Northwestern Wildcats vs Duke Blue Devils Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/16/2023

Game Time: 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, September 16, 2023

Venue:  Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, NC

Where to Watch:  ACC Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  NW +18.5, Duke -18.5; Over/Under:  48.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  NW +18.5, Duke -18.5; Over/Under:  48.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  NW +18.5, Duke -18.5; Over/Under:  48.5 points

Northwestern Wildcats:  1-1 (0-1) (6th place, Big Ten West)

Duke Blue Devils:  2-0 (1-0) (2nd place, ACC)

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Northwestern Wildcats:  won their last game at home against the UTEP Miners 38-7.

Duke Blue Devils:  won their last game at home against the Lafayette Leopards 42-7.

Northwestern is entering this game with a 1-1 record overall and they have a 0-1 record in their conference games too. They are 1-0 in their home games, 0-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against UTEP 38-7. Ben Bryant was the starting QB and he completed 11/17 passes for 116 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Cam Porter led the team in rushing yards with 90. Joseph Himon II led the receivers with 85 receiving yards on 1 reception and 1 TD. Rod Heard led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Rod Heard, Xander Mueller, Anto Saka, and Aidan Hubbard each led the defense in sacks with 1. Xander Mueller, Bryce Gallagher, and Joe DeHaan each came away with 1 interception for them in that game.

 

 

 

Duke is entering this game with a 2-0 record overall and they have a 1-0 record in their conference games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 0-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against Lafayette 42-7. Riley Leonard was the starting QB and he completed 12/12 passes for 136 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Jordan Waters led the team in rushing yards with 112 and 2 TDs. Jordan Moore led the receivers with 84 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 1 TD. Chandler Rivers led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 0 assisted tackles while Brandon Johnson and Ryan Smith each led the defense in sacks with 1. Miles Jones came away with the only interception for them in that game.

The current betting odds have Duke listed as an 18.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Duke has looked great in their first 2 games this season with a blowout win over a team from the FCS in their last game and a season opening win against a conference opponent, beating Clemson at home handedly. Duke has a great defense and they have a great offense that will move the ball in this game. Northwestern was a lot better against UTEP in their last game at home but UTEP is also a very bad road team. Northwestern was terrible in their road game to open up the season as they lost to a conference opponent, Rutgers, and really had no offense in that game. They also gave up a lot of points against a Rutgers team that doesn't have a lot of offense so their defense is only going to struggle more against an offense like the one Duke has. Northwestern won't be able to move the ball on this Duke defense either and that is going to cause problems all game for them. Duke will pull away in this game at home and Northwestern will have no way back in the game. The best way to place a bet here is on Duke to cover the spread in this game. 

Northwestern Duke Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 16, 2023 (3:30 pm ET start time) is Duke 42 Northwestern 10.

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Northwestern Wildcats: 9-17 ATS in all games. 3-8 ATS in road games. 0-8 ATS after 1 or more consecutive wins against the spread. 8-1 UNDER as a road underdog of 17.5 to 21 points. 16-7 UNDER in a road game where the total is between 45.5 and 49.

Duke Blue Devils: 6-1 ATS as a home favorite. 11-4 ATS in home games. 8-4 ATS off 1 or more consecutive unders. 6-1 UNDER off a no-cover where the team won as a favorite. 8-4 UNDER after allowing 17 points or less in 2 straight games.

Northwestern Wildcats:  B. Sullivan (QB) Prob Sat - Undisclosed. B. Bryant (QB) Prob Sat - Upper Body. J. Fitzgerald (TE) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. M. Crutchley (LB) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. M. Lawson (DL) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. P. Bacon (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. B. Van Buren (TE) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. C. Petrucci (TE) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. R. Niro III (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. F. Covey IV (WR) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed.

Duke Blue Devils:  J. Coleman (RB) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. E. Pancol (WR) Out indefinitely - Lower Body.

“What we need is just continued support and we need one another. But by gosh, does it feel good to see those guys have big smiles on their faces and celebrate like they are. I’m so stinking happy for our players.” - David Braun after his team’s win against UTEP in their last game.

"They're a Big Ten team, so they're big, and they're physical. They were able to run the ball really well last week in the second half. They got the running game going a little bit. Defensively, they've given up about 15 points a game. They've been very physical. They're very stout. I think they know the scheme that they're playing very well, and they play it very fast.” - Mike Elko on his team’s upcoming game against Northwestern this week.

WR Johnson, Cam 

WR Kirtz, Bryce 

WR Henning, A.J. 

TE Lang, Marshall 

QB Bryant, Ben 

RB Porter, Cam 

WR Hagans, Sahmir  

WR Moore, Jordan

WR Calhoun, Jalon 

TE Dalmolin, Nicky 

QB Leonard, Riley 

RB Coleman, Jaylen  

Passing: B. Bryant (285)

Rushing: C. Porter (98)

Receiving: C. Johnson (96)

Touchdowns: C. Komolafe (1)

Passing: R. Leonard (311)

Rushing: J. Waters (175)

Receiving: J. Moore (104)

Touchdowns: J. Moore (3)

Coaches:

Northwestern Wildcats: David Braun (Interim)

Duke Blue Devils: Mike Elko (2nd season)