UNC Football survives against Duke in double-overtime

It wasn’t pretty by any means, but the UNC football program found a way to survive against rival Duke in its final home game of the season.

Okay… where do we even start?!

In a game that felt like it should have been a blowout, the UNC football program found a way to hang on in double overtime.

North Carolina got on the board right away, as Drake Maye capped off a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a one-yard score on the Tar Heels opening drive.

From that point on, the storyline became a repeated one: the Tar Heels would get into the red zone and would be forced to settle for a field goal.

You know what they say, the longer you let an opponent stay in the game, the more likely it is for them to capitalize.

That’s exactly what Mike Elko and the Duke Blue Devils did.

Aided by some special teams’ blunders by the Tar Heels, Duke refused to go away. After taking the lead in the second quarter to erase a 12-point deficit in the fourth, the momentum certainly felt as if Duke was on the verge of winning this game.

Jordan Waters scored with 5:21 remaining in regulation. That touchdown gave Duke a 29-26 lead, but there was plenty of time for Maye and the Tar Heels offense to operate.

The key of the ensuing drive was a play the referees elected not to review, one that was HUGE for the UNC football program.

Bryson Nesbit appeared to have caught a jump ball type of pass, but seemed to have lost the ball to a defender prior to hitting the ground. The play stood as a completed pass (and a first down for the Tar Heels), as Nesbit would score a touchdown shortly after to give North Carolina the lead back.

Needing one stop, the Tar Heels defense couldn’t do it, as third-string quarterback Grayson Loftis drove Duke down the field 75 yards in just one minute and 14 seconds.

With 41 seconds remaining, Maye, who likely played in his final home game, had to get his team in field goal range and did just that. Noah Burnette (who we’ll talk more about shortly), connected on a 43-yard field goal to send the game into overtime.

After both teams settled for field goals in the first overtime period, North Carolina put the pressure on by scoring a touchdown to begin the second overtime. Having to go for two, Maye made another magician-type play, as he found a wide-open John Copenhaver to extend the lead to eight.

In fitting nature, Duke would score a touchdown on its drive, but their two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, securing the Victory Bell staying in Chapel Hill.

There is so much to digest from this game, but here are just a few quick notes (trust me, we’ll be talking about this one for quite some time):

-If it is the last time we see Maye compete at Kenan Stadium, what a performance we have to remember. The Tar Heels star quarterback threw for 342 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns (one passing, two rushing).

-Noah Burnette tied the school record for most field goals made in a single game (6). For a guy who wasn’t even the starting kicker to begin the season, Burnette has been outstanding since taking over the job.

-Omarion Hampton and Tez Walker- STUDS. Hampton had 169 rushing yards, while Walker accounted for 162 receiving yards in the victory.

-Red zone efficiency continues to be an issue, as this game could’ve been well out of hand if the Tar Heels could’ve found the end zone on those early drives.

-The defense is a MAJOR issue, something that quite frankly needs to be closely looked at over the next few weeks and into the offseason.

-Give credit to Duke- they were given the opportunity to hang around, and they did. Elko and his staff took some risks (like running a fake punt as well as onside kicking in the fourth quarter). Even though this is a game that could’ve gotten out of hand, it’s one that Duke should definitely feel as if they could’ve won.

This night is a lot to digest. The good news is that the Tar Heels found a way to get it done.

No matter what, a win against Duke is something we all will never take for granted.

The better blue prevailed on Saturday night.

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