Duke Hits The Road For The First Time This Season As They Visit Northwestern

After opening up the season in Durham on Friday, August 31st Duke who is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference will go on the road for the first time in 2018 as they visit NorthWestern who is a member of the Big Ten on Saturday.

The last time Duke and Northwestern met it was in Durham last season on September 9th and Duke won that game handily by a score of 41-17. "according to  http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&SPID=1843&SPSID=22666&q_season=2017&conf_school_id=   This season Duke will be looking for another win against Northwestern while Northwestern will look to avenge their twenty four  point loss they took at Brooks Field @ Wallace Wade Stadium a season ago. 

As for Duke's season opener, they avenged their loss to Army who they lost to last season on the road by a score of 21-16. 

Duke quarterback Daniel Jones was 13-for-17 passing for 197 yards and accounted for a pair of touchdowns, while running Brittain Brown rolled up 133 all-purpose yards and touchdown to lead the Blue Devils to a 34-14 victory over Army West Point in the season opener Friday night in Durham. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211770138&DB_OEM_ID=4200

The victory improved Duke, coming off a seven-win season and a bowl victory, to 9-2 in season-openers under head coach David Cutcliffe. The Blue Devils have now won seven straight season openers for the first time since a similar stretch between 1949 and 1955. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211770138&DB_OEM_ID=4200

The defense forced a pair of first-half turnovers and cashed in both for points as the Blue Devils opened a 17-0 lead at the break. Victor Dimukeje forced a fumble on Army’s opening drive and seven plays later, Collin Wareham’s 25-yard field goal opened the scoring. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211770138&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Army misfired on a field-goal attempt on its next possession and Brown capped a nine-play, 90-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown to make it 10-0. Michael Carter II scooped up another fumble on Army’s next drive, and Jones paid off the drive with a one-yard touchdown in the half’s closing minutes. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211770138&DB_OEM_ID=4200

The Black Knights scored a pair of third-quarter touchdowns, wrapped around Deon Jackson’s first career touchdown – a seven-yard run – and the home team took a 24-14 lead to the fourth. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211770138&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Duke regained its 17-point cushion early in the fourth quarter when Jones hit Aaron Young for a 25-yard touchdown to make it 31-14. Ben Humphreys helped put the game on ice as he swatted away an Army field goal attempt, and Wareham booted his second field goal five plays later. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211770138&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Dylan Singleton led Duke’s defensive effort with a game-high 11 tackles and one forced fumble. Koby Quansah finished with nine stops and was in on a tackle for loss while the duo of Joe Giles-Harris and Edgar Cerenord each finished with seven stops. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211770138&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Duke out-gained Army 381-365 and the Blue Devils converted all five of their trips to the red zone. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211770138&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Army QB Kelvin Hopkins Jr. completed 10 passes for 197 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown strike to Cam Harrison. Hopkins also accounted for the visitor’s rushing score. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211770138&DB_OEM_ID=4200

As for North Western's season opener, they edged Purdue. 

Sophomore Jeremy Larkin scored two touchdowns and rushed for a career-high 143 yards to lead Northwestern (1-0, 1-0 B1G) to a 31-27 season-opening victory over Purdue (0-1, 0-1 B1G) under the lights at Ross-Ade Stadium on Thursday night. "according to https://nusports.com/news/2018/8/30/football-cats-open-campaign-with-b1g-victory-at-purdue.aspx
 
The victory marks the program's ninth straight win dating back to the 2017 campaign. It is NU's longest win streak since the 1995 season. "according to https://nusports.com/news/2018/8/30/football-cats-open-campaign-with-b1g-victory-at-purdue.aspx
 
The Wildcats capitalized on turnovers in the first half of the game as they scored 21 of their 31 first-half points off interceptions. "according to https://nusports.com/news/2018/8/30/football-cats-open-campaign-with-b1g-victory-at-purdue.aspx
 
Senior quarterback Clayton Thorson finished the game 16-of-26 with 172 yards passing and classmate Flynn Nagel led the team with 58 yards receiving. Fellow quarterback TJ Green went 7-for-11 on the evening for 63 yards through the air. "according to https://nusports.com/news/2018/8/30/football-cats-open-campaign-with-b1g-victory-at-purdue.aspx
 
On the defensive side of the ball, senior Nate Hall had a team-leading 10 tackles, including one tackle for loss and one interception on the night. "according to https://nusports.com/news/2018/8/30/football-cats-open-campaign-with-b1g-victory-at-purdue.aspx
 
On the opening drive, sophomore JR Pace intercepted Purdue quarterback Elijah Sindelar's pass at the Northwestern 10-yard line. Pace returned the ball 26 yards to set the Wildcats up on their own 36. Larkin capped the ensuing drive by rushing for a one-yard touchdown on third down at 7:58 in the first quarter to put the 'Cats up early, 7-0. "according to https://nusports.com/news/2018/8/30/football-cats-open-campaign-with-b1g-victory-at-purdue.aspx
 
On NU's next possession, Larkin kept the momentum going with a 46-yard run that put the Wildcats on the Purdue 13-yard line. Three plays later, junior John Moten IV rushed for a two-yard touchdown with 5:34 to go in the first to increase Northwestern's lead to 14-0. "according to https://nusports.com/news/2018/8/30/football-cats-open-campaign-with-b1g-victory-at-purdue.aspx
 
Purdue responded quickly when Sindelar converted a 32-yard touchdown pass to Rondale Moore at 4:20 to cap off a 60-yard drive and pull the Boilermakers within seven. With 1:20 to go in the first quarter, Moore rushed for a 76-yard touchdown to tie the score at 14 apiece. "according to https://nusports.com/news/2018/8/30/football-cats-open-campaign-with-b1g-victory-at-purdue.aspx
 
Green completed an 18-yard pass to Moten IV to set the Wildcats up on the Purdue 17-yard line to open the second quarter. Three plays later, sophomore Charlie Kuhbander converted a 34-yard yard field goal with 13:37 left to play in the half to pull Northwestern ahead by three, 17-14. "according to https://nusports.com/news/2018/8/30/football-cats-open-campaign-with-b1g-victory-at-purdue.aspx
 
On Purdue's next possession, Hall picked up the second Northwestern interception of the night when he snagged Sindelar's throw to give the Wildcats the ball on their own 45-yard line. Thorson completed back-to-back passes to junior Bennett Skowronek for 40 yards and sophomore Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman for another 14 to put the 'Cats on the Purdue one-yard line. Green scored his first-career touchdown with a one-yard run at 7:06 to make it 24-14. "according to https://nusports.com/news/2018/8/30/football-cats-open-campaign-with-b1g-victory-at-purdue.aspx
 
The Boilermakers answered when Spencer Evans converted a 38-yard field goal with 3:22 left in the second to pull the Boilermakers within seven. "according to https://nusports.com/news/2018/8/30/football-cats-open-campaign-with-b1g-victory-at-purdue.aspx
 
Montre Hartage collected Northwestern's third interception of the contest when he grabbed Sindelar's pass at the Purdue 47-yard line and returned it 17 yards. After four rushes by Larkin, the sophomore ran for a four-yard touchdown with 37 seconds left to give the Wildcats a 31-17 lead heading into the locker room. "according to https://nusports.com/news/2018/8/30/football-cats-open-campaign-with-b1g-victory-at-purdue.aspx
 
On its first possession of the second half, D.J. Knox ran 45 yards to the Northwestern 26-yard line. He finished the six-play drive with a two-yard touchdown run to bring the hosts within a touchdown.  The Boilermakers closed out the third quarter with a 76-yard drive and Evans converted a 27-yard field goal four seconds into the final quarter to make it a four point game. "according to https://nusports.com/news/2018/8/30/football-cats-open-campaign-with-b1g-victory-at-purdue.aspx
 
The #B1GCats went for it on fourth down with less than four minutes to play in the game and Green rushed for two yards to secure the first down, allowing Northwestern to maintain possession for the remainder of the game. "according to https://nusports.com/news/2018/8/30/football-cats-open-campaign-with-b1g-victory-at-purdue.aspx

Kick-off is set for 12:00pm from Ryan Field.  The game will be televised on ESPNU. "according to http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=4200&SPID=1843&SPSID=22666