The Duke victory over Northwestern was the Blue Devils' first since a victory over Division I-AA VMI in September
2005, their first win over a Division I-A opponent since they beat Clemson
in 2004, and their first road win against any division since a win at
North Carolina in 2003. It left NU still holding its 25-year old
record for the longest Division I-A losing streak. After the win
over Northwestern in Evanston, Duke students broke into Wallace Wade
Stadium and tore the goal posts down.
Since this game was
one of the worst-ever performances by a Wildcat team, this wrap-up won't address a single detail of
it. Not the coaching, the absence of any preparation for Duke,
the gameday execution, or the unfolding tragedy put on the field by
both the offense and the defense. Why bother?
Yes, the game's officiating was absolutely the worst. Yes, the
officials were ACC officials, the same crew that tried desperately to
hand the 2002 game to Duke when it lost a close one at Ryan
Field. However, there were several horrifyingly bad calls that
also went in NU's favor, and the 'Cats should never have been in a
position against Duke that allowed a bad call to determine a
game. There is no way to blame the officials for NU's ineptitude.
This is a program that has a long road ahead of it, and a lot of major
steps to make before it is again competitive.
