FACTS & STATS: Site: Wallace Wade Stadium (33,149) -- Durham, North Carolina. Television: None. Home Record: Northwestern 1-0, Duke 1-0. Away Record: Northwestern 0-0, Duke 0-0. Neutral Record: Northwestern 0-0, Duke 0-0. Conference Record: Northwestern 0-0, Duke 0-0. Series Record: Duke leads, 8-7.

GAME NOTES: The Duke Blue Devils will host their second consecutive matchup when they welcome the Northwestern Wildcats this Saturday to Wallace Wade Stadium.

The Wildcats collected their fourth consecutive season-opening victory this past weekend, as they pounded Syracuse, 30-10. Northwestern usually performs well against non-league foes, winning at least two out-of-conference contests in 13 of the past 15 seasons.

As for the Blue Devils, they posted a convincing, 31-7 win over James Madison this past Saturday, giving new head coach David Cutcliffe a win in his debut. It was the first victory for Duke since defeating Northwestern last season in its third contest of the 2007 campaign. Duke has not been very successful over the past few seasons, winning just three total games since the 2005 campaign, and that includes the win over James Madison.

With respect to the all-time series between the two schools on the gridiron, the Blue Devils hold a slim 8-7 edge over Northwestern. Last season Duke snapped a five-game losing skid to Northwestern with a 20-14 victory in Evanston.

The Wildcats were working on all cylinders this past weekend, as the offensive unit dismantled Syracuse to a tune of 30-10. The Wildcats used a heavy dose of their ground attack against the Orange, and also had success through the air. Northwestern rumbled for 269 yards on 42 carries, and was led by Tyrell Sutton, who racked up 144 yards on 21 attempts. Omar Conteh added 71 yards in the victory, while averaging an impressive 5.9 ypc. C.J. Bacher was also solid under center for the Wildcats, throwing for 215 yards and three scores on 23- of-35 passing. Bacher was a tad inconsistent last season throwing 19 TDs and 19 interceptions, but hopefully the senior signal-caller can make positive steps as the year moves along. Overall Northwestern finished with 25 first downs and also converted on all three of its red zone chances.

Last year the Wildcats did not perform well defensively, but that was not the case in the team's opener, as Northwestern limited Syracuse to just 225 total yards, including just 103 yards through the air. The success against the pass was surprising, considering this defensive unit was hammered for 243 ypg through the air in 2007. The Wildcats allowed just 11 first downs in the contest and also held the Orange to a meager 3-of-14 on third down attempts. Malcolm Arrington was all over the field in the win, as the linebacker collected 10 tackles and two TFLs. Quentin Davie also made his presence known, racking up seven tackles to go along with one TFL and one sack.

Three of the past four seasons the Blue Devils have been unable to average more than 100 rushing yards per contest, but in the team's opener this past weekend, Duke exploded on James Madison for 218 yards on 48 carries. The tremendous success on the ground led to a convincing, 31-7 win over the Dukes. Clifford Harris paced the team with 95 yards and two touchdowns, while Jay Hollingsworth added 46 yards. Not to be overlooked though, was the play of junior QB Thaddeus Lewis, who completed 17-of-28 passes in the contest, and finished the game with 141 yards and two scores. It was not a mind-blowing effort, but it was efficient and helped lead to plenty of points. Eron Riley was the main target for Lewis, as the wideout caught both touchdown passes and finished the game with 67 yards on seven receptions.

On top of the surprising performance by the Blue Devils' offensive unit, the defense also came ready to play against James Madison. Duke limited JMU to just 239 total yards, however 188 came via the run. Stopping the run has been a huge problem for Duke over the past few seasons, and last year the squad surrendered a whopping 180.0 rushing ypg. The Blue Devils were able to limit the Dukes to just 13 first downs, and also forced three turnovers in the win. Duke also did not allow James Madison to convert on any of its eight third down attempts and also stopped the Dukes on their only red zone chance. Mike Tauiliili had a strong showing in the opener, recording nine tackles to go along with one forced fumble.

This should be an interesting matchup between two schools that seemingly overachieved in their respective season-openers. Duke was able to get the better of Northwestern last season, so expect the Wildcats to return the favor this weekend in Durham.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Northwestern 45, Duke 34

Saturday, September 6th, 7:00 p.m. (et)