The North Carolina football team (4-4, 3-2 ACC) knocked off Duke (4-4, 2-3 ACC) in Chapel Hill on Saturday in dramatic fashion, giving Mack Brown his 73rd career victory at UNC to become the winningest coach in program history.
What happened?
After a Sam Howell interception midway through the first quarter, the Blue Devils went 68 yards before their drive stalled at the UNC 1-yard line. The Tar Heel defense held strong and benefitted from a false start penalty, forcing Duke to settle for a field goal with 4:33 to go in the first quarter.
That seemed to serve as a wake-up call for a lethargic North Carolina offense. On the ensuing drive, Howell found receiver Beau Corrales streaking downfield for a 29-yard touchdown, which gave the Tar Heels a 7-3 advantage.
But a pair of punts, then a missed 52-yard field goal attempt by first-year Jonathan Kim, the first of his career, kept the UNC lead at four going into halftime.
North Carolina struck quickly after the break, putting together a one-minute, 37-second touchdown drive to go up 14-3. After running back Michael Carter went for back-to-back runs of 16 and 17 yards, Howell threw a bomb to receiver Dazz Newsome for a 47-yard score.
The Blue Devils responded with a more methodical touchdown drive of their own, going 74 yards in 10 plays. At the 8:57 mark of the third quarter, UNC led 14-10.
On the next play from scrimmage, though, Howell’s pass was batted at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by safety Jalen Alexander, setting the Blue Devils up at the UNC 7-yard line. Quarterback Quentin Harris punched it in on the next play to put Duke up 17-14.
A UNC field goal attempt – this time from Noah Ruggles, who started every other game for the Tar Heels this season – was good from 34 yards, tying the game with 3:59 to go in the third period.
