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Duke Football: Halftime report between the Blue Devils and Wildcats

By Kevin Connelly

DURHAM, NC - SEPTEMBER 09: T.J. Rahming #3 and Johnathan Lloyd #5 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrate following a play against the Northwestern Wildcats at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - SEPTEMBER 09: T.J. Rahming #3 and Johnathan Lloyd #5 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrate following a play against the Northwestern Wildcats at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
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Duke Football took the trip up to Illinois for Week 2 of the College Football season to take on the Northwestern Wildcats.

It was not a pretty start for the Duke Blue Devils.

They allowed Northwestern to mark 79 yards in 11 plays in just over five minutes, but after that the Duke defense settled in and the offense then went to work.

With the 11:00 a.m. CT start, the Blue Devils might have been a little tired to start the game but quarterback Daniel Jones woke up quickly and he was on fire for the entire first half.

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Jones completed 11 of his 14 pass attempts for 159 yards and three touchdowns.

The Blue Devils running game did not excel in the first half but they did have a balanced attack led by Deon Jackson who gained 36 yards on 12 attempts.

Brittian Brown rushed for 22 yards on eight attempts.

The Duke receivers picked up where they left off against Army by reeling in 11 passes for 159 yards between the receivers and tight ends.

The leader of the pass catchers was Johnathan Lloyd who caught three passes for 87 yards and a touchdowns.

After a shaky start to the Duke defense, they really settled in and stifled the Northwestern offense led by Michael Carter II and Marquis Waters who both had an interception in the first half.

However, all was not perfect for the Duke defense as star cornerback Mark Gilbert left with what looked like a bad lower leg injury.

Gilbert came into this season as the Blue Devils top cornerback and a Preseason All-ACC player.

If there is any update on Gilbert’s injury, stay tuned to the Ball Durham Twitter page, @Ball_Durham.

As the Blue Devils look to put this game away in the second half, they will look to continue their strong defensive play and trying to maintain possession on offense.

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