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#21 Duke Football: 3 takeaways from home against Northwestern

By Dante Pryor

Sep 9, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Elko leads his players onto the field before the start of the game against the Lafayette Leopards at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 9, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Elko leads his players onto the field before the start of the game against the Lafayette Leopards at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /
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Duke Football home against Northwestern.
James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /

It all starts upfront for Duke Football.

The Duke offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage this afternoon. Iconic soul singer Miki Howard sang, “Experience is a good teacher.” The members of Duke’s offensive line are all veterans. Every starter has been in college for four years or longer. As a result, the ground game dominated.

Senior running back Jordan Waters refers to the Blue Devils running back room as “the stable.” There is no shortage of talent at running back in Durham. Duke ran for 238 yards and over six yards per rush attempt.

Riley Leonard was outstanding again today, throwing for 219 yards and running for 97. Duke was balanced and took care of the football.

Northwestern’s offense struggles.

Not only was Duke’s offensive line dominant, but the defensive line also controlled the line of scrimmage. Northwestern ran for 104 yards, but 25 came on one run. The Wildcats averaged 3.5 yards per carry. Also, the passing game struggled because of calculated pressures on quarterback Ben Bryant.

In addition, Northwestern’s receivers struggled to separate from Duke’s athletic secondary. The Wildcats averaged a mere 4.1 yards per pass attempt. That’s simply not going to get it done. Northwestern was one-dimensional on offense today, which spelled trouble for four quarters.

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