Associated PressDURHAM ó Now this is a strange position for Duke: It’s the other team that is fired up and out for revenge.
In recent years, the Blue Devils (1-0) had been the team that always promised payback after losing to a team the previous year.
Not this time. Now it’s Northwestern that tonight will look to bounce back from the indignity of last year’s loss to Duke.
“They’ll have a little chip on their shoulder because they say we held them out of a bowl game,” Duke nose guard Clifford Respress said. “But that’s nice. … I wouldn’t want it any other way. I wouldn’t want a pushover team coming in here, so I’m excited about that.
“I’m glad these guys are going to come in here and play hard because that means more fun for me. It’s more fun for us. We get to play hard and show them what we’ve been doing all week. I’m excited about it.”
It has been years since the Blue Devils played a fired-up team they defeated the year before ó not since they edged Clemson 16-13 in 2004, and the following year absorbed a 49-20 beating from the Tigers.
Duke ended a 22-game losing streak with its 20-14 victory over the Wildcats last September.