For the past two decades, North Carolina has completely dominated its rivalry with Duke. The Tar Heels have won 18 of the previous 19 contests over the Blue Devils and it has become almost the norm for North Carolina to take a victory—and the Victory Bell—back to Chapel Hill.
This year, however, the Blue Devils have more than a fighting chance against their biggest conference rival, in large part due to their potent offense.
Duke’s tremendous success has largely resulted from senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis’s excellent play and his stellar receiving corps. And though head coach David Cutcliffe’s offense has hit its stride, North Carolina’s defense will be the best the Blue Devils have faced. The Tar Heels’ defense allows a league-low 265 yards per game and a meager 163.4 yards in the air.
“[North Carolina’s] defense continues to dominate at every angle,” Cutcliffe said. “They’re terrific up front, and their linebackers—there’s nothing to compare with. Their secondary plays so well together [and] they’re probably the hardest-to-tackle team that we’ll play.”
Earlier this season, though, the Tar Heels showed some vulnerability against the passing game in a loss to Florida State. Seminole quarterback Christian Ponder imposed his will against North Carolina’s defensive backfield, throwing for 395 yards and three touchdowns.
A major difference between that matchup and Saturday’s contest against the Blue Devils, which could play into the Tar Heels’ favor, is that the Seminoles featured a strong running game.
Because of the one-dimensional nature of the Blue Devil offense, the Tar Heels have all eyes on shutting down Lewis.
“[Duke] can make huge plays in the passing game,” North Carolina head coach Butch Davis said. “The thing that makes them extremely dangerous is that Lewis can extend plays and keep drives alive.”
To Duke’s credit, no team has been able to contain Lewis and the aerial attack yet. Even when teams drop eight players back into pass coverage—like Virginia did last week—Lewis has not been denied.
The Tar Heels will rightfully focus their defensive strategy on making it very difficult for Duke to move the ball through the air. Their secondary, which is an experienced group, has already proven this season that it is capable of disrupting receiving routes and cutting off passing lanes, having given up just four touchdowns through the air.
And despite the odds, Lewis and the rest of his team believe they have what it takes to move the ball on offense.
“You have an opportunity in front of you and it’s up to you what you do with it,” the Blue Devil quarterback said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been favored to win in a game. What matters [is] what you do out there on Saturday.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.