Bowl bid on the line for Heels

There’s always something at stake when North Carolina and Duke square off.

The Victory Bell. The Carlyle Cup. Pride.

But this year, for the first time in a long time, there’s something else: postseason implications.

Saturday’s matchup between the Tar Heels and Blue Devils will be the first time since 1994 that both teams have had a winning record going into their annual contest, and the game will almost certainly impact the teams’ qualification and placement in bowl games.

“It’s definitely going to make this game that much more intense — that much more of a hard-fought game — because both of our seasons are kind of on the line a little bit,” UNC quarterback T.J. Yates said.

As of now, the Blue Devils have what UNC wants. Duke sits in second place in the ACC Coastal Division with a 3-1 conference record. The Tar Heels are still in the cellar at 1-3.

But both squads are closing in on bowl eligibility, each needing to win two out of their four games remaining on the schedule.

The team that wins Saturday will stay on pace to comfortably qualify. The team that loses will be under some pressure.

“It’s definitely different,” safety Deunta Williams said. “You’ve got to give them a lot of credit. They’ve done a lot of things to put themselves in that position. They have their destiny in their hands right now.”

UNC has owned this matchup in recent years, winning 18 of the last 19 games. The Blue Devils’ last win in the series came in 2003.

But lately, the wins have been tougher to come by.

Two years ago, UNC needed overtime and a career day by Greg Little to win the season finale against Duke, 20-14.

And last year, Duke was again within a score before Trimane Goddard picked off a late pass to seal it, 28-20.

“Last year’s game was a lot closer than everybody thought it was,” Williams said. “We just had the big plays when we needed them.”

Because of those big plays, this generation of Tar Heel football players maintained their spotless record against their foes.

And by doing so, they kept the token of victory that the UNC-Duke winner gets to keep for the following year.

“The Victory Bell is always nice to have here,” Yates said. “I’ve never seen it in their possession, so we’ll try to keep it here.”

The two teams typically play in the final game of the season — they have in 46 of the last 56 years. The Nov. 7 date is the earliest North Carolina and Duke have squared off since 1938.

But even in late autumn, this weekend could mark one of the more intense rivalry games between these teams in years.

The improvement of Duke signal-caller Thaddeus Lewis and the inconsistency of UNC’s play will likely make for good theater.

Lewis is No. 9 in the nation in total offense, and he has the Blue Devils’ passing offense ranked as the best in the conference.

“They’re a dramatically improved football team and football program, and it’s a big challenge,” UNC coach Butch Davis said.



Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.