UNC Football: Blue Devils outlast Tar Heels in Durham
Tar Heels lose to Duke in Durham, drop sixth straight game
It was the same old song and dance in Durham on Saturday afternoon when North Carolina dropped its sixth consecutive game, and eighth of the season.
The one-win Tar Heels were hot out of the gates, scoring 28 points against Duke in the first half. It didn’t take long, though, for things to go south in the second half.
After going into halftime facing a mere seven-point deficit, the North Carolina offense couldn’t get anything to work against the Blue Devils in the third quarter. Duke extended its lead to 14 before North Carolina scored a touchdown in garbage time, closing the gap to just seven points.
North Carolina junior quarterback Nathan Elliott connected on 27-of-41 passes on the day for 221 yards and one touchdown. It was his fifth game of the season with at least 200 yards through the air.
The Tar Heels were terrific on the ground against the Blue Devils, rushing 37 times for 315 yards and four touchdowns. Michael Carter got the majority of the workload for the Tar Heels, rushing 18 times for 148 yards and a touchdown. Dazz Newsome carried the ball once on a nifty play that went for 84 yards and a score, while Javonte Williams and Anthony Ratliff-Williams had a touchdown a piece.
UNC senior wide receiver Thomas Jackson caught the Tar Heels’ only touchdown pass of the day on a 13-yard strike with time winding down in the fourth. It was his first touchdown catch of the season, and seventh of his career.
Duke junior quarterback Daniel Jones connected on 31-of-54 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns. He also carried the ball 15 times for 186 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running back Deon Jackson carried the ball 17 times for 78 yards and a touchdown, and Chris Taylor caught four passes for 95 yards and a score.
The 1-8 Tar Heels will return home next Saturday to take on the Western Carolina Catamounts in their penultimate game of the season.