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FOOTBALL

Duke Got In The Win Column For The First Time This Season With 45-17 Win Over NC A&T In Durham On Friday Night

Duke got in the win column for the first time this season with 45-17 win over NC A&T in Durham on Friday night!

Why?

Mataeo Durant who is a running back, Gunnar Holmberg who is a quarterback helped propel Duke past North Carolina A&T.

How?

Mataeo Durant scored three touchdowns for Duke. Gunnar Holmberg scored two rushing touchdowns.

Gunnar Holmberg was 20-of-27 passing for 270 yards and rushed five times for 30 yards and two scores.

Freshman Jordan Moore accounted for Duke's final touchdown when he scampered nine yards into the end zone for his first career score.

Redshirt junior Shaka Heyward led the defense with a game-high 16 tackles. Sophomore Dorian Mausi, graduate student J'Marick Woods and redshirt senior Lummie Young IV chipped in with nine, eight and eight tackles, respectively.

Sophomore kicker Charlie Ham converted on a 36-yard field goal for his first of the year.

Duke is going to now prepare to host Northwestern!

When?

Saturday September 18, 2021!

Where?

Durham North Carolina!

Duke, Northwestern last played each other on the gridiron in Durham during the 2017 season!

Where?

Durham North Carolina!

In that game Duke beat Northwestern by a score of 21-7!

Why?

On the strength of a 21-10 halftime lead, Duke dispatched Northwestern 41-17 Saturday at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Daniel Jones ran for two touchdowns and passed for two more to guide the Blue Devils to their second straight victory to start the year. On the day, Jones completed 29 of 45 passes for 305 yards and found Chris Taylor and Davis Koppenhaver for touchdown receptions.

Duke outgained the Wildcats (1-1) in total yardage, 538-191, while the Blue Devil defense held the visitors to just 22 yards on the ground, with 21 of those coming on Northwestern's final possession. Sophomore cornerback Mark Gilbert tallied the first two interceptions of his career and senior safety Alonzo Saxton II supplied seven tackles and a forced fumble.

Northwestern marched deep into Duke territory on its second drive of the game, but the Blue Devil defense held strong on 3rd and 9 to limit the Wildcats to a field goal. The Duke offense countered at the end of the opening quarter, punctuating an 80-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown scamper by Jones.  

The Blue Devils made it 14-3 early in the second quarter when Taylor hauled in a 52-yard pass from Jones. A Saxton II fumble recovery then set up Jones' second rushing touchdown of the afternoon.

It was the Wildcats' turn to capitalize on a fumble recovery just before the half, bringing the score to 21-10 at the intermission.  

Gilbert picked off a pass by Northwestern's Clayton Thorson three minutes into the third quarter and Austin Parker booted home a 31-yard field goal attempt.

On Duke's next possession, the squad moved the chains behind the efforts of redshirt freshman running back Brittain Brown and junior wide receiver T.J. Rahming, who would conclude the day with 127 receiving yards. Jones capped the drive with a one-yard pass to Koppenhaver, extending the Blue Devils' lead to 31-10. Senior running back Shaun Wilson tacked on an eight-yard touchdown run at 10:07 in the fourth quarter and Gilbert's second interception resulted in a 24-yard field goal by Parker with five minutes remaining.   

Northwestern quarterback Marcus McShepard found Riley Lees for a 20-yard touchdown pass inside the final three minutes to account for the final score.

Though,

Duke, Northwestern last match up on the gridiron came in 2018 when Duke visited Northwestern in Evanston Illinois!

In that game Duke won by a score of 21-7!

Why?

Daniel Jones who is starting his third season in NFL with New York Giants tomorrow as the New York Giants host the Denver Broncos threw for three touchdowns before leaving the game with an apparent injury.

Jones passed for three TDs in the second quarter, propelling the Blue Devils (2-0) to another victory over the Wildcats (1-1) after pounding them at home last year. But he got driven to the turf on a sack by Joe Gaziano at the end of the third and was replaced by Quentin Harris early in the fourth.

Jones completed 16 of 22 passes for 192 yards in another big game against Northwestern. He accounted for 413 total yards and four touchdowns in last year's 41-17 romp.

“according to articles on goduke.com”

In 2017 in the match up on the gridiron in Durham Northwestern

Kickoff is set for 4:00pm from Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium!

The game is going to be televised on ACC Network!