DURHAM, N.C. — Peyton Jones ran 20 yards for a touchdown as Duke took its first lead with 5:42 remaining, Star Thomas scored two touchdowns and the Blue Devils rallied from a 20-point deficit to defeat rival North Carolina 21-20 in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams on Saturday.
Thomas rushed for 166 yards and Maalik Murphy threw for a touchdown and 209 yards.
The Blue Devils (5-0) snapped a six-game losing streak in the series, beating their neighbors for the first time since 2018. Tre Freeman’s interception with 25 seconds left clinched the outcome. Shortly afterward, fans rushed onto the field to celebrate and reclaim the Victory Bell.
It was a signature victory for first-year coach Manny Diaz, a former assistant at Texas under current North Carolina coach Mack Brown.
The Tar Heels (3-2) lost for the second week in a row despite Jacolby Criswell’s two touchdown passes and running back Omarion Hampton’s 103 rushing yards.
Trailing 20-0, the first Duke touchdown came when Thomas finished a 29-yard pass in the end zone in the third quarter. His 2-yard touchdown run on the fourth play of the fourth quarter allowed Duke to close within 20-14.
North Carolina’s defense, which was shredded for a large portion of the points allowed in a 70-50 home loss to James Madison a week earlier, yielded 97 first-half yards of total offense. The Tar Heels led 17-0 at the break.
In the second half, Duke didn’t take a snap until nearly the first seven minutes of the third quarter had elapsed because of an odd sequence. The Blue Devils blocked a North Carolina punt, but the ball went beyond the line of scrimmage and was mishandled by the Blue Devils. The Tar Heels recovered for a fresh set of downs and went on to score on Noah Burnette’s 37-yard field goal for the 20-0 edge.
Duke came closest to scoring in first half when Todd Pelino’s 47-yard field goal bounced off the right upright in the final minute.
The Takeaway
North Carolina: The Tar Heels did better defensively, but this will be a difficult result to understand. It was a chaotic week for the team after Brown apologized for his reaction to the James Madison loss and North Carolina players were kept off limits from the media.
Duke: The Blue Devils picked up 297 yards in the second half and had just enough clutch plays to pull out a victory despite going 2-for-14 on third down. Duke’s defense has been strong through the first month of the season and they buckled up in the second half.
Up Next
North Carolina: Home Saturday vs. Pitt
Duke: Saturday at Georgia Tech
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