Scouting reports: Duke facing a struggling Northwestern offense

James Madison (2-0) at North Carolina (1-1)

Kickoff: 3:30 p.m., Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill

TV/Radio: RSN, 106.1-WTKK-106.1

James Madison’s strength: Two games into a young season, James Madison has put up some impressive numbers on offense, particularly on the ground. In one-sided victories against Morehead State and Central Connecticut, James Madison averaged 405 yards rushing. Cardon Johnson, a junior who ran for 1,037 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, leads the Dukes’ offense. Expect James Madison to run, run and run some more against the Tar Heels, whose defensive line is banged up and whose struggles in run defense have persisted this season.

Key theme: During Larry Fedora’s head coaching tenure, UNC has avoided any kind of drama against FCS competition. This James Madison team, though, which is ranked No. 8 in the FCS coaches’ poll, is probably the best FCS team that UNC has faced under Fedora. The Dukes should be able to compete, at least for a while. As Fedora has said, though, UNC’s success, or failure, usually comes back to how the Tar Heels execute. If they avoid mistakes and play a relatively clean game, it shouldn’t be close come the fourth quarter.

Andrew Carter

Old Dominion (1-1) at N.C. State (1-1)

Kickoff: 6 p.m., Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh

TV/Radio: ACC Network Extra, 101.5-WRAL

Old Dominion’s strength: Junior running back Ray Lawry led Conference USA with 1,136 rushing yards last season. He had 119 yards, on 15 carries, in last week’s 31-7 loss to Appalachian State and 110 yards in a season-opening win over Hampton. Senior quarterback David Washington, who went to Southeast Raleigh, threw for four touchdowns in the opener.

Key theme: This is the third straight year N.C. State will play the Monarchs. The 2014 game in Raleigh was tight, a 46-34 win for the Wolfpack. Last year’s game in Norfolk, Va. was tilted more in N.C. State’s favor, a 38-14 Wolfpack win. N.C. State ran for 256 yards in last year’s game and held ODU to minus-3 yards. Appalachian State ran for 230 yards against the Monarchs last week.

Joe Giglio

Duke (1-1) at Northwestern (0-2)

Kickoff: 8 p.m., Ryan Field, Evanston, Ill.

TV/Radio: Big Ten Network, 99.3-WDNC, 620-WDNC

Northwestern’s strength: It has been mostly a struggle for the Wildcats in the first two games, notably on offense. They’re averaging 14 points and 298 offensive yards a game, and had star running back Justin Jackson leave last week’s game against Illinois State in the second half with a leg injury.

The Wildcats need Jackson. The junior, who has had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, has 166 yards and three touchdowns in the first two games but was held to 39 yards on 11 carries last week. Jackson was a second-team All-Big Ten choice as a sophomore when he had 1,418 yards. He is expected to play Saturday but how effective will he be?

Key theme: Both teams probably expected to be 2-0 entering this game, but Duke was beaten by Wake Forest last week and Northwestern has absorbed unexpected losses to Western Michigan (22-21) and then Illinois State (9-7), which won on a last-second field goal. The Blue Devils go to Notre Dame next week, adding urgency to Saturday’s game, while the Wildcats could slip to 0-3.

The Blue Devils have won 13 of the past 16 away games, meaning Duke coach David Cutcliffe and his staff have been doing a lot of things right in road-game preparation. Northwestern did beat the Blue Devils 19-10 in Durham last season, starting the second half with a 98-yard kickoff return for a score, and this could be a line-in-the-sand kind of game Saturday for the Wildcats after their embarrassing start to the season.

Chip Alexander

East Carolina (2-0) at South Carolina (0-2)

Kickoff: 4 p.m., Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia

TV/Radio: SEC Network

South Carolina’s strength: South Carolina’s strength is in its passing defense, and first-year East Carolina coach Scottie Montgomery calls South Carolina defensive line “extremely talented.”

Key theme: Don’t expect this to be a shootout, unless ECU is the one scoring. South Carolina has struggled offensively this year.

Both teams have have a hard time stopping the run. But only one has had success on the ground. While ECU’s strength is in its passing game, the Pirates may look to exploit South Carolina’s run defense, which gave up 290 yards on the ground against Mississippi State. ECU averages 355 yards passing and 211 yards running.

Jonathan M. Alexander

Other area games

St. Augustine’s (0-2) at N.C. Central (0-2), 6 p.m., NCCU Sports Network, O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium, Durham: After losing last week 70-21 to FBS opponent Western Michigan, N.C. Central will play Division II St. Augustine’s, which they beat 72-0 in 2015. With new head coach Tim Chavous, St. Augustine’s is hoping to turn the team into a winning program. But St. Augusine’s lost to N.C. Central’s rival, N.C. A&T, 62-0 in week one. So this result is likely to be the same.

UNC Pembroke (2-0) at Shaw (0-2), 1 p.m., Durham County Stadium, Raleigh: Coming off a tough 56-7 loss against Wingate, Shaw is looking for its first win under first-year head coach Adrian Jones. But Saturday’s game won’t get any easier. UNC Pembroke is undefeated, having beaten two of Shaw’s conference opponents already.

Presbyterian (0-2) at Campbell (2-0), 6 p.m., 88.3-WUAW, Barker-Lane Stadium, Buies Creek: After rolling over Chowan 49-17 last week, Campbell will take on Presbyterian, which has scored only three points in two games, both versus formidable opponents.

This story was originally published September 16, 2016 at 7:22 PM with the headline "Scouting reports: Duke facing a struggling Northwestern offense."