After a 14-0 start, it appeared No. 17 North Carolina was primed to run away with its rivalry matchup against Duke. But the Blue Devils didn’t lie down, using a resurgent defense and clock-chewing ground game to stymie UNC’s powerful offense in a 28-27 win in Durham.
What happened?
The Tar Heels started the game on fire. Redshirt junior quarterback Mitch Trubisky began the game 12-for-15 for 200 yards with all three of his incompletions coming on drops. UNC led 14-0 after the first quarter.
But Duke’s offense led by redshirt first-year Daniel Jones used a combination of short passes and runs to keep the defense off balance. Three rushing touchdowns, two by Jones, helped the Blue Devils knot the game at 21 after a half of action.
Duke continued its stellar play calling in the second half, keeping UNC’s offense off the field. The Tar Heels, meanwhile, could not rediscover the rhythm they had in the first half. They settled for field goals twice, while Duke scored a touchdown to take the lead on a pass from Jones to tight end Davis Koppenhaver. A Trubisky interception — his second of the half — on UNC’s final drive ended any hopes of a win.
Who stood out?
For a quarter, Trubisky was phenomenal. He sliced and diced the Duke defenders to the tune of 200 yards and three touchdowns on 12-for-15 passing. But Duke’s defense stiffened and Trubisky could not solve it. He was off repeatedly on passes in the second half and had his first two interceptions since the loss to Virginia Tech in Hurricane Matthew.
Running back Elijah Hood also excelled for UNC, though on limited touches. He was the team’s leading receiver with five catches for 58 yards, as well as the leading rusher with 13 carries for 75 yards.
