Victory Bell At Stake In Will Hardy's Kenan Stadium Finale

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Three seasons ago, in his first quest for the Victory Bell, Will Hardy wasted no time embedding himself in the rivalry.

With two seconds left in Wallace Wade Stadium, Duke quarterback Riley Leonard’s pass glanced off the leaping right hand of North Carolina linebacker Noah Taylor. In UNC’s pursuit of a fourth straight win over the Blue Devils, true-freshman safety Hardy sprawled out at the Tar Heel 37-yard line to corral the deflection — and seal a 38-35 victory.

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“Finishing that one with the interception to seal it was a great memory – one that I cherish still to this day,” Hardy said reflecting on his time in the rivalry. “All three games I’ve been a part of have been really close and come down to the last play – and so you got to be ready for a close game and ready to fight it out because both these teams want to win so bad.” 

After another nail-biting UNC win in 2023, one that required double overtime, Duke finally brought the Victory Bell back to Durham last season—erasing a 20-0 third-quarter deficit to steal a 21-20 victory and end its five-year stay in Chapel Hill.

Saturday’s matchup gives Hardy and this year’s North Carolina team a chance at a rare moral victory in a season that has gone anything but how they had hoped.

“My first three years here, it spent time in this facility, painted Carolina blue, and so we want to get that back and keep it here,” Hardy said. “Get it back for the guys that are coming back next year and for recruits, just people at Carolina — that Victory Bell just looks better in this facility,” he added.

But beyond the bell, Saturday’s matchup — independent of the rivalry — will be special for Hardy, as it marks his last time in Kenan Stadium. 

“Want to go to that game and have no regrets in how you prepare and the way you play – so that’s throughout this week, is preparing at a level you’ve never prepared like and not having regrets in the way you do it,” Hardy said in regards to how he’s approaching last game in Chapel Hill.

Hardy has started all 10 games for the Tar Heels this season, amassing 41 tackles in addition to 61 punt return yards. 

Across his four seasons in Chapel Hill, Hardy has played in 49 out of 50 games for the Tar Heels, managing lingering shoulder and hamstring problems along the way. 

In an era of college athletics where roster turnover and transferring has become the standard, the senior from Lawrenceville, Ga. has been a mainstay in the Tar Heel secondary across the last three seasons in Kenan Stadium. 

“Playing against Duke, obviously there’s an emotion to that and finishing up your time here at Carolina,” Hardy said, acknowledging the human side of Saturday’s game. “But you don’t let that emotion take over the preparation and execution.”