In what has turned into an out of conference rivalry, the Duke Blue Devils and Wildcats will meet for the third consecutive season with Northwestern having won each of the last two. Unlike the past two meetings in this series, this one has the potential to show more offensive fireworks if week one was an indication for both teams. Duke blew out FCS opponent North Carolina Central with 60 points to show for it, while Northwestern settled for 31 in a 31-20 win over Nevada, though the Wildcats did account for over 500 yards of offense.
For Duke, they’re looking to make a statement that they are moving up the ranks in the ACC. Everyone still knows that this is a basketball program but earning wins like this slowly changes the perception. Duke was impressive last week in a 60-7 win over NC Central not in the fact that they blew them out but the fact that they scored 60. They’ve blown this team out in each of the last two seasons but it’s been a long time since Duke has scored 60 on anyone.
As for Northwestern, they’re a consistently close-but-no-cigar type of team. Once again, they’re buzzing around the Associated Press Top 25. They even received 20 votes to make the Top 25, so a win here could squeak them in depending on what some of the other teams do. They’ve won the last two meetings but both games were low scoring (19-10 and 24-13). It’s likely the score looks very different this time around.
Details
Odds: Northwestern -3.5
Date & Time: Saturday, September 9, 12 PM ET
Location: Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, NC
Broadcast: ESPNU
Reasons To Bet On The Northwestern Wildcats
For as much success as Duke has had in recent years under head coach David Cutcliffe and despite going to bowl games almost annually, would it surprise anyone to know Duke is a mere 6-6 at home over the last two seasons? The Duke Blue Devils haven’t consistently handled business at home and Northwestern just went into Wallace Wade two seasons ago and came out victorious. The Wildcats have two dangerous options on offense in quarterback Clayton Thorson and running back Justin Jackson and will rely on those two to move the chains and sustain possession. Duke showed last week its ability to score quickly and in bunches. For the Wildcats and coach Pat Fitzgerald, they will pride themselves on defense. They will trust that unit to bring home a third straight win in three years. Duke was wildly inconsistent on offense last season and needs to show it can beat a good defense before getting the benefit of the doubt in future instances.
Reasons To Bet On The Duke Blue Devils
It’s easy to snicker at the opponent when judging Duke’s week one performance, but it shouldn’t go unnoticed that the Duke Blue Devils dominated the game despite nearly equal time of possession. With 281 yards passing and 243 on the ground it really was a pick your poison type of game for the North Carolina Central defense. Duke made them pay time and time again. Northwestern won’t be able to lock in on any one player, and for those reasons Duke should be able to move the ball well. David Cutcliffe teams are generally well-prepared and fundamentally sound, which will be important defensively against the version of Clayton Thorson who was terrific in week one for the Wildcats.
Outlook
This game is viewed as much more of a tossup than the one last year and is probably a game a lot of people wouldn’t mind seeing later in a bowl rematch, when these two teams have a full season to get their feet wet. It’s hard to back a team trying to win three straight in a series when the talent edge likely isn’t as wide as some may expect. Duke should be able to keep it close and at home has the opportunity late to pull one out, but Thorson is likely the best player on the field entering the game. With such a tight spread, that’s the guy to hook your wagon to.
Prediction: Northwestern -3.5
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