North Carolina at Duke

North Carolina at Duke

This is Missed It. North Carolina at Duke, Saturday, October seventeenth, with the Tar Heels. 56 and overcast at Wallace Wade Stadium, wind 14 miles an hour. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a rivalry game, and we're on the road. North Carolina comes in at three and two, Duke at four and one. They've got the better record, but we've got the ball first, and that's all we need to know. This is about keeping pace in the conference race, about proving we're better than our record says. The crowd is loud, the stakes are clear, and we're ready to go.

Q1

We start with the football, and we don't waste any time. On the very first play, Edwards Jr. drops back and finds Kekahuna over the middle. He catches it at our own 27 and takes it 26 yards to the 42. First down, and the tone is set. We're moving. The drive stalls a bit after that, but we're not leaving empty-handed. Verhoff lines up for a 28-yard field goal, and it's good. Three to nothing, and we've drawn first blood. Duke gets the ball, and our defense does what it does. Five plays, and they're punting it right back to us. We've got the momentum, and we're not letting go. Then comes the moment. Edwards Jr. drops back, looks short middle, and finds Shipp. Shipp catches it at the goal line, five yards out, and he's in. Touchdown. Verhoff's kick is good, and just like that it's ten to nothing. The sideline is electric. We came to play. Duke gets another chance, and again, five plays and a punt. They can't do anything with us. We're dominating both sides of the ball. And then we put together a drive that just grinds them down. Fifteen plays. We're chewing clock, we're moving the chains, and we're wearing them out. It carries over into the second quarter, and June takes a handoff up the middle. Four yards, and he's in. Touchdown. Verhoff adds the extra point, and it's seventeen to nothing. We've got them on the ropes. This is exactly how you want to start a rivalry game on the road.

Q2

Duke needs an answer, and they start to find one. Eget completes a pass to Burton for 28 yards, out to our 44. First down, and they're breathing. Then Campbell Jr. takes a rush left and rips off 33 yards down to our 11. The crowd is getting into it. They're knocking on the door. But our defense digs in. They push all the way down to our two-yard line, and on fourth down, Campbell Jr. tries again. Nothing. Zero yards. Turnover on downs. We hold them at the goal line, and the roar from our sideline is deafening. That's a stand that can win a game. We take over, but it goes wrong in a hurry. Edwards Jr. throws short left to Shipp. He catches it at our 10, gains four yards, and then it happens. The ball comes out. Fumbled at our eight, forced by Loud, recovered by Pellicciotta. He scoops it up and returns it nine yards for the touchdown. The review comes in, and the call is upheld. Just like that, it's seventeen to seven. We need to answer. We move the ball a bit, seven plays, but we can't sustain it and we punt. Duke takes over, and Eget finds Sheppard for 23 yards out to their 48. They're moving again. But our defense holds, and they punt it back. We get one more chance before the half. Eight plays, but we can't get anything going. Punt. Duke takes over with under a minute left, runs out the clock, and that's the half. Seventeen to seven. We're up, but that fumble changed everything. It gave them life, and we can't let them keep it.

Halftime

Seventeen to seven at the break, and it should feel better than it does. We came out and dominated the first quarter, took a seventeen-point lead, and then we gave them a gift. The fumble by Shipp, forced by Loud, recovered and returned for a touchdown. That's the play that turned the half. We were in control, and then we weren't. The defense has been outstanding. They held Duke on downs at the two-yard line. But we can't keep handing them points. We need to come out in the second half, protect the football, and put this game away. The lead is real, but it's not safe. Not against them.

Q3

Duke gets the ball to start the half, and they go to work. They put together a long, grinding drive. Twenty plays. They're eating clock and moving the chains. Sheppard takes a rush left for 13 yards down to our five. First and goal. But our defense bends without breaking, and they have to settle for a field goal. Seventeen to ten. The lead is down to seven. We need an answer. Edwards Jr. finds Shipp for 14 yards, out to midfield. Then he hits Thurman for 12 yards, and a penalty on Duke moves us all the way down to their 11. We're in business. First and goal. And then it falls apart. McGill takes the handoff up the middle, gains two yards down to the nine, and the ball comes out. Fumbled, forced by Smith-Young, recovered by Smith-Young. Turnover. We were about to put this game away, and instead we give it right back. Duke takes over, and Eget finds Richardson for 24 yards. They're moving again. But our defense holds, and they turn it over on downs. We take over with almost no time left in the quarter, and we can't do anything with it. Four plays, and we turn it over on downs. Seventeen to ten, and it feels like we're hanging on.

The Sequence

This is where the game gets decided. Duke has the ball, and they're driving. Eget finds Richardson for 23 yards, down to our 22. They're in field goal range. They push it a little further, and they kick a field goal. Seventeen to thirteen. One score game. We take over, and June rushes for five yards. A penalty on Duke, unsportsmanlike conduct, gives us 15 more yards out to our 45. We're moving. But we can't finish. Six plays, and we turn it over on downs. We had a chance to put the game away, and we gave it back to them. Duke takes over, and they smell blood. Eget drops back, throws short left to Sheppard. Sheppard catches it at our nine, and he's in for the touchdown. Seven yards. The extra point is good, and just like that, we're losing. Seventeen to twenty. They've taken the lead with under five minutes to play. We need a response. We need something. We take over at our own 25, and we start to move. The clock is ticking, and we're driving. And then, with two minutes left, McGill takes the handoff. He rushes left, finds a seam, and he's gone. Twenty-four yards to the end zone. Touchdown. Verhoff's kick is good, and we've taken the lead back. Twenty-four to twenty. Duke gets the ball back with under two minutes to play. They drive. Eleven plays. They're moving, they're pushing, they're desperate. But our defense holds. They force a turnover, and we take over with 13 seconds left. One play, and the game is over. We win. Twenty-four to twenty.

Wrap-up

Final score, twenty-four to twenty. We win by four. We're four and two now, and so are they. We came into their house, fell behind in the fourth quarter, and found a way to win. That's what rivalry games are about. That's what this team is made of. We're right back in the race, and we're not going anywhere.

By the Numbers

The Tar Heels by the numbers. Final score, North Carolina 24, Duke 20. 326 yards of offense to their 373, 191 through the air and 135 on the ground. 22 first downs. 4 of 12 on third down. 2 turnovers for us, 1 for them. We held the ball for just under 29 minutes.

Outro

That was North Carolina at Duke, from the Tar Heels side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.

North Carolina at Duke

This is Missed It. North Carolina at Duke, Saturday, October seventeenth, with the Blue Devils. 56 and overcast at Wallace Wade Stadium, wind 14 miles an hour. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

Alright, Duke fans, here we go. It's North Carolina Tar Heels coming into our house, and they've got the ball first. North Carolina comes in at three and two, and we're sitting at four and one. This is a rivalry game, plain and simple, and it means everything to us right now. We've been rolling, and this is the kind of night that defines a season. The crowd is buzzing, the lights are on, and we've got sixty minutes of football ahead of us. Let's get after it.

Q1

The Tar Heels take the field first, and they waste no time trying to establish something. On their very first drive, Edwards Jr. drops back and finds Kekahuna over the middle, a short pass that turns into a 26-yard gain down to the North Carolina 42. Pellicciotta and Stone are right there, but the catch is made and the chains move. It's a statement early, and you can feel the tension in the air. They keep pushing, methodical, eating clock, and before we know it they're knocking on the door. Verhoff lines up for a 28-yard field goal, and it's good. Three nothing, Tar Heels. We take the ball, but we can't get anything going. Five plays and we're punting it right back. That's not how we wanted to start this one. North Carolina gets the ball back, and they're feeling it now. Edwards Jr. drops back again, and this time he finds Shipp in the end zone. A short pass over the middle, caught at the goal line, and it's a touchdown. The extra point is good, and just like that it's ten to nothing. The crowd goes quiet for a second, but we've been here before. We take the ball again, and again we can't sustain a drive. Five plays, punt. We need a stop, and we need one now. North Carolina is rolling. They put together a long, grinding drive, fifteen plays of pure patience. They're not throwing deep, they're not taking chances, they're just moving the chains and bleeding the clock. And then, at the end of it, June takes a handoff up the middle, four yards, and he's in the end zone. Touchdown. The extra point is good, and it's seventeen to nothing. That one stings. We're down three scores in the first half, and we haven't done a thing on offense. But the game isn't over, and we've got the ball coming out of the quarter.

Q2

We need something, anything, and we come out with a sense of urgency. Eget drops back and finds Burton on the right side, a 28-yard strike that gets us across midfield. The crowd starts to wake up. Then Campbell Jr. takes a handoff left, and he bursts through the line, 33 yards down to the North Carolina 11. This is it. This is the moment we've been waiting for. We're knocking on the door, first and goal, and the momentum is shifting. The place is loud, the Tar Heels are on their heels, and we've got a chance to cut this thing in half. But football is cruel. Campbell Jr. takes the handoff left again, and there's nowhere to go. Zero yards. The Tar Heels hold, and it's turnover on downs. We came all that way, drove 11 plays, and we've got nothing to show for it. The air goes out of the building, and you can feel the weight of it. Seventeen to nothing, and we let them off the hook. North Carolina takes over, and they're trying to run out the clock before the half. But then, out of nowhere, the play of the game. Edwards Jr. throws short left to Shipp, caught at the North Carolina 10, and he's trying to make something happen. But Loud strips the ball, it's loose, and Pellicciotta scoops it up at the North Carolina 9. He's got nothing but green in front of him, and he takes it to the house. Touchdown, Duke. The review comes in, and the call is upheld. Strange's kick is good, and just like that it's seventeen to seven. The building erupts. We're back in this thing. North Carolina tries to respond, but we hold them to a punt. We get the ball back with a little time, and Eget finds Sheppard for 23 yards, moving us into their territory. But we can't finish, and the half ends with us down ten. Seventeen to seven. We're not where we want to be, but we're not out of it either.

Halftime

Let's be honest, that first half was ugly for a while. Seventeen to nothing, and we couldn't get out of our own way. But that fumble recovery, the one where Loud forced it and Pellicciotta took it to the house, that changed everything. We went from a team that was getting pushed around to a team that believed. We're down ten at the break, and that's a lot better than it could have been. The defense has to keep making plays, and the offense has to find a way to finish drives. We left points on the board, and we can't afford to do that again. The second half is ours if we want it.

Q3

We get the ball to start the second half, and we come out with purpose. This drive is a marathon, twenty plays of grinding, physical football. Sheppard takes a handoff left and picks up 13 yards down to the North Carolina 5, and we're knocking on the door again. But we can't punch it in, and we settle for a field goal. Seventeen to ten. It's a start, but we need touchdowns, not field goals. North Carolina gets the ball back, and they're trying to answer. Edwards Jr. finds Shipp for 14 yards, and then Thurman for 12 more, and a personal foul on Smith moves them all the way down to our 11. They're in business, and this could be the dagger. But then, the defense steps up. McGill takes the handoff, and Smith-Young strips the ball. It's loose, and Smith-Young recovers it himself at the 9. Turnover, Duke. The crowd is on its feet, and we've got life. We take over, and Eget finds Richardson for 24 yards, moving us into their territory. But we can't sustain it, and we turn it over on downs. North Carolina takes over with no time left in the quarter, and we hold them to four plays and a turnover on downs of their own. The quarter ends with us down seven, and we've got the ball coming out of the break.

The Sequence

This is where the game gets decided. We take over at the start of the fourth, and we need to make something happen. Eget drops back and finds Richardson on the left side, 23 yards down to the North Carolina 22. The chains move, and we're driving. We chew up the clock, ten plays, and we get down to their territory. But again, we can't find the end zone, and we settle for a field goal. Seventeen to thirteen. We're within one score, and the pressure is on them now. North Carolina takes over, and June picks up 5 yards on the ground. But then Pellicciotta gets called for unsportsmanlike conduct, and it moves them 15 yards down to their 45. That's a killer, and they've got momentum. But our defense holds, and we force them to turn it over on downs. We've got the ball, and we're driving. Eget drops back, and he finds Sheppard on the left side, caught at the North Carolina 9, and he takes it in for the touchdown. Seven yards, and we've taken the lead. Twenty to seventeen, Duke. The extra point is good, and the building is shaking. We did it. We came all the way back from seventeen nothing, and we're on top. But North Carolina isn't done. They take over with four and a half minutes left, and they drive. Nine plays, and then McGill takes a handoff left, 24 yards, and he's in the end zone. Touchdown, North Carolina. The extra point is good, and it's twenty-four to twenty. Our hearts sink. We've got one minute and fifty-three seconds, and we need a touchdown. We take over, and we're desperate. Eget is slinging it, and we're moving. Eleven plays, and we're driving. But we can't finish, and we turn it over. North Carolina takes over with thirteen seconds left, and that's the game. Twenty-four to twenty.

Wrap-up

Final score, North Carolina 24, Duke 20. We came all the way back from seventeen nothing, took the lead, and then watched it slip away. We're four and two now, same as them. This one hurts, there's no other way to say it. We had our chances, and we couldn't finish. The rivalry continues, and we'll have to live with this one. But we're not done. We've got a season ahead of us, and we'll be back.

By the Numbers

The Blue Devils by the numbers. Final score, Duke 20, North Carolina 24. 373 yards of offense to their 326, 249 through the air and 124 on the ground. 19 first downs. 8 of 18 on third down. 1 turnover for us, 2 for them. We held the ball for just over 31 minutes.

Outro

That was North Carolina at Duke, from the Blue Devils side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.