Welcome to Wallace Wade Stadium, home of the Duke Blue Devils. Just under an hour before kickoff, the Duke faithful are filling the 33,941-seat stadium on the interior of campus with blue and white.
A year ago, all signs pointed to a Northwestern victory. The Wildcats out-gained the Dukies by 200 yards, controlled possession for seven more minutes, and ran 30 more plays. But after failing to convert late in the fourth quarter, NU was stunned 20-14 at home.
What gives? Pat Fitzgerald’s Cats were penalized 13 times for 125 yards and star running back Tyrell Sutton missed the game due to an injury.
While everyone will be thinking of the upset victory in Evanston a year ago, Duke’s only win in 22 contests at the time, 2008 is a different season for both teams.
The Cameron Crazies are praising the job David Cutcliffe has done in Durham since taking the program over in the winter. Cutcliffe, a renowned quarterback guru who coached both Peyton and Eli Manning, is a proven winner.
Tyrell Sutton is back and healthy for the Cats. Pat Fitzgerald has an extra year of coaching experience under his belt, an important fact considering Fitzgerald opted to take three points off the board after a Duke offsides penalty brought up a fourth-and-three from the 11-yard line. NU failed to convert and turned the ball over on downs, haunting Fitzgerald the remainder of the game.
This is a revenge game for NU. And, although early forecasts projected Hurricane Hanna to affect the weather conditions, the storm has passed through, and it is a partly cloudy, humid and balmy 87 degrees outside. The area did get hit hard with six to eight inches of rain last night, but the field looks to be in good shape. Look for the coaches to run early, test the footing, and then air it out.
Regardless of the conditions, NU needs to run the ball. Duke’s rush defense ranked 84th in the country last season and surrendered 188 yards on the ground to James Madison last week.
Quarterback C.J. Bacher attended 50 passes in last years contest, and that cannot happen if the Cats hope to start 2-0. New offensive coordinator Mick McCall ran a balanced attack last week - just one more pass than rush attempt.
Quick Hits:
NU is meeting Duke for the 16th time; Duke holds the overall series lead 8-7. The first contest between the schools was in 1985.
Duke changed its uniforms this off-season and they look strangely similar to those of the Indianapolis Colts. The Blue Devils are wearing their royal blue tops and white pants. Northwestern is wearing its road whites.
Both teams installed hurry up offenses in the spring, so it is sure to be a fast-paced contest.
Defensive end John Gill returns to his starting spot this week after serving a suspension in the opening week against Syracuse. It should be interesting to see who starts at the second defensive tackle spot, either Adam Hahn or Corbin Bryant, who impressed coaches throughout and spring and in the opening contest.
Kicker Amado Villarreal made a 51-yard kick into the closed end of the stadium in warm-ups. There is a light, circling wind at field level.
A win is a win, but the Syracuse win a week ago does not look as impressive after the Orange struggled mightily against Akron. With 2 minutes left in the game, Syracuse trails 42-28.
Question Marks for Duke:
1) Kicking Game – No other facet of the game has hurt Duke more over the last two seasons. Two kickers have combined to go 18 of 31 on extra points and 13 of 20 on field goal tries. Duke would have won three to five more games over the same time frame had its kickers made most of their opportunities.
2) In the trenches – While Duke returns five veterans with starting experience to its offensive line, that may not be a good thing. The group has surrendered 88 sacks over the last two seasons. NU’s front four is veteran-laden and should be able to get pressure on quarterback Thaddeus Lewis throughout the night.
3) Rush offense – Whether or not it’s a product of the offensive line, Duke has struggled in the ground game. Last season, Duke finished third worst in Division 1-A (FBS) in rushing offense, with only 64 yards per game. Senior Clifford Harris rushed for 95 yards and 2 TDs last week, but the group has lacked consistency.
Answers for Duke:
1) Eron Riley – Riley, a 6-foot-4, 200 pound physical specimen provides a security blanket for Thaddeus Lewis. Whenever Lewis is under pressure, Riley seems to be the go-to guy. While Riley does not have breakaway speed, the senior has great route running ability and good hands.
2) The All-Name D-Line – Try pronouncing these four names – Vince Oghobaase, Ayanga Okpokowuruk, Wes Oglesby, and Greg Akinbiyi. They are Dukes starting front four, and they are big boys. The total weight of Duke’s defensive line is greater than 1,000 pounds.
3) Speed – Cutcliffe stressed speed and athleticism to his players in spring practice and the team dropped over a combined 400 pounds in off-season conditioning. Linebackers Vincent Rey and Michael Tauilili each dropped 22 pounds after posting a 100-tackle season.
Questions for Northwestern:
1) Turnovers – Throughout the spring, Coach Fitzgerald stressed protecting the football. NU turned the ball over twice against Syracuse last week. The Cats cannot beat themselves against Duke.
2) Penalties – The Cats were penalized for 125 yards in last year’s meeting against Duke. Fitz said after the game last year that his program is built on discipline. NU will have to show it against Duke.
3) Slow start – NU fell into a 20-7 hole against Duke last season and was trailing 10-9 to Syracuse early in the third quarter last week. This game has hi-tempo, high-scoring written all over it, and the Cats cannot afford to play from far behind with Duke eating the clock.
Answers for Northwestern:
1) Tyrell Sutton – Fresh off a 21 carry, 144-yard performance, Sutton is back. The Duke game may mean more to him than to any other Cat, after he had to sit on the sidelines of Ryan Field and watch the team come up short. Look for a big day from #19.
2) Receivers galore – C.J. Bacher has a plethora of options to get the ball to. Last week against Syracuse, the senior’s 23 completions went to 10 different receivers. Mick McCall wasn’t kidding when he said he acquired an offense that was six to seven deep at receiver, plus the running backs and super backs.
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