Maalik Murphy threw two quick touchdown passes in overtime, finding Jordan Moore with a 25-yard pass and Eli Pancol with a 3-yard pass, leading Duke to a 26-20 win over Northwestern at the temporary Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium on Friday night.
Mike Wright’s last-ditch fourth-down throw to Frank Covey IV in the end zone fell short in the second overtime, allowing Duke (2-0) to beat Northwestern (1-1) for the sixth consecutive time since 2016, giving new coach Manny Diaz his second victory.
“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.”
Both teams scored touchdowns on their first possessions in overtime.
Cam Porter barely reached the left edge of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown to finish Northwestern’s opening overtime drive and put them ahead 17-10. Murphy then threw two touchdowns to secure the win, even though he missed a required two-point conversion attempt after the second score.
Pancol caught two touchdowns, and Murphy played strongly in the late stages, finishing with three touchdown passes and completing 24 of 39 passes for 242 yards.
“Maalik is a very confident quarterback, very poised,” Moore said. “When he had chances to make plays, he did.”
“He’s all you can ask for in a quarterback, someone who’s very level-headed and very confident in their ability.”
Northwestern’s five-game winning streak, which started last season, came to an end. Porter scored both of Northwestern’s touchdowns, rushing for 93 yards on 16 carries and adding 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, completing 20 of 36 passes in a game filled with turnovers and mistakes. He also threw an important 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 the score at 13.
Pelino missed a 33-yard attempt with 5:11 left in the fourth quarter that could have tied the game. He made a 49-yard field goal with the help of the wind midway through the third quarter to even the score at 10.
Jack Olsen’s second field goal, a 35-yarder, broke the tie with 11:39 left in the fourth quarter, putting Northwestern ahead 13-10. The Wildcats nearly held on to the lead.
Olsen made his third field goal with the wind at his back in the second game and the first at night in Northwestern’s small 12,023-seat temporary stadium near the Lake Michigan shoreline. Olsen made a 44-yard field goal for the first score but missed a 29-yard attempt early in the second half when it hit the right upright.
Murphy struggled before his late successful plays. He also threw an interception and was close to being intercepted again. Tight end Nick Dalmolin dropped a well-thrown pass from Murphy on a crucial fourth-and-2 play in the third quarter.
Northwestern is playing most of its home games at its temporary stadium and a few at Wrigley Field over the next two seasons while a new 35,000-seat Ryan Field is being built about a mile west of the old stadium’s location.
Northwestern took a 10-7 lead into halftime despite having more total yards (168 to 94) and more possession time (18:25 to 11:35).
