Maalik Murphy leads Duke to wild 26-20 victory over Northwestern in 2OT

Updated Sep. 7, 2024 2:55 a.m. ET

Associated Press

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Maalik Murphy threw two quick touchdown passes in overtime, hitting Jordan Moore on a 25-yard pass and Eli Pancol on a 3-yarder to lead Duke to a 26-20 victory over Northwestern at temporary Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium on Friday night.

Mike Wright's desperation fourth-down heave to Frank Covey IV in the end zone failed to connect in the second OT and Duke (2-0) beat the Wildcats (1-1) for a sixth straight time dating to 2016, giving new coach Manny Diaz a second win.

“That's just a testament to our closure,” Moore said. “The game's not won in the first quarter. It's won in the fourth or even overtime. We keep fighting. We keep giving body blows. We have faith in every single one of our teammates to make plays.”

The teams exchanged touchdowns on their first overtime possessions.

Cam Porter narrowly scooted into the left edge of the end zone for a 10-yard score to cap the opening drive of overtime and put Northwestern ahead 17-10. Then Murphy connected twice to win it, even if he missed on a mandatory two-point conversion attempt after the second TD.

Pancol had two touchdown catches and Murphy came on strong late to finish with three TD tosses, completing 24 of 39 passes for 242 yards.

“Maalik is very confident quarterback, very poised” Moore said. “When he had opportunities to make plays, he made them. He's all you can ask for in a quarterback, someone who's very level-headed and somebody who's very confident in their ability.”

Northwestern's five-game winning streak, dating to last season, ended. Porter scored both of the Wildcats' TDs, rushing for 93 yards on 16 carries. He added three catches for 27 yards.

“This one definitely hurts,” Northwestern coach David Braun said. “A lot of guys in that locker room are struggling.”

Quarterback Mike Wright threw for 158 yards on 20-for-36 passing in a choppy, turnover-filled game. He also threw a costly interception that led to Duke’s first touchdown.

“Mike did some good things tonight, but Mike needs to improve,” Braun said. “Mike knows that. We know that. When we made our (quarterback) decision, it was something that we were going to ride with Mike.”

Todd Pelino's second field goal, a 22-yard kick with 14 seconds left in regulation, tied it at 13.

Pelino missed a 33-yard try with 5:11 left in the fourth that would have tied it. He connected on a wind-assisted 49-yarder midway through the third quarter to tie it at 10.

Jack Olsen's second field goal, a 35-yarder, snapped a tie with 11:39 left in fourth quarter and put Northwestern ahead 13-10. The Wildcats nearly made it stand up.

Olsen cleanly hit his third kick with the wind at his back in the second game and the first at night in Northwestern’s intimate 12,023-seat temporary stadium hugging the Lake Michigan shoreline. Olsen made a 44-yard field goal for the opening score, but his 29-yard attempt early in the second half bounced off the right upright.

Murphy was kept off balance before his late heroics. He also tossed an interception and was nearly picked off another time. Tight end Nick Dalmolin dropped Murphy's clean toss on what should have been an easy catch on a pivotal fourth-and-2 play in the third quarter.

Northwestern is playing the majority of its home games at its temporary stadium — plus a handful at Wrigley Field — over the next two seasons while a new 35,000-seat Ryan Field is built about a mile west of the site of its predecessor.

Northwestern settled for a 10-7 lead after a choppy first half, despite dominating total yards 168 to 94 and possession time 18:25 to 11:35.

THE TAKEAWAY

Duke: Two Blue Devils — RB Jacquez Moore and TE Jeremiah Hasley — left the game with injuries in the second quarter. A third, LB Ozzie Nicholas was escorted by trainers from the field in the third. Hasley had to be carted off after apparently injuring his knee when Duke punted with 2:35 left in the first half.

Northwestern: The Wildcats have to clean up their mistakes and penalties, that might start with Wright, a transfer from Mississippi State. “He needs to do a better job of valuing the football, taking care of the football and just operating within the confines of the offense,” Braun said.

UP NEXT

Duke: Hosts UConn on Saturday, Sept. 14.

Northwestern: Hosts Eastern Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 14.

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