For the first time in 25 years, the Victory Bell could spend a third-straight year in Durham.
No. 25 Duke will face North Carolina Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Wallace Wade Stadium in the 67th edition of the fight for the Victory Bell. As has been the case the past two years, there will be a lot on the line for both squads. The Blue Devils will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing home loss to Virginia Tech and maintain their spot atop the ACC Coastal Division, and the Tar Heels will be aiming for bowl eligibility.
"It's the same pressure we had last year, same situation," redshirt senior quarterback Anthony Boone said. "Really we just have to go out there and handle our business. We've got to go out and have fun.... We've got to enjoy playing for the first time ever on a Thursday night."
From a historical perspective, Thursday's game will carry more weight than the obvious postseason implications. Duke (8-2, 4-2 in the ACC) will be going for its first three-peat in the series since the 1987-1989 stretch, during which Steve Spurrier was head coach.
And considering the scope of the rivalry and the fact that the past two games have been decided by a combined five points, this year's tilt will be televised by ESPN in prime time, marking the first time since Duke's 43-7 victory against Army Sept. 15, 1994 that the Blue Devils will take the field at home on a Thursday night.
"[Duke's] a program that has earned that opportunity," head coach David Cutcliffe said. "A lot of players that really actually put a lot into it before the guys that are currently on this team. I think the University is excited about it. It's a good way to give this great institution some great exposure, but another chance for us to play in a prime-time national television spot never hurts."
It will be in the prime-time slot that the Blue Devils will look to prove to a national viewing audience that they are among the best 25 teams in the country.
Just a week removed from an explosive 17-point fourth quarter performance at Syracuse, Duke could not match that total in last Saturday's loss, amassing just 16 points. Although they remained in the AP top 25, the defeat cost the Blue Devils their spot in the College Football Playoff rankings, and many pointed toward the poor showing from the offense as cause of the upset.
The game against Virginia Tech was Duke's worst offensive performance of the season since its 22-10 road loss to Miami Sept. 27. Boone was just 18-of-40 for 181 yards and two interceptions against the Hokies and failed to establish any sort of a rhythm with his receivers. The loss marked the first time since the matchup against the Hurricanes that Duke failed to score through the air and left many questioning the offense's ability.
"What we didn't do last week, we left a lot of points and yards on the field where we miscued on some throws," Cutcliffe said. "We've got to continue to have the ability to run the ball, but we've got to make some plays in the passing game."
Thursday night should provide the perfect opportunity for the Blue Devil offense to bounce back.
North Carolina (5-5, 3-3) enters the game as the fourth-worst team in the nation in both scoring defense and total yards allowed per game and have allowed at least 27 points in all six ACC of its contests this season.
The leader in the offensive charge for the Blue Devils will be Jamison Crower, who has been North Carolina's Achilles' heel in the past two contests, catching the game-winning touchdown in 2012 and scoring twice in last year's 27-25 victory.
Although Crowder has not put up the same eye-popping numbers that he did in 2013—he finished the year with 108 catches for 1,360 yards and eight touchdowns, which is nearly double the 64 grabs, 767 yards and four scores he currently has now—the senior has still proved himself to be an explosive threat. If history holds true, Crowder should have one final memorable performance to cap his career against the Tar Heels.
But Duke will have to depend on more than just a big performance from Crowder if it hopes to claim victory Thursday—namely its stingy defense.
The Blue Devils allow just 18.1 points per game, good for 11th in the nation. In its only shootout of the season—a 51-48 double-overtime victory at Pittsburgh—Duke's defense still managed to come up big, stuffing the Panthers on three consecutive plays in the second overtime period to force a field goal. Against a potent Tar Heel attack that averages 35.9 points per game, the Blue Devils will be looked upon to step up and stifle North Carolina.
"They have a cast around [quarterback] Marquise Williams that is exceptional," Cutcliffe said. "Their offensive line is healthier than they've been. They've had problems there, and they've settled that end and settled that down. He's a great player at quarterback."
If the Blue Devil defense can bottle up Williams and North Carolina's offense, then Duke students should hear one thing above the construction come Friday morning: the ring of the Victory Bell.
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