In the second set of weekday bowl games, there is a game between two average team. These teams are the Duke Blue Devils and the Northern Illinois Huskies. Both teams had average expectations this season and managed to fulfill those expectations by reaching a bowl game. Both teams won at least six games and will now look to add a bowl victory to successfully end their seasons.
Duke’s success is due to its balance on the offensive side of the ball. At the helm is sophomore quarterback Daniel Jones who has 18 total touchdowns and over 2,400 passing yards. However, Jones’ job this season has been made easier due to running backs Shaun Wilson and Brittain Brown. Both running backs averaged at least five yards per carry while rushing for at least 660 yards. Both running backs have also run for five or more touchdowns this season. Expect Duke to rely heavily on its running game in this contest due to Jones’ interception problems. In 12 games this season, Jones threw 11 interceptions. One can assume that the Blue Devils will try to use its running game to make third downs more manageable for Jones in this contest.
Northern Illinois’ success was primarily due to its freshman quarterback Marcus Childers. This season, Childers threw for 15 touchdowns and over 1,400 passing yards. However, Childers also was a threat running the football and ran for over 450 yards along with five rushing touchdowns. Assisting Childers is senior running back Jordan Huff. This season, Huff ran for 740 yards and had four rushing touchdowns. With Childers starting in his first bowl game, expect the Huskies to rely more on Huff to make life easier for their freshman quarterback.
As for my prediction, I have to side with Duke. Although Northern Illinois won two more regular season games than Duke, Duke’s schedule was significantly harder. I expect Childers to struggle due to his lack of bowl game experience as Duke’s defense puts the clamps down on the Huskies’ offense. I expect a low scoring game in which Duke wins by a touchdown or so.
Duke vs. Northern Illinois: Game Time, TV Channel & Viewing Details
Event: Duke vs. Northern Illinois
Date: Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Start Time: 5:15 P.M. EST
Location: Ford Field in Detroit, MI
Broadcast: ESPN
How to Watch Duke vs. Northern Illinois On Your Tablet Or Mobile Device
You can live stream the game on the WatchESPN app.
You can download the WatchESPN app on Google Play, Amazon, iTunes, and the Windows Store. The Fox Sports Go app is also available on the following devices: Apple TV, Roku, Android TV and Fire TV.
How To Live Stream Duke vs. Northern Illinois Online Without Cable Subscription
You can also live stream the game through Sling TV free trial. Just click on the Sling website and click “Watch Now 7 Days Free” for the free trial. Choose the Sling Orange package, which costs $20 per month and comes with ESPN, along with many other sports channels.
