#21 Duke Football: 3 takeaways from home against Northwestern

Duke football pulled out the boa constrictor on defense.

The Blue Devil defense did not put up gaudy numbers. Duke had two sacks, five tackles for loss, and defended five passes. However, the Blue Devils bottled the Northwestern offense up all game long. Duke forced third or fourth down 20 times this afternoon. Northwestern had six drives of fewer than ten plays and two three-and-outs.

Northwestern got nothing going offensively this afternoon. They had three drives of over 50 yards. Duke covered well and tackled even better. Northwestern runners met with contact at or within one yard of the line of scrimmage.

Northwestern’s defense fought hard but was overwhelmed.

Give the Northwestern defense credit. They played hard this afternoon. Duke was better on the line of scrimmage, and the Blue Devils’ receivers overmatched the Wildcats’ secondary. Northwestern’s inability to move the football consistently put Duke in plus territory, making the defense’s job nearly impossible.

Riley Leonard’s incredible play did not help matters either. Even when Northwestern won upfront, Leonard would find a seam, scramble for yards, or find an open receiver. In addition, Northwestern had no answers for Duke’s running game either. Those body shots gassed the Wildcats’ front seven by the fourth quarter.