The Duke Blue Devils football team secured a thrilling 26-20 victory in double overtime against Northwestern, with the game starting Friday night and concluding early Saturday morning.
In his first road game as head coach, Manny Diaz celebrated a successful debut, marking Duke’s 2-0 start for only the second time since 1956 over three consecutive seasons.
Quarterback Maalik Murphy played a pivotal role, throwing touchdown passes to both Jordan Moore and Eli Pancol during the overtime periods, clinching Duke’s first overtime win since 2015. In his initial start, Murphy recorded the highest passing yards for a Blue Devil debut since 2010, previously throwing two touchdown passes against Elon.
Duke’s defense was formidable, achieving 16 tackles for loss, which included eight sacks. They did not concede any points in Week 1 until the last minute and maintained this strong performance, registering 11 tackles for loss against Northwestern. Senior linebacker Alex Howard led the defense with 14 tackles.
The game saw several highlights, with Pancol’s second touchdown giving Duke a lead in double overtime after a failed two-point conversion attempt. In earlier stages of the match, Maurik Murphy connected with Jordan Moore from 25 yards out to tie the game at 20 during overtime.
The game tied at 13 after a short field goal from Duke’s Todd Pelino in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Earlier in the game, Cam Porter put Northwestern ahead with a 10-yard touchdown run, and the Blue Devils initially led 7-3 after Murphy found Pancol for a 16-yard touchdown.
Injuries impacted the game as well, with Duke’s Jeremiah Hasley suffering a leg injury that required him to be carted off the field, and running back Jaquez Moore appearing to injure his ankle early on. Duke’s linebacker Nick Morris Jr. missed the game due to injury.
The game marked a significant moment in Duke’s football season as they continue to build on their early success.