than 25 points. Mark Gilbert had two interceptions for the Blue Devils to raise his team-leading total to six. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211687169

Wake Forest: Wolford threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Wolford also rushed for 48 yards on 12 carries, giving him 3,417 total yards on the season and breaking the single-season mark set by former Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner in 2009. It was his sixth straight game with multiple touchdown passes."according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211687169

As for Northern Illinois who is a member of the Mid -American Conference "they regular season with a record of 8-4 while they were  6-2 in their conference. "according to http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2459/northern-illinois-huskies

Unlike Duke who won their last game of the season Northern Illinois lost their last game against Central Michigan University.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
The quote from Charles Dickens' classic "A Tale of Two Cities" describes a tale of two halves of Northern Illinois University's 31-24 loss to Central Michigan at Kelly/Shorts Stadium Friday.  The Huskies' defense dominated the first half en route to a 17-0 NIU halftime lead, before the Chippewas scored 24 unanswered points in the second half and went on to claim the win. "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
NIU and CMU both finished the regular season 8-4 overall, 6-2 in the MAC and will await their bowl destinations.  "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
"I think the start to the second half was the key to the game," said NIU head coach Rod Carey. "We came out with a short run and two drops to go out and that gave them life.  Then defensively we had some mental errors.  That sequence set the tone for the second half." "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
The first half belonged to the NIU defense, beginning on the very first series when linebacker Jawuan Johnson intercepted Shane Morris' third-down pass attempt and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Huskie lead less than one minute into the game. "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
It was the Huskie linebacker's team-leading fifth interception of the season and his second return for a touchdown this season, as well as the NIU defense's fifth score in 2017. "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
On nine possessions in the first half, NIU forced five three-and-outs, eight punts, scored on Johnson's interception return and allowed just four CMU first downs. Central Michigan totaled only 35 yards on 32 plays in the first half, thanks in large part to a 31-yard loss on a sack and fumble at the end of the first quarter that at one point saw the Chippewas facing a fourth and 38.  CMU did not convert any of its nine third downs in the half and picked up just one first down in the first quarter. "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
"The first half was a good job by the defense," Carey said.  "The offense didn't capitalize as well as we should have. The 17 points should have been 24 or 28.  Our run game was OK at best today."  "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
On its third possession of the game, the offense doubled NIU's lead to 14-0 with a nine-play, 41-yard drive. NIU quarterback Marcus Childers, who finished the game completing 20-of-36 passes for 128 yards, hit D.J. Brown in the back of the end zone for the four-yard score with 1:59 to play in the first quarter. "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
Going against the wind in the second quarter, NIU twice drove inside the CMU 15-yard line.  But Childers was called for intentional grounding at the CMU 12 and, kicking into the wind, NIU punted from its 26-yard line.  After a three-and-out by the Huskie defense, NIU started its next drive on its 32 and advanced to the CMU six on a combination of Childers' completions and Jordan Huff runs.  Christian Hagan made a 23-yard field goal with 7:07 left in the half to push NIU's lead to 17-0.   "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
Central Michigan was able to capitalize on a series of big plays to tie the game in the third quarter.  After NIU went three and out to start the half, CMU quarterback Shane Morris hit Mark Chapman on a slant across the middle and he avoided tacklers for a 56-yard score. "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
After another three-and-out, Jonathan Ward escaped for a 52-yard run to the NIU five-yard-line, where the Huskie defense held to force a 23-yard field goal by Michael Armstrong, closing the Huskie lead to 17-10 at the 9:52 mark of the third quarter. "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
Childers was intercepted for the first time in three games to halt NIU's next possession and CMU embarked on a 15-play, 69-yard drive that lasted 6:14.  Morris hit Ward on a four-yard completion for the game-tying score as all the momentum was with the Chippewas in the third quarter. "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
In the third quarter, it was NIU that was held to just one first down and 32 yards of offense, including no passing yards. "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
CMU carried the momentum into the fourth quarter, taking a 24-17 lead on its next possession with Ward scoring on a 54-yard run. "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
 "That second half was not us," said NIU defensive end Sutton Smith.  "We had a lack of execution, people weren't making plays.  We have to see the film, get it fixed and bounce back for the bowl game." "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
The Huskies came back to tie the game at 24 with 3:03 to play on a drive jumpstarted by a 15-yard penalty against the Chippewas that moved the ball to the CMU 48-yard line.  From there, Childers and freshman running back Tre Harbison carried the load with Harbison getting the final 12 yards for the touchdown. "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
On CMU's next drive, NIU appeared to have the Chippewas' backs to the wall as they faced fourth and four from the NIU 29-yard line with 1:32 to play.  However, Morris dropped a pass into the hands of Corey Willis, who ran the final yards for the game-winner."according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
NIU's attempt to send the game to overtime reached the CMU 24-yard line on a 26-yard catch by Chad Beebe. Two plays later, Childers was hit as he threw and his final pass was intercepted at the goal line, sealing the CMU victory. "according tohttp://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
The teams finished with 10 punts and three sacks apiece and were nearly equal (137 for NIU, 139 for CMU) in rushing yards and third down conversions (5 of 17 by NIU, 4 of 17 by CMU). "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football
 
CMU has now defeated the Huskies four straight times and five times in the last seven years. "according to http://www.niuhuskies.com/news/2017/11/24/football-niu-drops-regular-season-finale-to-cmu-31-24.aspx?path=football

Kick-off is set for 5:15pm from Ford Field. The game will be televised on ESPN. "according to http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=4200&SPID=1843&SPSID=22666