Tar Heels ring bell by defeating Duke

DURHAM - North Carolina quarterback Darian Durant went down with a shoulder injury late in the first quarter against Duke, and for a little while, it looked like the Tar Heels' postseason dreams would go down with him.

But after missing two drives in which UNC had a field goal blocked and a three-and-out, Durant returned to help the Tar Heels coast to a 40-17 win against Duke at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday.

The victory almost certainly assures North Carolina (6-5, 5-3 in the ACC) a bowl bid.

"I wasn't going to let a little shoulder injury keep me out of possibly my last game," Durant said. "So I sucked it up and just did what I've been doing all year."

Based on the opening drive, it looked like it would be an easy win for the Tar Heels, as they needed just four runs by Chad Scott to move the ball 56 yards and get a 7-0 lead.

After the Blue Devils (2-9, 1-7) cut the score to 7-3, UNC, with backup Matt Baker under center, drove into field goal range.

But Duke's Casey Camero broke through the line and stuffed Connor Barth's 31-yard attempt. Kenneth Stanford picked up the ball on a hop and scampered 70 yards to put the Blue Devils up 10-7.

After Duke and UNC exchanged three-and-outs, Durant returned to the field and promptly marched the Tar Heels 67 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

"We were concerned big-time (when Durant went out)," said Scott, who ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns. "I didn't notice he went into the locker room until I saw Matt Baker go in there. Darian's a good mobile quarterback.

"I think with him out, we thought the team would have stacked the box and stopped the run, and that was our game plan, so we didn't want them to do that. So we knew with him coming back, they had to respect the running game and the passing game."

The drive started when Durant was flushed from the pocket and scrambled nine yards to the sideline.

"Darian's got so much doggone character, and he's so doggone competitive," said UNC coach John Bunting, who was doused with water in the closing seconds. "If he has any negatives, he always makes up for them with the way he plays and the way he competes."

But UNC only held a 20-17 lead going into halftime, despite gaining 202 more yards than Duke and holding the ball for nearly eight more minutes.

The Tar Heel defense, though, allowed just one first down in the third quarter as UNC extended the lead to 13.

"Statistically, we were dominating at halftime, but we weren't very far out," Bunting said. "And that gets a little scary sometimes, it really does because you think maybe it's against you that day.

"But our team was very focused as it went out to take the second half, and I think we probably played our best quarter of football in the third quarter."

UNC linebacker Tommy Richardson forced a fumble on the second play of the fourth quarter, which the Tar Heels turned into a field goal that effectively sealed the victory.

The defense allowed Duke 234 yards of offense, the fewest yards it had given up since the 2001 Peach Bowl against Auburn.

By the time Kareen Taylor intercepted Mike Schneider and returned it 64 yards down the sideline with 2:06 to go, Wade Stadium was starting to more closely resemble Kenan Stadium.

"We felt like we were in Kenan," said senior strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh. "Our fans were way louder than theirs. They were doing the 'Tar-Heels' chant and everything. It was a great feeling. I didn't really hear too much of the Duke fans."

As the clock ran down to zero, the UNC players sprinted to the end zone to reclaim the Victory Bell they had held for 13 years before losing it last season.

"It's a very beautiful feeling, and it feels so much greater when you remember the history behind it, and you remember last year," said senior Jason Brown. "I tried to block so many of those memories out of my mind, but it just makes it that much better today."

Within minutes, the bell was repainted in Carolina blue, and freshman Kyndraus Guy had spray-painted "UNC Rules 40-17" on the visitor's sideline.

"Well, they proved it on the field," said UNC Director of Athletics Dick Baddour. "This is not a gift - this is something that they earned, this is something that they deserved."

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.