By football standards, Northwestern's 41-17 loss to Duke was a disaster.
The Wildcats entered the game favored by 2.5 points on the road, and lost by 24, though it felt like a whole lot more than that.
The running game was a complete non-factor, mostly thanks to an offensive line that couldn't create any push. The passing game was a little better, but Clayton Thorson was running for his life or on his back drive after drive; when he did have time to survey the field, he missed several throws or had to check the ball down because his receivers couldn't separate.