Daniel Jones Leads Duke to Dominant Quick Lane Bowl Win vs. Northern Illinois

The Duke Blue Devils recorded just their second bowl win since 1960 in a dominant victory at the 2017 Quick Lane Bowl.

Quarterback Daniel Jones accounted for three touchdowns and led his team to a 36-14 win over the Northern Illinois Huskies on Tuesday night. The result helped Duke (7-6) end the year with three straight wins after a stretch of six straight losses from Sept. 29 to Nov. 11.

The Huskies fell to 8-5 with their fifth straight loss in a bowl game under head coach Rod Carey.

David Hale of ESPN.com broke down a recent positive trend for the Blue Devils:

The Duke offense, which tied for just 84th in the country in scoring this season, was nearly unstoppable Tuesday with 465 yards from scrimmage. The unit helped the team take a 14-0 first-quarter lead and finished with 22 unanswered points as the Blue Devils pulled away.

Jones was the star, coming through with his arm and his legs. He finished with 252 passing yards and 86 rushing yards in one of his best games of the season. Eight different players caught passes in the win. Running backs Shaun Wilson and Brittain Brown also helped Duke tally 213 yards and three scores on the ground.

Things weren't as easy for the Northern Illinois offense. The Huskies had to overcome several key absences, including those of leading rusher Jordan Huff and second-leading receiver Chad Beebe. These losses were apparent throughout the game, especially on third downs, as they went 1-of-12.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Marcus Childers did his best with 234 passing yards, but there wasn't enough consistency to keep the team competitive.

Any opportunities Northern Illinois had to be aggressive blew up in its face as well, as it finished 0-of-6 on fourth downs. A failed fake punt deep in its own territory quickly gained infamy:

The squad also had a failed fake field goal in the second half.

There were some bright moments, including back-to-back touchdown drives in the second quarter that went for 137 yards on four plays.

Tom Fornelli of CBSSports.com noted the incredible turnaround after the slow start:

But the offense slowed dramatically after that moment, and the Huskies gathered only 114 yards in a scoreless second half.

Both teams improved their records this year after failing to reach the postseason in 2016, and while only Duke ended 2017 on a high note, Northern Illinois showed this season it is also heading in the right direction.

With a pair of young quarterbacks, the Blue Devils and Huskies can be threats in 2018.