Upcoming Event: Football at Syracuse on September 27, 2025 at 12 p.m.
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12 p.m.
Football
at Syracuse
Game Notes: Northwestern
9/13/2021 7:55:00 PM | Football
DURHAM – Duke hosts Northwestern on Saturday afternoon for its second straight home contest at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ACC Network (ACCN)
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The all-time series between these two schools is tied at 10-10. During the teams' last meeting on Sept. 8, 2018, quarterback Daniel Jones threw for three touchdowns and completed 16-of-22 passes for 192 yards to help the Blue Devils defeat the Wildcats, 21-7.Â
Saturday's ACCN broadcast will feature Wes Durham, Roddy Jones, and Lericia Harris on the call. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devil Sports Network from LEARFIELD through the Varsity app or goduke.com
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HOW TO FOLLOW
Duke (1-1, 0-0 ACC) vs. Northwestern (1-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
Saturday, September 18, 2021 • 4:00 PM
Durham, N.C. • Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium
TELEVISION • ACCN
RADIO • Blue Devils Sports Network from LEARFIELD
GAME NOTES • Duke Notes (PDF)  • Northwestern Notes
LIVE STATS • GoDuke.com
TWITTER • @DukeFOOTBALL
GAME NOTES
After two games, senior running back Mataeo Durant finds himself atop the league charts in numerous categories. Most notably, he's first in rushing yards (296), scoring (36), total touchdowns (six), rushing touchdowns (six), and all-purpose yards per game (179.00). Durant continues to climb up on the Blue Devils' all-time rushing chart. His 41 yards against the Aggies moved him into 18th place with 1,617 career yards and is currently 159 yards away from breaking into the top-15. Saturday's contest marks head coach David Cutcliffe's 165th game at the helm of the Blue Devils.
Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward recorded a game- and career-high 16 tackles against North Carolina A&T during Duke's last outing. The Dacula, Ga., native now has six career double-digit tackle games.
FINDING THE END ZONE
Since the start of the 2017 season, Duke is 9-1 when scoring a touchdown on its opening drive.
LEADER OF THE RUN GAME
Senior Mataeo Durant has accumulated 296 rushing yards on 44 attempts with six TDs in Duke's opening two games. Those six scores are the most by a single player through the first two games in a season in program history. The Plum Branch, S.C., native currently leads the nation with six rushing TDs, while also sitting sixth in rushing yards, sixth in rushing yards per game (148.00), and 29th in yards per carry (6.73). His 36 total points also place him second in the country behind Boise State kicker Jonah Dalmas (42).
BOBO BIG UNDER PRESSURE
Senior wide receiver Jake Bobo has become Duke's top target for extending drives. The North Andover, Mass., native had 32 catches in 2020, with 22 of those going for a first down. Of the other 10, one went for a touchdown leaving just nine receptions that didn't result in a first down or a score. Ironically, six of those nine were receptions for nine yards.
Bobo has continued that trend in Duke's opening two games. Eight of his 16 receptions have earned a first down.
Of his 16 receptions on the year:
** Eight have earned a first down
** Three have gone for nine yards
** Four have gone for eight-or-less yards
** One went for 11 but missed a first down due to a false start on previous play
HEAVY LOAD FOR HEYWARD
In his first season as a starter, Shaka Heyward finished the 2020 campaign with a team-best 80 tackles. He returns as one of the top six tacklers in the ACC heading into this season. During Duke's most recent outing, Heyward recorded a career-high 16 tackles, for the most by a Blue Devil since Joe Giles-Harris recorded 16 against North Carolina in 2016. The Dacula, Ga., native has now recorded double-digit tackles on six occasions and has 18 games with 5+ tackles.
PASS BREAKUPS
Redshirt junior cornerback Jeremiah Lewis led the team in PBUs last year with 10. Two games into 2021, fellow teammate Lummie Young IV leads the ACC with four. Graduate student Josh Blackwell is tops on the team with 15 career PBUs, while Leonard Johnson and Lewis follow closely behind with 13 and 11 PBUs, respectively.Â
ACC LEADERS AMONG TACKLES
Duke is the only school in the ACC that has four players listed in the conference's top-25 for tackles on the year. Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward is third on the list with 20, while redshirt senior safety Lummie Young IV sits tied for seventh (18), sophomore linebacker Dorian Mausi is tied for 16th (14) and junior safety Jalen Alexander is tied for 19th (13).
ON-SIDE KICK
Since 2018, Duke has converted on four of its five on-side kick opportunities. The Blue Devils pulled off an on-side kick during the second quarter against North Carolina A&T for their first since Oct. 19, 2019 at Virginia (fourth quarter).Â
#GoDuke
Â
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ACC Network (ACCN)
Â
The all-time series between these two schools is tied at 10-10. During the teams' last meeting on Sept. 8, 2018, quarterback Daniel Jones threw for three touchdowns and completed 16-of-22 passes for 192 yards to help the Blue Devils defeat the Wildcats, 21-7.Â
Saturday's ACCN broadcast will feature Wes Durham, Roddy Jones, and Lericia Harris on the call. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devil Sports Network from LEARFIELD through the Varsity app or goduke.com
Â
HOW TO FOLLOW
Duke (1-1, 0-0 ACC) vs. Northwestern (1-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
Saturday, September 18, 2021 • 4:00 PM
Durham, N.C. • Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium
TELEVISION • ACCN
RADIO • Blue Devils Sports Network from LEARFIELD
GAME NOTES • Duke Notes (PDF)  • Northwestern Notes
LIVE STATS • GoDuke.com
TWITTER • @DukeFOOTBALL
GAME NOTES
After two games, senior running back Mataeo Durant finds himself atop the league charts in numerous categories. Most notably, he's first in rushing yards (296), scoring (36), total touchdowns (six), rushing touchdowns (six), and all-purpose yards per game (179.00). Durant continues to climb up on the Blue Devils' all-time rushing chart. His 41 yards against the Aggies moved him into 18th place with 1,617 career yards and is currently 159 yards away from breaking into the top-15. Saturday's contest marks head coach David Cutcliffe's 165th game at the helm of the Blue Devils.
Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward recorded a game- and career-high 16 tackles against North Carolina A&T during Duke's last outing. The Dacula, Ga., native now has six career double-digit tackle games.
FINDING THE END ZONE
Since the start of the 2017 season, Duke is 9-1 when scoring a touchdown on its opening drive.
LEADER OF THE RUN GAME
Senior Mataeo Durant has accumulated 296 rushing yards on 44 attempts with six TDs in Duke's opening two games. Those six scores are the most by a single player through the first two games in a season in program history. The Plum Branch, S.C., native currently leads the nation with six rushing TDs, while also sitting sixth in rushing yards, sixth in rushing yards per game (148.00), and 29th in yards per carry (6.73). His 36 total points also place him second in the country behind Boise State kicker Jonah Dalmas (42).
BOBO BIG UNDER PRESSURE
Senior wide receiver Jake Bobo has become Duke's top target for extending drives. The North Andover, Mass., native had 32 catches in 2020, with 22 of those going for a first down. Of the other 10, one went for a touchdown leaving just nine receptions that didn't result in a first down or a score. Ironically, six of those nine were receptions for nine yards.
Bobo has continued that trend in Duke's opening two games. Eight of his 16 receptions have earned a first down.
Of his 16 receptions on the year:
** Eight have earned a first down
** Three have gone for nine yards
** Four have gone for eight-or-less yards
** One went for 11 but missed a first down due to a false start on previous play
HEAVY LOAD FOR HEYWARD
In his first season as a starter, Shaka Heyward finished the 2020 campaign with a team-best 80 tackles. He returns as one of the top six tacklers in the ACC heading into this season. During Duke's most recent outing, Heyward recorded a career-high 16 tackles, for the most by a Blue Devil since Joe Giles-Harris recorded 16 against North Carolina in 2016. The Dacula, Ga., native has now recorded double-digit tackles on six occasions and has 18 games with 5+ tackles.
PASS BREAKUPS
Redshirt junior cornerback Jeremiah Lewis led the team in PBUs last year with 10. Two games into 2021, fellow teammate Lummie Young IV leads the ACC with four. Graduate student Josh Blackwell is tops on the team with 15 career PBUs, while Leonard Johnson and Lewis follow closely behind with 13 and 11 PBUs, respectively.Â
ACC LEADERS AMONG TACKLES
Duke is the only school in the ACC that has four players listed in the conference's top-25 for tackles on the year. Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward is third on the list with 20, while redshirt senior safety Lummie Young IV sits tied for seventh (18), sophomore linebacker Dorian Mausi is tied for 16th (14) and junior safety Jalen Alexander is tied for 19th (13).
ON-SIDE KICK
Since 2018, Duke has converted on four of its five on-side kick opportunities. The Blue Devils pulled off an on-side kick during the second quarter against North Carolina A&T for their first since Oct. 19, 2019 at Virginia (fourth quarter).Â
#GoDuke
Â
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