**Photo credit: GoDuke.com**
Duke went into Evanston and, however pretty or unpretty it was, came away with a 2 OT 26-20 victory this past Friday night. Here is who we gave our helmet stickers to:
BRIAN’S PICK: CHANDLER RIVERS
In a game that was controlled by the defense, or lack of offense depending on how one looks at it, Duke’s Chandler Rivers stood out and earned my helmet sticker. I considered giving this to the fans who made the trip to Evanston, but I digress.
Rivers finished the game with 5 total tackles including 2 tackles for loss and one credited pass break up. The Duke secondary held Northwestern’s passing game in check, giving up only 158 passing yards on the night. To go along with Rivers’ official stat line, he also nearly grabbed an incredible interception in the second half that would have given Duke great field position, but the ball was knocked out on his way out of bounds.
The most important defensive play of the night occurred in the second overtime with Northwestern facing a third and one from the three yard line. Northwestern’s mobile quarterback, Mike Wright, took the snap and attempted to stretch his run outside. Rivers pursued Wright into the backfield and forced an EIGHT yard loss on the play. This ultimately led to Duke forcing the final incomplete pass of the game and walking away with their second victory in as many games.
JAMIE’S PICK: MAALIK MURPHY
My helmet sticker goes to Maalik Murphy. It wasn’t the prettiest of games Friday night in Evanston. There was wind, there was rain, and of course there was a rabbit. Who had that on their Bingo card? It seemed Northwestern was in control of the game, with momentum on their side.
Not every QB has the ability to perform in the clutch. Maalik Murphy did not have his best game Friday night. But in overtime, when Duke needed him the most, he made some absolute clutch throws. It started when Duke was down on this windy night in overtime 20-13. Murphy immediately hit WR Jordan Moore with a 25 yard dart to tie the game. Duke took the first possession in the second OT, and Murphy threw a 3 yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Eli Pancol. (Pancol also had a 16 yard score in the first quarter.) This pass proved to be the game winner as the defense stopped Northwestern and gave Duke the victory.
For his clutch performance late, and his perseverance even though things were not always going well, Maalik Murphy gets my helmet sticker.
JOSH’S PICK: JORDAN MOORE
Jordan Moore, the senior captain WR, continued his hot start to the season with an 11 reception game totaling 121 receiving yards in Duke’s hard-fought victory over Northwestern. Moore’s connection with Duke QB Maalik Murphy has been on full display in the first two games of the season, with Moore totaling 18 receptions for 233 yards to kick off his senior campaign.
Moore’s lone touchdown was an important one. Duke somehow took this Northwestern team to overtime due mostly to the play of the defense. The offense was stagnant and out of rhythm. But on the first play of Duke’s overtime drive, Murphy found Moore on a seam route down the middle of the field. Moore beat the Wildcat safety and got both feet in bounds; what we like to call a Sunday catch. This seemed to loosen up Murphy a bit as he returned for the second overtime series and hit Eli Pancol for his third touchdown reception of the season.
Jordan Moore will be an NFL receiver, and if anyone doubted that heading into this season, Moore is well on his way to proving his doubters wrong.
SCOTT’S PICK: ALEX HOWARD
In what could be considered a great Hollywood ending, the Duke-Northwestern game had a little bit of everything. The game had its highs, with the come from behind win for the Blue Devils; and its lows, players getting hurt on the lacrosse “field” in Evanston. There was also that great guest appearance of the bunny rabbit that was cheered on by everyone in the stadium and watching from home on FS1.
This brings me to my helmet sticker winner: senior transfer linebacker Alex Howard. During game, Howard only sat out a few plays. His determination was great to watch because he was everywhere on field. Howard led team with 14 tackles and 2.5 of those were tackles for loss. This Duke team leads the country in that category after the first two weeks of action. Howard leads the team in tackles with 21 after Duke’s opening two victories. On the last play, Howard’s pass coverage ability helped lead to the final incompletion. Congrats on a great game for Alex Howard, and to the team with a big win on the road.