LIVE BLOG: Duke 19, North Carolina 24 (FINAL)

Duke 19, North Carolina 24- Final:

The final play of Duke's season was a short completion over the middle to Austin Kelly--when Duke needed a 50+ yard touchdown. That's all for the Chronicle Sports Blog.

Duke 19, North Carolina 24, 0:43 4th Quarter:

Two short passes over the middle leave Duke with 60 yards to cover and eight seconds to do it.

Duke 19, North Carolina 24, 0:56 4th Quarter:

Elzy's bounce out to the right edge and second effort after the initial contact was enough to get the first down by a few inches. Lee Butler looked like he could have stopped Elzy, but the fullback busted through the tackle for the necessary yardage. After review, however, it was ruled Elzy came up short, and North Carolina will likely punt.

Duke 19, North Carolina 24, 1:46 4th Quarter:

The Tar Heels converted their 3rd and 1, but a short rush by Elzy and another to bring it to the 25 yard line makes it 3rd and 4 with 1:41 left. Duke used their final timeout to stop the clock, and if they stop North Carolina here, they would likely get the ball with around a minute remaining. No update on Renfree's status.

Connette picked up where Renfree left off, and two rushes into the heart of the defense were enough to get a late touchdown. With three timeouts remaining, Duke has the option to either play defense of try the onside kick.

Duke 12, North Carolina 24, 4:10 4th Quarter:

Renfree nearly gave away his second chance at a comeback as quickly as it came. The drop punt was returned to midfield, and on the first throw of the drive, Renfree sailed a ball into the hands of a waiting Tar Heel defensive back, but the play was wiped out due to defensive pass interference. Quick throws to Kelly and two consecutive completions have Duke knocking on the door, but Renfree went down on second down with an apparent shoulder injury.

Duke 12, North Carolina 24, 5:10 4th Quarter

The size and strength of the defensive and offensive lines of North Carolina have been too strong all day, and the Duke offensive line is finding it tough to even give Renfree a tiny window of time to throw. After Renfree brought the Blue Devils inside North Carolina territory, a sack by Herman Davidson resulted in a loss of 12. Renfree found Josh Trezvant over the middle to bring it back to 3rd and 10, but Duke failed to get anything on the down. Facing fourth down, Quinton Couples was allowed to pass unblocked through the line and he put immediate pressure on Renfree, who heaved a ball towards Austin Kelly, but it was overthrown and easily intercepted by Kendric Burney. A penalty put North Carolina right on their own goal line, however, and Charlie Hatcher tacked Draughn for a safety to give Duke another chance.

Duke 10, North Carolina 24, 6:41 4th Quarter:

After converting again on third down, the Tar Heel offense was finally stopped on a third down, thanks to an outstanding instinctive play by Chris Rwabukamba, who tackled Josh Adams behind the line of scrimmage on a short pass to trigger fourth down. Renfree will have the ball in his hands with a 71-yard field in front of him with 6:41 remaining, Duke down 14. If it comes to a fourth down, Cutcliffe has no real choice but to go for it, no matter what the situation.

Duke 10, North Carolina 24, 10:50 4th Quarter

Renfree's pass to Scott over the middle gave Duke a short yardage situation, so Cutcliffe dialed up a shot to Watkins over the middle, but the coverage was too good for North Carolina, and Watkins was hit right as the ball was delivered. On third and three Renfree tried to find Kelly, who appeared to be held by a defender, but the ball sailed over. The referees threw a flag initially, but after conferencing decided there was no foul on the play, and Duke punted. On the punt, Cutcliffe appeared to see a holding call that was missed, and went storming on the field to the official, absolutely incensed. After much arguing, an enraged Cutcliffe stomped back to his sideline, throwing his play chart to the ground in disgust.

Duke 10, North Carolina 24, 11:38 3rd Quarter:

Facing third and long three consecutive times, North Carolina keeps coming up with just enough to extend its drive, and inch closer to a possible field goal that would make it a two-possession ballgame. The rush attack is being slowed by a valiant effort from the Duke defensive line. On second and seven Yates found a wide-open Boyd in the endzone, but the receiver let the ball slip right through his fingers. Again on third down, Yates found Dwight Jones--who is having a monster day-- streaking across the middle for a 35-yard gain to the Duke 3, and Shaun Draughn punched it in to make it 10-24. Seemingly the way the game is going, Duke has to score on this next possession to have much hope.

Duke 10, North Carolina 17, end of the third quarter:

After a huge Shaun Draughn run was canceled out by another needless North Carolina penalty--this time a dead-ball unnecessary roughness flag-- the Duke defense has the Tar Heels facing 3rd and five on their own 35 as the fourth quarter begins.

Duke 10, North Carolina 17, 2:29 3rd Quarter:

The offense has finally awoken for the Blue Devils. Juwan Thompson saved the drive at midfield with a 22-yard run-after-catch after receiving a short pass from quarterback Brandon Connette. Then, Renfree fired a strike to Donovan Varner down the left side for 39 yards to put Duke at the 9 yard line. The struggles in the red zone that have been a problem all year long continued however, and the Blue Devils could only walk away with three points after two rushes and an incomplete pass triggered a Will Snyderwine 21-yarder.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Blue Devils completed a successful onside kick on an unsuspecting Tar Heels team, but it was called back as one Duke player was offsides.

Juwan Thompson Run

Pass to Varner by Renfree

Duke 7, North Carolina 17, 6:00 3rd Quarter:

With North Carolina driving, the Blue Devil defense is able to force a Casey Barth (brother of Tampa Bay Buccaneer Connor Barth) field goal, and the kicker just missed the 41-yard attempt wide right. Duke catches a break, but can a listless offense take advantage?

Duke 7, North Carolina 17, 9:20 3rd Quarter:

If Duke hopes to win today, the offense has to have drives that last longer than 34 seconds, which is what Renfree and the rest of the Blue Devils managed with their latest series. A short throw on first down, amd two fruitless passes mean

Alex King found his way to the field again, and North Carolina now has the ball on the 20-yard line after a touchback. The Duke defense has to be tired, North Carolina has held the ball for over 24 minutes already.

The Tar Heels prove themselves to be merciless, and a 37-yard Jheranie Boyd end-around has Duke pinned in their own territory again.

Duke 7, North Carolina 17, 9:54 3rd Quarter:

Rushes of six and eight yards had the Tar Heels at first and goal on the nine, but this time the Duke defense couldn't hold North Carolina out, despite their best efforts. A rush to the edge on a broken play by Yates yielded nothing, and Elzy's second down rush up the left seam was stuffed by the Duke linebackers. On third and seven, however, Yates dropped back and had all day to throw, eventually picking out Josh Adams in the center of the endzone to make it 17-7. Elzy, who now has 105 yards on 19 carries, eclipsed his previous career-high rushing total.

Duke 7, North Carolina 10, 12:00 3rd Quarter:

Despite likely planning for Elzy the entire halftime break, the Blue Devils still can't stop the fullback. Elzy's darting 10-yard run put North Carolina at midfield, and two plays later, Elzy busted a big run up the left seam to put the Tar Heels just outside the red zone.

Duke 7, North Carolina 10, 14:00 3rd Quarter:

Patrick Egboh started Duke off on the right foot, nearly sacking T.J. Yates for a huge loss. Yates just got the ball away, but had to sling it into the ground. On second and 10, Yates found Jones on a crossing route for a gain of seven, and Ryan Taylor made a great snatch on 3rd and 3 to keep the drive alive for the Tar Heels.

Duke 7, North Carolina 10, Halftime:

Sean Refree led the Blue Devils down the field, but the North Carolina defense would not break. Austin Kelly’s catch on third and four brought Duke to the 50-yard line and had the Tar Heels on their… heels. Renfree tried to go right back to Kelly on the next play, but his pass was inaccurate, and was nearly intercepted. On 2^nd and 10, Renfree’s perfect pass to an in-stride Varner was dropped off his fingertips. Needing 10 yards to extend the drive, Renfree found Helfet short of the marker, but the tight end was unable to fight for the yardage. Cutcliffe, with two timeouts left and 20 seconds on the clock, elected to let the clock run to just a few seconds left and call a timeout to set up a hail mary opportunity to end the half. Renfree’s pass, which was well short of the endzone, was intercepted by Jabari Price, but Price was tackled near midfield to end the half.

Duke 7, North Carolina 10, 1:50 2nd Quarter:

Two passes to Dwight Jones and and end-around by Josh Adams have North Carolina near midfield at the 42. On second and seven, linebacker Damian Thornton finally broke free of the Tar Heel blockers, and his rush to the blind side ended in the first Duke sack of the game, as he planted Yates back at the 36-yard line for a nine yard loss. Yates tried to scramble on 3^rd and 18, but he was stopped short, and the Duke defense got a much needed punt.

Duke 7, North Carolina 10, 4:06 2nd Quarter:

Renfree fired a quick ball to a curling Cooper Helfet at the right sidelines for an easy gain of 12. Juwan Thompson’s run to the left edge was stalled at the line of scrimmage, and the pass to Helfet on 2^nd and ten only led to a five yard gain, making for another important third down. On third and five, Renfree found Varner across the middle, but the wideout ran his route short of the first down sticks, and was tackled before he could make the necessary gain. The Duke defense will be under immense pressure now, as North Carolina has proven they can drive the field at will. The offense needs to start helping the defense if the Blue Devils hope to end the season with a win.

Duke 7, North Carolina 10, 6:00 2nd Quarter:

We at the Sports Blog apologize for our delayed updates, it seems our server is having trouble coping with the excitement of two live blogs running at the same time.

Elzy ran the Tar Heels all the way down to the Duke 10 yard line, but the Blue Devils stepped up when it mattered, holding North Carolina to just three points. Abraham Kromah made an important tackle on a tricky delayed toss to Elzy to made it fourth and goal, and Davis elected in favor of the chip-shot field goal to give the Tar Heels their first lead of the day.

Duke 7, North Carolina 7, 14:37 2nd Quarter:

Renfree made the right throw on third and eight after his offensive line gave him plenty of protection, but his missile to Austin Kelly was dropped as Kelly braced for impact from the North Carolina coverage. King's punt was returned to midfield by Da'Norris Searcy, but another block in the back penalty will nullify Searcy's run and pin the Tar Heels back on their own four yard line.

Duke 7, North Carolina 7, End of the 1st Quarter:

After a solid kickoff return from Josh Snead to start Duke on the 41-yard line, two successive rushes by Desmond Scott result in just two yards, putting the Blue Devils in a bit of a hole going into the second quarter. Facing third and long and a Tar Heel team that is just starting to find their feet offensively, Cutcliffe will be hoping his team can convert on third down to open the second quarter.

Duke 7, North Carolina 7, 0:59 1st Quarter:

Too much Anthony Elzy. The Blue Devils had no answer for the senior fullback, who rushed six times for 28 yards and caught two balls over a 94-yard drive to tie the game. The offensive line for the Tar Heels gave Elzy huge rushing lanes to burst through, and he wasted no time in marching right down Duke's throat. A five yard dash on 1st and goal make it 7-7 late in the 1st quarter.

Duke 7, North Carolina 0, 3:14 1st Quarter

The Tar Heels are hurting themselves with penalties now, as a block in the back and a false start have pinned North Carolina deep in their own territory, and the Blue Devil defense is taking full advantage. Two successive Tar Heel rushes were stopped for minimal gains, making it 3rd and long inside the Carolina 10-yard line. Duke brought the heat, but Yates was able to get his pass off just as the defender arrived, and found an open Ryan Taylor downfield for a 40-yard gain.

With North Carolina inside the Duke half, Butch Davis has gone to Anthony Elzy, who has chipped away yardage consistently on the ground and through the air. Receptions of six and 14 yards and rushes of six and five yards have the Tar Heels on the Duke 27 yard line.

Duke 7, North Carolina 0, 6:19 1st Quarter

Juwan Thompson opened the Blue Devil drive with a power run to the left edge, gaining 10 yards. A short pass in the flat to Thompson on 1st and 10 resulted in just a yard, and Kevin Reddick sacked Renfree on 2nd and 9 to drop Duke back to a third and 18 situation. Renfree coolly found Austin Kelly over the middle to cut the distance to 4th and 6. Head Coach David Cutcliffe elected to go for it on fourth down rather than try a 48-yard field goal, and it paid off in spades. Renfree fired a ball to Varner who was open down the right sideline, and the junior wideout cut back to the middle of the field for 22-yard gain, setting up an easy toss to Kelly in the endzone to make it 7-0 Duke. North Carolina was called for 'leaping' on the ensuing point after attempt, giving Duke an extra 15-yards on the kickoff.

Duke 0, North Carolina 0, 9:25 1st Quarter

North Carolina went for it all on the first play of the game, with quarterback T.J. Yates rolling right and throwing a bomb, but the pass fell harmlessly to the ground as the Carolina receiver couldn't catch up to it. On 2nd and 10, Josh Adams ran and end-around to the right for a gain of 15 yards, bowling over the Duke defense. A North Carolina false start made it third and six. Yates appeared to rush for the necessary yardage for the first down, but was judged just a half yard short. On fourth and inches, the Duke defensive line, led by Charlie Hatcher and Curtis Hazelton stopped Yates short of a first, giving Duke the ball at the Carolina 45 yard line.

Duke 0, North Carolina 0, 11:58 1st Quarter:

Josh Snead took the opening kickoff from the 5 to the 26-yard line, but Duke's first play ended in only a 1-yard gain as Desmond Scott was stuffed by Quinton Coples on the edge. On second down, Renfree fired a strike to a streaking Conner Vernon over the middle, and the receiver scampered to the 50-yard line for a 23 yard gain.

On third and five the Duke offensive line could not cope with North Carolina's size, and defensive end Donte Paige-Moss brought Renfree down for a loss of two, bringing up an Alex King punt.

Pregame: Welcome to The Chronicle Sports Blog's coverage of Duke's season finale against rival North Carolina, about to kickoff momemtarily. The bleachers in Wallace Wade are packed with both shades of blue despite the lack of students, and there should be a good atmostphere this evening as the Blue Devils (3-8, 1-6 in the ACC) hopes to end the season on a high note against the Tar Heels (6-5, 3-4 in the ACC), who likely need to win today in order to secure an invitation to a bowl game.

North Carolina won the coin toss and deferred, giving Duke the ball first.