Clayton Thorson threw three touchdown passes as Northwestern won for the first time this season, defeating visiting Duke 24-13 on Saturday night at Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill.

Thorson, who completed 18 of 39 passes for 320 yards, opened the scoring with a 26-yard pass to fullback Garrett Dickerson.

Duke (1-2) tied the game on running back Jela Duncan's 4-yard touchdown run with 3:03 to play in the first half.

But the Wildcats (1-2) scored twice in the last six minutes of the third quarter, with Thorson hitting receiver Solomon Vault for a 44-yard touchdown play. Jack Mitchell's 40-yard field goal gave Northwestern a 17-7 edge.

AJ Reed's missed 34-yard field goal with 10:24 remaining prevented Duke from closing within one possession.

The Wildcats responded with Thorson's 55-yard touchdown strike to receiver Austin Carr, who finished with 135 receiving yards on six catches.

Duke's rushing attack fizzled for the second week in a row, causing the Blue Devils to take to the air. Quarterback Daniel Jones completed 27 of 48 passes for 279 yards.

Running back Shaun Wilson's 1-yard run with 51 seconds left gave Duke its second touchdown.

Northwestern has defeated Duke in consecutive seasons after last year's road victory.