No. 17 UNC football's defense falters in 28-27 loss to Duke

DURHAM — The football arced high into the night sky. Too high. No. 17 North Carolina's cornerback Des Lawrence saw the underthrown pass on a flea flicker near the end of the first quarter of Thursday night’s 28-27 loss to Duke and maneuvered into position to make the play.

The ball landed right in his lap. Then it slipped away from his grasping hands, and what could have been UNC’s first interception of the season after 10 games instead fell incomplete. A couple hours later, UNC walked out of Wallace Wade Stadium, hopes of a second ACC Coastal Division title obliterated after a game it let slip away.

“They made more plays than we did, let me just put it as bluntly as I can,” Coach Larry Fedora said.

Led by redshirt first-year quarterback Daniel Jones, Duke scored a touchdown a few plays after Lawrence’s drop. Then they scored two more after that on consecutive drives, and a 14-0 first quarter deficit turned into a 21-21 ballgame at the half.

It was a disappointing regression for a UNC defense that has worked so hard to rewrite the narrative of its season. After being exploited by James Madison and Florida State alike — two teams on opposite ends of the college football power spectrum — the Tar Heels’ defense stiffened in recent weeks.

Against Miami, it was the defense that made the play to seal the game with a sack and fumble recovery late in the fourth quarter. And against Georgia Tech, it was the defense that closed the door in the second half.

But the Tar Heels couldn’t find that one stop, that momentum-swinging big play on Thursday night, even though they had their chances.

“We had guys in position to make plays, plays that we make all the time,” redshirt junior defensive tackle Naz Jones said. “We just didn’t get it done.”

The defense once again hemorrhaged gains on the ground, conceding 227 rushing yards. Duke running back Shaun Wilson had 107 of those yards and Jones nearly joined him above the century mark with 94.

Jones, whose short touchdown pass to tight end Davis Koppenhaver in the third quarter gave Duke its winning margin, made plays on third down all night with his arm and his legs to hurt UNC and extend drives.

The Tar Heels’ strategy was to use their defensive line to contain him within the pocket. But Duke coach David Cutcliffe proved why he’s considered one of the best coaches in the ACC by calling rollouts designed to catch UNC in man coverage. Without a quarterback spy — which the Tar Heels never game-planned for or adjusted to — Jones had multiple occasions with nothing but open field between him and the first-down marker.

“(Fedora) said it was his fault and all that, but we all know he didn’t take a snap on the field,” Jones said. “He wasn’t suited up, he didn’t have a helmet on, so we can’t put it on him.”

Even when Jones was corralled, he and Duke’s receivers beat UNC’s talented defensive backs several times, prevailing in the one-on-one opportunities the Tar Heels pride themselves on usually winning.

“We didn’t come up with the opportunities, that’s all that was,” junior cornerback M.J. Stewart said.

Chance after chance came the UNC defense’s way. Early in the fourth quarter, the Tar Heels had another shot at its first interception, as senior safety Dominquie Green had a deep Jones pass in his hands. But he couldn’t hold on while he fell to the ground. Other opportunities came and went, but UNC wasted every single one of them.

Ultimately that proved to be the difference. The defense put itself in position, but it couldn’t make the plays. And there’s no easy solution explaining why.

“I don’t know what the answer to that is,” Fedora said. “We’re getting our hands on some balls, and we’re not...”

Fedora paused.

“It was just kind of the way we played the entire night. No one could make a play.”

@loganulrich

sports@dailytarheel.com