The Blue Devils are headed to their first-ever ACC Championship Game after winning their school-record 10th game this season against North Carolina 27-25 on Saturday at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. Kicker Ross Martin booted a late chip-shot field goal to give Duke a two-point lead and an interception by defensive back DeVon Edwards with 13 seconds left punched the Blue Devils’ ticket to Charlotte.
Revisiting the three keys to the game:
- Take away the deep ball: The Duke defense kept Tar Heel quarterback Marquise Williams from airing the ball over the heads Blue Devils’ young secondary, but were aided by some mistakes made by Williams and his receivers. It seemed as if North Carolina had a sure touchdown on a deep pass from Williams to T.J. Logan, but the freshman running back dropped the pass. With less than a minute to play in the game, All-ACC defensive Ross Cockrell came up with a huge play when he broke up a deep pass intended Tar Heel wide receiver Quinshad Davis. Five plays later, Edwards would give Duke the victory with his third interception on the year.
- Rely on the ground game: The Blue Devils’ solid rushing attack did not propel Duke to a victory, but rather, it kept the North Carolina defense on its heels, opening up passing lanes for quarterback Anothony Boone. The Tar Heels effectively shut down wildcat quarterback Brandon Connette in short yardage situations, holding him to just five yards rushing on four attempts and zero touchdowns. Carries were split evenly among the Blue Devils’ four runningbacks, who combined for 164 yards.
- Play a complete game: With 7:03 to play in the game, North Carolina kicker Thomas Moore kicked a field goal to give the Tar Heels a 25-24 lead. Duke was not going down without a fight. Boone came back out onto the field to lead the offense on an 11-play, 66-yard drive that resulted in Martin’s go-ahead field goal. The defense continues to be clutch in the fourth quarter, only giving up three points and forcing the Williams interception in Tar Heel territory.
Three key plays
- After two false-start penalties put Duke in a second-and-16 situation on the North Carolina 17-yard line, Boone drops back and finds a wide open Jamison Crowder on a crossing route for the Blue Devils’ first touchdown of the game.
- Duke had just fell behind 15-10 following a Tar Heel touchdown and successful two-point conversion, but Edwards takes back the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for the touchdown. The big play allowed the Blue Devils’ to reclaim the lead just before the end of the first half.
- With North Carolina driving in the final minute of the game, defensive end Jordan Dewalt-Ondijo applies pressure on Williams, forcing him to make an errant throw into the arms of Edwards. The interception prevented a game-winning score by the Tar Heels.
Three key stats:
- Duke completes 8-of-15 third downs. The offense completed more than half of its third down opportunities, keeping crucial drives alive. One key play came in the second half, when Boone and the offense faced a third down and goal. Boone found Crowder for touchdown that gave Duke an eight-point lead. The Blue Devils had previously struggled on third down, but it proved to be one of the differences in this afternoon’s matchup.
- The Blue Devils win the time of possession battle. The offense remained on the field for 35:23 compared to 24:37 for North Carolina. This allowed Duke to control the tempo of the game and keep its defense off the field for as much time as possible. This statistic also gave the Tar Heel offense less time to make big plays and stopped them from building an early lead
- Duke forces two second half turnovers. Two second half interceptions were key turning points in the game. It seemed as if North Carolina was building momentum coming out of the half, but linebacker Kelby Brown got his hands on a tipped pass and turned the tide against the Tar Heels. His interception led to Boone’s second touchdown pass of the day. Edwards’ late interception highlighted why Duke has been able to win 10 games this season—great defense in fourth quarter.
And the Duke game ball goes to… DeVon Edwards
Edwards gets the game ball this week for making two big plays this afternoon. The first came on a 99-yard kick return that allowed the Blue Devils to walk into the locker room at halftime with a 17-15 lead. Then the biggest play of the game came when North Carolina was driving into Duke territory looking for the winning score. Edwards, who came into the game with two fourth-quarter interceptions this season, notched his third when he picked off Williams’ final pass of the game.
And the North Carolina game ball goes to… Eric Ebron
Despite two straight Blue Devil wins in the Tobacco Road Rivalry, Ebron has been a thorn in Duke’s side during the past two years. He continued to show us why he is one of the nation’s top tight ends, hauling in five passes for 121 yards in the game. His 79-yard reception early in the first quarter set up Williams’ first rushing touchdown of the game. His presence was felt for the final time at Keenan Stadium, as he has declared for this year’s NFL Draft.
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