And in the twenty-fourth game, the rain stopped falling on Duke's football program.
Playing in a steady downpour, the Blue Devils used a bruising rushing attack to dismantle East Carolina 23-16 on Saturday night, putting an end to the flood of losses that has clouded Head Coach Carl Franks' program since 1999.
Junior fullback Alex Wade led all rushers as he powered his way to a career high 109 yards behind a surprisingly dominant offensive line.
The story of the game, however, was Duke's defense, which held East Carolina to just 155 total yards--130 of which came in the air. The Blue Devils, under the guidance of new defensive coordinator Ted Roof, forced a fumble and a trio of interceptions that translated into 17 points for Duke.
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Duke came out of the gates early, scoring 20 unanswered points with a dual quarterback system behind sophomores Adam Smith and Chris Dapolito.
The first score came off an East Carolina fumble on their own 17 yard line. Duke placekicker Brent Garber kicked a 28 yard field goal to give Duke a lead it would never relinquish.
The Blue Devils added to their lead with 51 seconds left in the first quarter on a four yard dash by quarterback Chris Dapolito.
The momentum then swung for the Pirates, as they finally got on the scoreboard with a touchdown and field goal. They continued their rally into the third quarter, scoring on their first possession of the second half on a 9 play, 65 yard drive.
Duke held on to its 20 to 16 lead into the fourth quarter as Duke students continued to pour into Wallace Wade stadium.
The Blue Devils began utilizing the clock, putting the ball in the hands of Wade, who carried the ball nine consecutive times on its final scoring drive, resulting in a 41 yard field goal that extended Duke's lead to seven.
As the game clock wound down, Duke's students rushed onto the field and tore down both goalposts in both celebration of their team's achievements, and of frustration for two years of disappointment and mockery from the national media.
Duke's students hoisted the goalposts on their shoulders and marched to the steps of its most prominent symbol--the Chapel. At its doors the students gathered, chanting, "Undefeated! Undefeated!"
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