UNC Drops Home Finale To Duke, Will Finish Season Below .500

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The Tar Heels couldn’t secure the Victory Bell for the second straight year. North Carolina lost to Duke on Saturday in Kenan Stadium, falling to 4-7 with a 32-25 defeat in its home finale. The loss secures UNC below .500 for the year.

Chippiness was palpable, with both teams getting penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct on Saturday. Other brief skirmishes took place on kickoffs, particularly early in the game.

Both teams scored touchdowns on their opening drives. Duke controlled the time of possession in the first half, 18-12. The Blue Devils had drives of 10 plays, 13 plays and 14 plays in the first half, leading 17-10 at halftime.

Trailing by six late in the third, North Carolina went for a nine-play, 91-yard drive that leaked into the fourth quarter and ended in a 12-yard touchdown run by Davion Gause to put the team ahead by one. The score marked the second time all season that UNC took a lead after trailing earlier in the game.

Duke caught the Tar Heels off guard late in the fourth quarter. Seemingly lining up for a go-ahead field goal, the Blue Devils ran a fake, as punter Kade Reynoldson flipped the ball to kicker Todd Pelino, who ran 26 yards to UNC’s 1-yard line. The play set up a go-ahead touchdown for Anderson Castle, and the two-point conversion sealed the victory for Duke.

Penalties clipped the Tar Heels on Saturday, as 12 penalties cost them 107 yards on both sides of the ball combined.

North Carolina will finish the regular season next Saturday on the road against N.C. State. The Tar Heels will look to snap a four-game losing streak to the Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium. N.C. State enters next week’s game with a 6-5 record.