Leaping into the air, Duke defensive tackle Casey Camero batted down a Connor Barth field goal attempt with 1:38 remaining in the first quarter. Blue Devil fans raised their hands in excitement as cornerback Kenneth Stanford scooped up the ball and ran untouched for a 70-yard touchdown. When the successful extra-point attempt put the Blue Devils ahead 10-7, Duke fans seemed to hear echoes of the Victory Bell ringing in the stands.
As the game progressed, however, Blue Devil hopes were silenced.
In the final regular-season game North Carolina (7-5, 6-3 in the ACC) defeated Duke 40-17 in Wallace Wade Stadium Saturday, reclaiming the Victory Bell from the Blue Devils. Repainting the bell immediately after the game, the Tar Heels also celebrated achieving bowl eligibility as well as their first winning season in two years.
Although Duke (2-10, 1-8) was able to remain competitive during the first half, the Tar Heels' overpowering rushing game eventually broke the contest open against a tired Duke defensive front. North Carolina outscored Duke 20-0 after the break, and Blue Devil miscues stunted the team's momentum.
"They just controlled the ball," said Duke senior linebacker Giuseppe Aguanno, who finished his career with an 8-39 record. "They took advantage of their strong running game, and as a defense we didn't tackle very well."
Ahead by three going into halftime, North Carolina took control during its first second-half drive. With the ball at the Tar Heel 36, UNC tailback Ronnie McGill evaded the Blue Devil defense, hugging the sideline for a 47-yard gain before Stanford forced him out of bounds. Facing third-and-three at the Duke 10, quarterback Darian Durant shot a sharp pass to wide receiver Jarwarski Pollock, who dodged a tackle and scampered into the Blue Devil end zone to increase the Tar Heel lead to 10.
"At the end of the first half we took it down and scored and gained some momentum, hoping to come out in the second half and establish something offensively to keep the momentum," Duke head coach Ted Roof said. "But we traded punts and then they were able to stick one in after that."
Duke looked as if it would quickly close the gap after a 30-yard Ronnie Drummer run gave Duke first-and-10 on the 50. A holding penalty followed by a errant snap that sailed over quarterback Mike Schneider's head left the Blue Devils with second-and-32. Duke ultimately had to punt, stalling the drive and its own comeback effort.
A second Duke turnover produced North Carolina's final touchdown. Late in the fourth quarter, Tar Heel free safety Kareen Taylor picked off quarterback Schneider at the North Carolina 36-yard line. Taylor outran the Duke offense to tally the 64-yard touchdown.
"They just ended up winning the game in the second half," Roof said.
Although North Carolina sealed the victory in the second half, the Tar Heels established their running game in the first two minutes, scoring off tailback Chad Scott's 21-yard end zone push. Scott gained all of the opening drive's 53 yards and 144 total on the day.
The Blue Devil offense struck back, bringing the ball in range for a Matt Brooks 51-yard field goal, which came on the heels of Brooks' game-winning 53-yarder against Clemson last week.
Duke executed its last scoring success with less than a minute left in the second quarter when Schneider sent a quick lateral to tailback Justin Boyle. Boyle rushed six yards into the UNC end zone, and the extra point brought the score to 20-17 at the half.
"We were feeling pretty good at halftime. We just scored and were getting the ball, and then we just couldn't play off that momentum," Aguanno said.
Ted Roof has finished his first full campaign with a frustrating loss that mirrored Duke's season. North Carolina outplayed the Blue Devils for most of the game, but as has been the case at numerous other points, Duke was unable to capitalize on chances to take advantage of its opponent.
For a group of seniors, the loss ends a tumultuous Duke career that included a mid-season coaching change and a winless first season. "I'm so proud of this group. They left this program in better shape than they found it and that's what everybody likes to see," Roof said. "With some of the tough times we've had, they could've shut it down, but they didn't. They always stayed in and kept fighting. But now we have to get back to work. We have to get going with our off-season program and just keep developing."
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