Five observations and more from Duke's first half against North Carolina

The Blue Devils head into the locker room leading 35-28 in an offensive shootout at Wallace Wade Stadium against rival North Carolina. Here are our five observations and more from the first half.

Five Observations

1. Daniel Jones had one of the most effective and efficient halves of his career at quarterback for Duke, throwing three touchdown passes and finishing the half with 233 passing yards. He has completed passes of at least 25 yards to four different receivers, as the Blue Devils are killing North Carolina's secondary with explosive plays.
2. Duke's run defense struggled out of the gates with All-ACC linebacker Joe Giles-Harris sidelined by an MCL injury. The Tar Heels ran the ball straight down the field for touchdowns on their first two drives, as the Blue Devils had no answer for sophomore Michael Carter, who already has 115 rushing yards. Two weeks ago, Duke allowed 484 rushing yards in a loss to Pittsburgh, and North Carolina has a good chance to top that.
3. Redshirt senior wide receiver Chris Taylor made his biggest play of the season on the Blue Devils' first possession, catching a third-down pass, shrugging off a tackle near midfield and sprinting down the left sideline for a 52-yard touchdown. He nearly made an even longer play later in the first quarter, but was called for pass interference when his defender fell to the ground to negate a 54-yard touchdown catch.
4. Penalties have been costly for the Tar Heels' defensive backfield as well. They were whistled for a holding penalty on Duke's third touchdown drive and then got two defensive pass interference calls to help the Blue Devils to their fourth touchdown.
5. Both defenses looked lost for most of the fast-paced half. The Blue Devils turned the game into their favor with two consecutive stops to help take a 21-14 lead, but could not capitalize on a gift dropped touchdown pass as the Tar Heels marched back down the field to tie it up at 21 just five minutes into the second quarter and tied it again at 28 with an explosive touchdown run.

By the Numbers

• 11.3 yards per carry for North Carolina: When the Tar Heels run the ball, they pick up a first down more often than not, using their speed to burst through holes and beat Duke's defensive front to the edges.
• 7-for-9 on third-down conversions for Duke: The Blue Devils have demoralized North Carolina's defense with several clutch completions on third down to extend scoring drives, and two of their three touchdowns have come on third down.
• 113 rushing yards for Daniel Jones: Duke's quarterback has not just done damage through the air. Jones also finished the half as the Blue Devils' leading rusher and had a lightning-fast 61-yard touchdown run to put them in front 35-28 with 16 seconds left.

A moment that mattered

After Duke scored to take a 28-21 lead, North Carolina started its ensuing possession backed up to its own 16-yard line after a holding penalty on the kickoff. The poor field position didn't matter. On the Tar Heels' first play of the drive, Dazz Newsome took a handoff outside the tackles, found a hole on the left side and no Blue Devil defender could catch him as he ran 84 yards for a touchdown.