DURHAM, N.C. -- Northwestern was ready to show off some speed and it came in handy for the Wildcats on Saturday.

Solomon Vault returned the second-half kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and No. 23 Northwestern used a swarming defense to defeat Duke 19-10 at Wallace Wade Stadium.

"I thought we looked every bit as fast (as Duke)," Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "I don't know what the thing is about the Big Ten can't run. I think we can run pretty good."

By the end, the Wildcats were using a rushing attack to punish the Blue Devils in a grind-it-out style. Despite some sticky conditions that concerned the Wildcats, they seemed better equipped throughout the second half than their foes from the ACC.

"We knew this game would be hot and we just prepared for it and conditioned for it," Northwestern defensive end Dean Lowry said.

Northwestern (3-0) never led in the first half, but the momentum turned quickly and the Wildcats forced Duke into 11 punts.

After Vault's return, the extra-point kick was blocked. The Wildcats tacked on Jack Mitchell's 44-yard field goal on its next drive for a 12-7 lead.

Duke (2-1), which trailed for the first time this season, moved into Northwestern territory and converted a fourth down, but came up short on a fourth-and-7 from the Wildcats 32.

"We kind of took that upon ourselves in the trenches to make sure that we could handle their size and speed," Duke center Matt Skura said. "It's something that we'll obviously have to improve on."

Later, Ross Martin's 38-yard field goal for Duke on the second play of the fourth quarter cut the margin to 12-10.

Northwestern running back Warren Long ran 55 yards for a touchdown on his second carry of the game as the Wildcats built a 19-10 edge with 12:31 remaining.

Duke was primed to take possession near midfield with just less than six minutes left, but a muffed punt recovered by Long resulted in the Wildcats keeping the ball and Duke with only one timeout left.

Northwestern had 57 yards of total offense in the first half, but the Wildcats found their way on the ground in the second half.

"We obviously have got a lot of work to do offensively," Fitzgerald said. "The way we were able to run the ball in the second half was a morale booster for our offensive line."

Running back Justin Jackson finished with 120 yards on 35 carries for Northwestern, which won for the 19th time in its last 21 September games.

"We knew it was going to be a tough battle in the trenches," Duke defensive tackle A.J. Wolf said. "We just tried to play every single play as hard as we could. I thought we did. They played a little harder than us."

The Wildcats prevailed despite gaining 70 yards through the air. Quarterback Clayton Thorson was 9-of-23 with two interceptions.

Duke had 152 yards of offense in the second half.

"This is the best we've tackled," Fitzgerald said. "I think we're pretty athletic and that really helps."

Northwestern sophomore linebacker Anthony Walker finished with 19 tackles, surpassing his career high with 11 midway through the second quarter.

Duke's first touchdown was set up by safety DeVon Edwards' interception on Northwestern's first possession. Edwards made a 24-yard return to the Wildcats' 26.

Duke quarterback Thomas Sirk ran in for the score from 5 yards out on a third-down scramble. That marked the first touchdown allowed by Northwestern this season.

Duke moved to the Northwestern 11 late in the second quarter before the 6-6 Lowry batted a Sirk pass and made an interception.

"We knew that would be an emphasis to get turnovers," Lowry said.

The Wildcats were forced to punt, but on Duke's next snap running back Shaun Wilson fumbled and so Northwestern had the ball at the Duke 40. That resulted in Mitchell's 37-yard field goal 1:23 before halftime.

Both teams punted a total of seven times in their first two games combined. They each booted the ball away seven times in the first half Saturday. Duke punter Will Monday averaged 55 yards on 11 attempts.

NOTES: Northwestern leads the series 9-8. This was the first meeting since 2008. ... The last meeting came in Duke coach David Cutcliffe's first season, with Northwestern winning 24-20. ... Northwestern played with a national ranking for the first time since October 2013. ... Duke had a 12-game regular-season winning streak against non-conference opponents snapped. ... Northwestern has won in its last six trips to Durham. ... Duke is 24-135-6 all-time against nationally ranked opponents, though it defeated then-No. 22 Georgia Tech last season and then-No. 24 Miami in 2013.