CHAPEL HILL -- For the 12th straight season, the victory bell will toll in the streets of Chapel Hill.
The bell, which is awarded to the winner of the 88-year rivalry, has become virtually a myth to Dukies, as it has not been seen in Durham since the days when Steve Spurrier was head coach. Following a 52-17 loss Saturday at the hands of the Tar Heels, Duke and its football team will have to wait at least one more season before the bell, baby blue painted stand and all, returns to Durham.
The end result was the same as it has been for Duke's last 22 contests, but for most of the first half and a few moments in the second half, the Blue Devils were playing the Tar Heels closely--despite the loss of All-ACC tight end Mike Hart to an ankle injury.
Hart, who had been ACC player of the week the last two weeks, went down in the first half with a bum ankle and will undergo season-ending surgery today.
"We are obviously disappointed for Mike to have his playing career at Duke end this way," Duke coach Carl Franks said. "He has had both an outstanding season and career, and we wish him the best in his recovery from this injury."
Despite Hart's injury, the Blue Devils were still close for over half the game. North Carolina struck blood first, scoring on two early possessions. On both drives, the Tar Heels made big gains on third down that resulted in scores.
However, Duke quickly struck back as D. Bryant hit Ben Erdeljac for 49 yards on third-and-12, and the Blue Devils eventually scored when running back Chris
The two teams traded punts for most of the uneventful second half, and it appeared as if the defenses would stalemate the offenses for a while. The Blue Devils were stuffing North Carolina by constantly blitzing up the middle, while Duke's offensive line was collapsing like a house of cards under the pressure of the Tar Heel defense.
Both styles were eliminating the run--Douglas had 19 yards at the half, and UNC tailback Willie Parker was limited to 34 yards. But the Tar Heels still went into the locker room with a 24-10 lead.
"What they were doing, they were just ripping us up front," Franks said. "That's the best way I can describe it. We still had enough chances and enough plays, but we weren't able to generate enough of a running game to give us a better chance of throwing the ball."
Duke came out firing in the second half, getting the first UNC punt at the Carolina 39, and taking it all the way for a touchdown to bring the game to 24-17. For a moment, it looked as if the tide was turning, and despite losing Hart the Blue Devils would make a game out of it.
However, Carolina quickly answered, using the Blue Devils' own medicine against them--reading the inside blitz and running outside pitches and screens for monster gains. They scored 21 points in the third quarter, and by the end it seemed as if everyone was getting in on the action for UNC. The Tar Heels had 560 yards of total offense, and had seven different players find the endzone.
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On the defensive side, North Carolina also took over, dominating the run almost as much as it did in the first half. Duke, on the other hand, collapsed under pressure, and the Tar Heels got more than 100 yards in the second half. In the end, UNC had ended its two-game skid, while for the Blue Devils, the result was the same as it has been most of the season--a gargantuan loss.
"It was really good to win again--it seemed like those last two weeks would take forever," Bunting said. "Our team is very happy--I'm very happy. My hat's off to Duke. They came out here and played hard, they've been doing that all year. Our guys responded very well, particularly in the second half, which was important to us--to come out and play well in the second half. They closed the gap, and we just took off from there."
The tale-of-two-halves theme was fairly typical for Duke, and is something Franks keeps talking about overcoming. He'll have his last chance for a win on the season when the Blue Devils face Clemson Dec. 1 in Death Valley, S.C., in a make-up game from the Sept. 11 attacks. Regardless, his third straight loss to his archrival since becoming head coach still hurts for the former Blue Devil tight end.
"It's always tough losing to Carolina," Franks said. "Beating Carolina in every sport you're playing is important."
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