Duke vs. North Carolina: Quarter-by-quarter summary

Fourth quarter (Duke 33, North Carolina 30): Opting to go for it on a fourth-and-one, Duke was unable to keep its drive alive. Taking over the ball at midfield, North Carolina’s first possession of the quarter came down to a pivotal fourth-down play, where Tar Heel quarterback Bryn Renner found an open Eric Ebron for a gain of 34-yards to move inside the Blue Devils’ 10-yard line. A few plays later, Bernard leaped into the end zone, cutting Duke’s lead to 23-17 with just over 13 minutes left in the game. The Blue Devils took over possession and predominately ran the ball to attempt to eat some clock. On a crucial third down, Renfree connected with Vernon across the middle, moving the Blue Devils to the 35-yard line in North Carolina territory. The play set up a 43-yard field goal by Martin to make the score 26-16 in Duke’s favor with 9:22 left to play. North Carolina responded with its second-straight touchdown drive, going 75 yards in 10 plays capped off by a touchdown pass from Renner to wideout Sean Tapley to make the score 26-23. Later, on the wildest play of the night, Renner hit an open Erik Highsmith, who fumbled the ball after running into Duke territory. Blue Devil defensive back Ross Cockrell had an opportunity to jump on the ball, but was unable to do so and Bernard picked up the loose ball and ran into the end zone for a touchdown. The play allowed North Carolina to take the lead 30-26 with just over three minutes to go. Renfree quickly led the Blue Devils down the field by finding Vernon across the middle twice for big gains. A few players later on a big fourth down, Renfree found Crowder for a 5-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds left to give Duke its sixth victory of the year.

2012/10/20 FB vs. UNC - Images by Duke Student Publishing Co. Duke Chronicle

Third quarter (Duke 23, North Carolina 9): Starting with the ball and less than ideal field position, the Blue Devils’ first possession of the half resulted in the team’s first punt of the night. On the next series, a fake field goal attempt by North Carolina allowed the Tar Heels to pick up a first down and continue their drive. Catching passes, running the ball and evading tackles, Bernard continues to carry much of the load for the Tar Heel’s offensive attack. Again though, North Carolina could only muster three points on the possession via a 28-yard field goal to make the score 20-9 in Duke’s favor. The Blue Devils’ found their groove again offensively on their next series, driving 72 yards down the field in 12 plays. Martin converted on his third field goal of the contest to make the score 23-9 with one quarter remaining.

Second quarter (Duke 20, North Carolina 6): In the opening minute of the second quarter, Martin nailed a 30-yard field goal to extend the Blue Devils’ lead to 13-3. North Carolina answered with Bernard breaking lose for another big run, which was followed by a costly pass interference call on Duke cornerback Tony Foster. Despite the miscues, the Duke defense forced the Tar Heels to settle for a 23-yard field goal. Blue Devil quarterback Sean Renfree luckily avoided throwing two interceptions earlier in the game, however, he was not as fortunate the third time as North Carolina picked the Duke sign caller off to regain possession. Ultimately, the turnover did not cost the Blue Devils thanks to the defense delivering yet again, forcing the Tar Heels to punt quickly. A solid punt return by Vernon followed by a series of strong runs by freshman running back Jela Duncan allowed Duke to march down the field on its next possession. Duncan finished what he started on the drive by scoring on a two-yard touchdown run up the middle to put Duke up 20-6 at halftime.

First quarter (Duke 10, North Carolina 3): With a raucous crowd on hand at Wallace Wade Stadium, the 99^th edition of the battle for the Victory Bell saw North Carolina move the ball effectively on its opening possession. A 39-yard screen pass to sophomore tailback Giovani Bernard led to a 30-yard field goal for the Tar Heels. The Blue Devils responded with their own methodical drive down the field capped off by a three-yard touchdown run by sophomore quarterback Anthony Boone. On the next series, the Duke defense forced North Carolina to a three-and-out to give Blue Devils the ball again. A 35-yard pass to senior wideout Conner Vernon on a comeback route put Duke in the red zone. Freshman Ross Martin drilled a 28-yard field goal to put Duke up 10-3. Duke quickly regained possession off of a fumble recovery by sophomore nose guard Jamal Bruce. With a balanced ground and air attack, the Blue Devils have moved into North Carolina territory.