Having won only a single game in its previous 21 meetings against North Carolina, Duke hoped to use the season finale to reignite an on-field rivalry with the Tar Heels and head into the offseason on a high note.
After being bowled over 24-19 on Saturday by a high-powered North Carolina offense, however, the Blue Devils ended a disappointing season knowing there is much room for improvement in 2011.
“We got whipped,” head coach David Cutcliffe said, “in probably every sense of the word.”
On a cold night in Wallace Wade Stadium, it was Duke (3-9, 1-7 in the ACC) which would strike first, but North Carolina (7-5, 4-4) quickly answered back. On their second drive of the game, the Blue Devils went 45 yards after turning the Tar Heels over on downs, and a nine yard toss from quarterback Sean Renfree to Austin Kelly made it 7-0 Duke.
It was all Anthony Elzy from there.
The senior running back rushed six times for 28 yards and caught two passes from quarterback T.J. Yates in a 94-yard Tar Heel drive to even the score at seven. On North Carolina’s next drive, Elzy was featured in nine more plays, and the Tar Heels converted a 25-yard field goal to make the score 10-7. Right after halftime, Elzy starred in an 80-yard drive that ended in a 5-yard Josh Adams touchdown reception. With an offensive line that dwarfed Duke’s defensive front, North Carolina head coach Butch Davis called plays that pounded the Blue Devils on the ground, and Duke simply could not provide an answer offensively.
“We ran for over 250 yards, protected the QB really well, moved the pocket some which certainly helped T.J. We got production out of every single group,” Davis said.
With his 116 yards on 23 carries, Elzy became the fourth different Tar Heel running back to rush for over 100 yards against Duke in the past four years. Though Elzy only managed one touchdown run against the Blue Devils, his ability to knife through the defensive line and extend North Carolina’s offensive possessions helped to keep a bruised Duke defense on the field for over 39 minutes.
To make matters worse for the Blue Devils, the Tar Heels converted on 11-of-17 third down plays, including many deep inside their own territory. In the third and fourth quarters alone, North Carolina found the necessary yardage on third down seven times, as an overmatched Duke defensive line simply could not pressure Yates, and the senior quarterback was allowed all the time he needed to pick out his receivers.
In the third quarter, the Blue Devils cut the Tar Heels’ lead to seven after a Will Snyderwine field goal, but a drive taking up 5:48 on the clock would swing the momentum back in North Carolina’s favor. With third down completions to Ryan Taylor and Christian Wilson, as well as a 35-yard pass to Dwight Jones, Yates coolly led the Tar Heels’ offense up the field. Shaun Draughn’s three-yard scamper on the next play gave North Carolina a two-touchdown advantage with just over 11 minutes remaining.
“Dwight made some big plays, and his 11 catches a lot of times bailed us out,” Davis said of Jones, who had 121 receiving yards on the day.
The Blue Devils made it interesting after Charlie Hatcher dropped Draughn in the endzone for a safety, setting up a drive which ended with a two-yard touchdown run from quarterback Brandon Connette to pull Duke within five, but North Carolina’s ability to sustain long possessions would doom the upset bid.
Though Duke forced a third down on the ensuing Tar Heel offensive series, Elzy’s easy two-yard run on third-and-1 extended the drive and forced Cutcliffe to burn his remaining timeouts. When the Blue Devils eventually got the ball back with just 56 seconds remaining, Renfree could not engineer a game-winning drive with 76 yards to cover.
Duke’s season ended not with a bang, but with a six-yard completion over the middle to Austin Kelly.
“You can always guarantee it’s going to be a close game when you go against a rival like UNC. It’s a lot of emotion and a lot of intensity going into the game, and a lot of preparation,” safety Matt Daniels said. “We gave it our all like we always do, but you know, close only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes.”
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