Duke wins ACC championship in OT
CHARLOTTE – Because of course this ACC championship had to be the first one to go into overtime.
Duke took an extra period to beat Virginia 27-20 in overtime on Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium.
Discussion of what this means for Duke and a possible College Football Playoff berth, or the possibility of the ACC being shut out of the CFP, will engulf Sunday.
For tonight, Duke (8-5) is atop the ACC. It’s the program’s first ACC championship since 1989 and it’s the first outright ACC crown since 1962.
Duke took the ball first in overtime and Jeremiah Hasley caught a 1-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal from Darian Mensah.
UVA’s possession started at the 40 because of a roughing-the-passer penalty. Chandler Morris was intercepted by Luke Mergott on the first play.
The Blue Devils never trailed and created some separation in the fourth quarter after their only takeaway of the game. Caleb Weaver made a diving interception at Virginia’s 33-yard line, and the Blue Devils got a 23-yard field goal by Todd Pelino to go up 20-10.
UVA came back with a 50-yard drive but settled for a field goal, just getting the deficit back to a touchdown.
Duke took over with 3:54 left and got the clock under 2 minutes before giving it back to UVA. From the 4-yard line, UVA drove 96 yards in 10 plays and tied the game with an 18-yard pass to Eli Wood with 22 seconds left.
The only scoring of the third quarter was both teams kicking a field goal each. That sent the game to the fourth quarter with Duke leading 17-10.
Duke chewed up about two-thirds of the first quarter with the game’s opening drive.
The Blue Devils went 75 yards on 16 plays to open the game. That swallowed 9 minutes, 38 seconds off the clock — the longest scoring drive of Duke’s season and the longest of any ACC championship. It ended with tight end Jeremiah Hasley scoring on a 12-yard catch and run.
The Cavaliers missed a field goal on their first drive. But two plays later, Darian Mensah was intercepted — the first time an ACC team picked him off this season — and UVA had a 23-yard drive that ended with an 11-yard touchdown catch and run by J’Mari Taylor.
Duke responded with another marathon drive, 75 yards on 13 plays. It was extended with a 6-yard run by defensive end Kevin O’Connor on a fake punt. There was also a fourth-and-1 conversion when Anderson Castle busted through for a 3-yard gain.
Nate Sheppard capped that drive with a 16-yard touchdown run, keeping his balance and accelerating when it looked like he was stopped behind the line.
