Duke got off to another sizzling start and found that things wouldn’t be as easy as they were last week, but held on for a 31-23 win against Northwestern on Saturday at Ryan Field.

Evan Hull fumbled into Duke’s end zone with 12 seconds left, losing control of the ball on a combined hit by Duke’s safeties Jaylen Stinson and Darius Joiner, and Brandon Johnson – who had an interception on the previous possession – fell on the recovery in the end zone.

Duke reached 2-0 for the first time since 2018 and won a road game for only the second time in the last 15 games.

The pivotal score was Duke’s quarterback-to-quarterback connection. On third-and-goal from the 8-yard line, Riley Leonard threw to Jordan Moore in the back of the end zone, with Moore getting both feet down on a toe tap.

After Northwestern (2-1) scored 16 straight points, that touchdown with 13:33 left in the game accounted for Duke’s first points since the first minute of the second quarter. Taking a 28-16 lead into the last 10 minutes put the Blue Devils in a good spot.

To start the game, Duke sliced through Northwestern’s defense on its first drive, going 77 yards in six plays – three of the plays going for at least 15 yards. Jaylen Coleman’s 16-yard touchdown run, powering his way through a couple of tackle attempts at the end, capped the impressive opening salvo.

The Blue Devils’ next two drives were more impressive.

Jordan Waters scored on a 42-yard run, knifing his way through Northwestern’s secondary after hitting a gaping hole in the middle of the line. On the last play of the first half, Leonard connected with Eli Pancol for an 81-yard pass-and-run, and Waters capped that possession with a 3-yard touchdown run.

Duke’s bid for a season-long shutout came to an end with 11:18 left in the second quarter, when Evan Hull punched in a 6-yard touchdown run. That eight-play, 75-yard drive felt like one the Wildcats had to have to make this a competitive game – Duke’s first three drives were 77, 80 and 90 yards, the first in six plays and the other two in five plays.

After Duke’s first three possessions totaled 247 yards, the other three of the first half resulted in a minus-1 yardage total – allowing the Wildcats to force their way back into the game.