CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The 24th-ranked Duke Blue Devils accomplished many things with a single 27-25 win over their rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels, in front of 62,000 in attendance at Kenan Stadium on Saturday.
Not only did Duke keep the Victory Bell and bragging rights for the second consecutive year over North Carolina, but the Blue Devils also clinched the Coastal Division title and earned their first-ever berth in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship game.
Quarter back Anthony Boone kept his undefeated career streak as a starter intact (10-0) while finishing 23-for-34, throwing for 274 yards and two touchdowns, and leading Duke to its first-ever 10-win season.
Wide receiver Jamison Crowder (5 catches, 54 yards, 2 TD’s) was the recipient of Boone’s two scoring strikes while place kicker Ross Martin kicked two field goals, including the winning convert, a 27-yard boot that secured the win for the Blue Devils late in the fourth quarter.
“They are good football players,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said when talking of his players’ talent and character.
“We’ve got some better players than people might think; some good athletes, some good speed, good ball skills. We’ve got a lot of weapons. We’ve got weapons in the kicking game, we’ve got weapons on defense, and we’ve got weapons on offense But all that said, the reason they’re Coastal Division champions is (about) who they are.”
As one of college football’s marquee rivalry matchups for the day, the game’s implications truly enhanced the excitement of the outcome.
It was a game that had both teams fairly evenly matched from quarter to quarter as they executed a combined 157 plays and put together over 900 yards of offense.
However, it was the second and fourth periods in particular that highlighted the game’s most poignant moments when Martin and safety DeVon Edwards made the difference for Duke.
With the score tied 7-7 to begin the second quarter, UNC punter Tommy Hibbard (4 punts, 3 In20) landed the ball at the one-yard line after Crowder waved off catching it, and forced Boone to start Duke’s drive at the two-yard line, the point where the kick ended out of bounds.
As Boone orchestrated a methodical 17-play, 95-yard drive toward the Tar Heels end zone just over eight minutes later, it was Martin who kicked a 22-yard field goal that put the Blue Devils ahead 10-7 with 6:31 to play in the quarter.
North Carolina didn’t panic and proceeded to take its first lead of the game, 15-10, when quarterback Marquise Williams (17-36, 2 INT, 223 yards/16 rushes, 104 yards, 2 TD’s) ran the ball in for his second rushing touchdown of the game.
That play was followed by a faked PAT-turned-successful two-point conversion from Hibbard that caught the Blue Devils defense off-guard.
The crowd cheered loudly as the Tar Heels had swung the game’s momentum to their favor.
However, the cheers were quickly silenced on the next play of the game.
On the ensuing kickoff return, Edwards caught and ran the ball back for 99 yards and put the Blue Devils back in the lead, 17-15, just 11 seconds later.
“It was huge,” Cutcliffe said of the play.
“We felt good. Comin’ in we knew they were a great return team. A lot had been said about that. We felt like we’re a great return team. We got DeVon, we got Jamison – we thought we could get one in one phase of the game, and certainly got one there in the kickoff return.”
Starting the second half with the two-point lead, Duke linebacker Kelby Brown (7 tackles, 1 INT) came up with a quick interception during North Carolina’s drive after tight end Eric Ebron (5 catches, 121 yards) bobbled the ball at midfield.
An eventual 32-yard reception by Isaac Blakeney , his lone catch of the day, put Duke at the UNC five-yard line and set up their next scoring play as Boone scrambled right before finding Crowder open again in the back of the end zone.
Crowder’s catch extended his lead as the ACC’s current receptions leader and put Duke ahead 24-15 with 12:08 to play in the third quarter.
Even though the Tar Heels offense got stuck at the Duke 41-yard line as Williams aired out four consecutive passes that didn’t connect with a receiver and turned the ball over to the Blue Devils, North Carolina’s defense limited Duke’s possession time and helped to set up its next scoring drive.
As Duke turned the ball back over after four unproductive downs, the Tar Heels put together a seven-play, 64-yard drive that Williams completed with a strike to Quinshad Davis (2 catches, 32 yards, 1 TD) in the end zone.
Davis’ catch brought North Carolina back to within two points, trailing Duke 24-22 with 5:10 remaining in the quarter.
Still trailing at the start the fourth quarter, Hibbard placed another kick inside the Duke five-yard line that forced Boone to work the ball up the middle as running backs Shaquille Powell (9 rushes, 57 yards) and Jela Duncan (9 rushes, 28 yards) put reps in to keep moving the drive forward.
However, Duke was forced to eventually punt and UNC got the ball back on its own 32-yard line.
Sitting at first-and-20 to go after a personal foul call, the Tar Heels got a break after a personal foul for a horse-collar tackle was whistled on Duke’ leading tackler on the day, safety Jeremy Cash (13 tackles).
The new set of downs allowed Williams to lead the Tar Heels toward Duke’s end of the field and set up a successful 37-yard field goal attempt by Thomas Moore (1-1 FG) that gave North Carolina the lead back again, 25-24 with 7:03 to play in the game.
On Duke’s next drive, a 29-yard rush by Duncan helped Boone and the offense to keep the chains moving into the red zone.
As backup quarterback Brandon Connette (4 rushes, 9 yards) entered the game in an attempt to help Duke retake the lead, the Tar Heels defense held up both of his rushes, and forced the Blue Devils to bring Martin in to kick a 27-yard field goal, the eventual game-winner, with 2:22 to play.
Trailing 27-25, Williams led North Carolina’s final offensive drive to the Duke 49-yard line with under a minute to play.
As the North Carolina pivot attempted a pass while being hurried by the Blue Devils’ Jordan Dewalt-Ondijo (1 tackle, 1 QBH), it was Edwards who got a hold of the ball and made the game-clinching interception with 13 seconds remaining to seal the victory for the Blue Devils.
“The first thing I thought of was how great it was,” Cutcliffe said of looking back on the moment when Edwards made the defensive catch.
“He’s such a nice and good young man; how great a moment is that for him? That’s the first thing that went through my mind. He is such a humble person and how great that moment must be for him.”
After exceptional performances that have contributed to Duke’s success during the latter part of the season, it’s not surprising that his teammates have now dubbed Edwards as Mr. November.
Though Cutcliffe hadn’t talked to Edwards about the play since the euphoria of winning the game overtook everyone on the field, the young, impressionable player kept it pretty simple when talking about his recent play.
“I just go out and play football,” Edwards stated simply.
“Coaches – they help me out, they give me tips every time and tell me what’s gonna’ be there and what’s not gonna’ be there, and what I’m doin’ wrong. I just go out and try to fix it and do better.”