UNC football faces rebuilding but resilient Duke squad

It’s been a rough year for Duke football, but all bets are off when North Carolina comes to town at 7:30 p.m. tonight. The Blue Devils (3-6, 0-5 ACC) will try to avenge last year’s 66-31 loss, while No. 15 UNC (7-2, 5-1 ACC) looks to stay alive in the Coastal Division race.

How do they play?

Duke is in a rebuilding year, but the Blue Devils still have their best asset: Coach David Cutcliffe. Though Duke has only three wins this season — and none in the ACC — the Blue Devils beat Notre Dame earlier this season and played close with Louisville and Virginia Tech. Cutcliffe gives them a chance in every game.

The offense is led by redshirt first-year quarterback Daniel Jones, pressed into starting duty because of an injury to last season’s starter, Thomas Sirk. Jones has been impressive for a rookie quarterback with 16 total touchdowns, but he’s also averaging one interception per game. He’s also the Blue Devils’ third-leading rusher, so he’ll be relied on to aid Duke’s battered running back corps.

Who stands out?

On defense, senior cornerback Breon Borders has 12 interceptions in the course of his career at Duke — including two this season. He helps lead a top-50 passing defense that will look to limit the Tar Heels’ potent passing attack.

Duke already held Louisville and Heisman frontrunner Lamar Jackson to 181 yards passing, so the team is no stranger to shutting down high-octane passing offenses.

What is their biggest weakness?

Duke likes to spread the ball around on offense, but injuries have severely depleted the number of playmakers on offense. Jones has played admirably, but putting too much on the shoulders of a young player can cause the Blue Devils to crack.

On defense, Duke ranks in the middle of the pack against the run. But with a healthy Elijah Hood and senior T.J. Logan playing the best ball of his career, the Blue Devils might not be able to do more than slow UNC’s rushing attack. Once North Carolina establishes the run effectively, the passing offense becomes more effective as it attacks overcommitting defenders. This defense isn’t better than the one that allowed 66 points to UNC last season.

How could they win?

Jones has played his best football in big games this season, with seven total touchdowns to only one interception in games against Notre Dame, Louisville and Virginia Tech. He’ll likely rely heavily on his tight ends, who have 46 catches for 477 yards and six scores this year. Teams like Miami and Virginia Tech have burned the Tar Heels with their tight ends. Although Duke’s tight ends aren’t quite the same caliber of athletes, there’s an opportunity to make some plays there.

On paper, the Blue Devils don’t match up well with UNC. But turnovers and special teams are the recipe for an upset. If the Duke secondary forces some turnovers out of UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky — who’s been almost perfect in avoiding those in games not played in a hurricane — and Jones makes a few plays on offense, Duke could hang around long enough for something wacky to happen.

@loganulrich

sports@dailytarheel.com