Duke Football: Fifth-straight win comes at a cost for the Blue Devils

The Duke football team’s 21-7 win at Northwestern on Saturday was a success in terms of getting the “W,” but it was a disaster in terms of injuries.

What the Duke football team did accomplish in beating the Northwestern Wildcats, 21-7, on Saturday included ending an opponent’s nine-game winning streak, extending its own winning streak to five games, continuing its run of not allowing a single fourth-quarter point to seven games, tying the all-time series with the Wildcats at 10 wins apiece, and starting the 2018 season with two straight wins over programs that had 10-win seasons in 2017.

What the Blue Devils didn’t do, though, is stay healthy.

Entering the game, Duke was already without two starters.

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Junior wide receiver Aaron Young, who had four catches for 114 yards in the opening win against Army, did not play due to a hamstring injury that he suffered during practice.

Senior safety Jeremy McDuffie, who did see limited action against Army while slowly working his way back from a ligament injury suffered against Georgia Tech in Duke’s tenth game last season, did not even make the trip with the team.

By the end of the game, Duke had lost three more starters that it certainly cannot afford to be without for long (more on those to come).

When the first quarter started, the Blue Devil defense appeared sluggish as the Wildcats used 11 plays to scamper down the field on the game’s first possession and take a 7-0 lead.

But the first score was also the last for Northwestern.

One minute into the second quarter, junior quarterback Daniel Jones hooked up with T.J. Rahming over the middle of the field for a nine-yard touchdown that tied the score.

On the Wildcats’ next two possessions, two sophomore safeties for the Blue Devils — Michael Carter II and Marquis Waters — came down with interceptions.

The interception by Waters led to an on-the-money, 52-yard throw from Jones to senior wide receiver Johnathan Lloyd that ended with a touchdown, putting the Blue Devils ahead, 14-7.

Shortly after that, though, came injury No. 1 for Duke. Junior cornerback Mark Gilbert — a first-team All-ACC selection in 2017 — appeared to overextend his left leg during coverage and had to leave the game. Gilbert did not return, and his status going forward is not yet known.

With just more than two minutes left in the half, Jones completed his third touchdown pass — just the third time in his career that he has reached that mark and the first time since 2016 — when senior tight end Davis Koppenhaver made a beautiful one-handed grab in the back of the end zone to extend the Blue Devils’ lead to 21-7.

The halftime score matched the final score. The second half included impressive defensive stands by both squads and more concerning injuries for the Blue Devils.

During the fourth quarter, Jones left the game and did not return after a Wildcat defender sacked him and drove his left shoulder into the ground. Jones was seen walking to the locker room with his left arm dangling by his side. Like Gilbert, there is no word yet on his condition.

Backup quarterback, senior Quentin Harris, came in and helped the Blue Devils hang onto the lead by playing mistake-free football.

With a minute remaining in the game, though, as Duke was simply trying to milk the clock, yet another key component to the future of the 2018 team, senior center Zach Harmon, came up hobbling and had to leave the game (no word on his condition either).

Although the Wildcats outgained the Blue Devils in total yards, 381 to 301, Duke made fewer mistakes and was able to capitalize on Northwestern’s mistakes.

But the next thing Duke must do is get healthy. Otherwise, it will be a tough task to build on its 2-0 start.

The Blue Devils’ next game is at Baylor next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EST.