Northwestern is defeated by Duke in a double overtime thriller, leaving Duke's record at 2-0 on the season.

The Blue Devils' 26-20 double overtime victory against the Northwestern Wildcats on Friday night has left the Manny Diaz era at Duke with a 2–0 start.

Mike Elko left Duke after two years as head coach to take the job at Texas A&M, and was replaced by Diaz.

Notre Dame welcomed former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard as a transfer this offseason, in addition to Elko leaving.

On Friday, Maalik Murphy, the current Duke quarterback, rose to the occasion and played a crucial role in the Blue Devils' success.

In the fourth quarter, with only 14 seconds remaining on the clock, Todd Pelino was positioned for a game-tying field goal by Murphy, who led an 11-play, 51-yard drive.

In overtime, Northwestern secured possession of the ball first and increased their advantage to 20-13 with Cam Porter's ten-yard dash into the endzone.

In the first overtime, the Blue Devils and Murphy quickly equalized the score with a single play. Jordan Moore slipped past the Northwestern defense, and Murphy launched a swift strike to Moore for a rapid reply.

In the second overtime, the Blue Devils experienced more of the same as they did in the first. On the first play, Murphy connected with Moore for 22 yards, and on the next play, he found Eli Pancol in the endzone for a three-yard touchdown.

Despite Duke's efforts, they failed to make the two-point conversion on that touchdown, leaving their defense with a 26-20 lead.

From the Duke three-yard line, the Wildcats were on the doorstep after a few Porter rushes set up the offense for a 3rd and 1.

But unfortunately for Northwestern, that’s where the Duke defense stiffened.

On third down, Mike Wright was brought down by Chandler Rivers for an eight-yard loss.

The Blue Devils defense shut down Frank Covey IV's desperate attempt to connect with Wright on the fourth down.

""A lot of guys in the locker room are struggling, and this one definitely hurts," Northwestern coach David Braun stated."

Northwestern's five-game winning streak was halted by the loss, which was also Duke's sixth straight win over Northwestern dating back to 2016.

Braun wants to see more from his quarterback, going forward.

"Mike did some good things tonight, but Mike needs to improve," Braun stated. "Mike is aware of this, as are we. Our decision regarding the quarterback position was one that we were confident in Mike's ability to handle."

"Braun stated that he needs to improve his job of valuing the football, taking care of the football, and operating within the offense's boundaries," said Braun.

Duke's first touchdown was caused by a costly interception thrown by Wright, resulting in 158 yards on 20-for-36 passing.

The Blue Devils players are excited about their quarterback, particularly his top receiver.

"Moore stated that Maalik is a highly confident and poised quarterback who consistently makes plays when given the chance. He is the ideal quarterback, characterized by his level-headedness and unwavering self-assurance in his abilities."

Murphy was 24-39, throwing for 242 yards and three touchdowns.

The Connecticut Huskies will be hosted by Duke on Sept. 14 as they aim to maintain their impressive start.

Northwestern aims to regain momentum when they host Eastern Illinois on Sept. 14.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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