A game-winning field goal in the final seconds against Wake Forest allowed the Blue Devils to put an end to their two-game skid. With the end of the regular season drawing nearer, Duke will head down the road Saturday to battle No. 24 North Carolina. Here are five things to know as the Blue Devils prepare for the rivalry matchup:
Consistency leads to comfort
Duke will once again be led by true freshman quarterback Grayson Loftis when it takes the field at Kenan Memorial Stadium. The Gaffney, S.C., native will make his second-consecutive appearance behind center as starter Riley Leonard and backup Henry Belin IV continue to nurse their respective midseason injuries. The third-stringer-turned-starter looked shaky early on against the Demon Deacons but settled in as the game wore on.
Although Loftis’ final line was unimpressive, as he completed just seven passes for 86 yards with a score and two turnovers, the signal caller made some strong throws and did just enough to push the Blue Devils to victory. Loftis stood in the pocket and delivered a strong throw over the middle to Jordan Moore for a 29-yard score that tied the game early in the fourth quarter. He also would have had much more glamorous numbers if not for some crucial drops from the Duke wideouts. With another full week of practice and some extended game experience under his belt, Loftis will look to have a much cleaner and more composed performance against the Tar Heels.
“[Loftis was] certainly up and down like you would expect in a first start but I thought he battled,” head coach Mike Elko said in his weekly press conference. “I thought he made some really big throws down the stretch.”
Strength against strength
The matchup to watch Saturday night will be when quarterback Drake Maye and the North Carolina offense take the field. The superstar signal caller has led the unit to an astonishing 518.8 yards per game, the third-best mark in the country. However, the Tar Heels have yet to face a defense as good as that of the Blue Devils. The unit has been exceptional in defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci’s first season, ranking eighth in the nation with 15.7 points against per game.
The Blue Devil offense is trying to regain its footing with Loftis taking the snaps. The North Carolina defense, while improved from its dreadful 2022 showing, is also less than effective. What happens between these lousier units will certainly have an effect on the final score, but the game will likely be decided when it is best-on-best. If the Tar Heels move the ball effectively, they would presumably control the game from kickoff to final whistle. But if Duke can manufacture some stops in key moments, the upset would become much more likely.
“It's certainly a clash of strengths,” Elko said. “When you have a lot of really talented players on the field, it's one heck of a battle.”
Rested and ready
When the battle for the Victory Bell gets underway Saturday night, both sides will be feeling fresh and prepared. Thanks to last week’s contest against Wake Forest taking place on a Thursday, the Blue Devils will have had eight full days of rest between games. While North Carolina played last Saturday, it decimated Campbell 59-7 and many of the Tar Heels’ key contributors — including Maye — were able to get some valuable second-half rest. Both teams should be well-rested to fight for bragging rights on Tobacco Road.
The Blue Devils have been eminently hampered by injuries in recent weeks. Although they will remain without their top two quarterbacks, star offensive lineman Graham Barton is looking to play for the first time since exiting Duke’s Week 8 loss to Florida State with a lower-body injury. The Brentwood, Tenn., native warmed up prior to the win against the Demon Deacons but emerged from the tunnel in street clothes at kickoff. The Blue Devils are certainly hoping the long week was enough for their preseason All-American tackle to avoid missing a third-consecutive game.
Prominent rushing attacks
As Duke and North Carolina square off, both squads sport highly effective running games.
On the Blue Devils’ side, graduate student Jordan Waters and junior Jaquez Moore posted twin statlines against Wake Forest with 76 yards and a score each. The two-headed monster has been successful all season, as 19 more yards for Jaquez Moore will put both backs over the 500-yard mark for the season.
The Tar Heels take more of the bell-cow approach, as sophomore back Omarion Hampton has 1,067 rushing yards on 175 carries. The Clayton, N.C., native has eclipsed 100 yards in each of his last four games, including five scores in that span. He also posted a ridiculous 234-yard, three-score game early in the season against Appalachian State.
The battle for the Victory Bell
When Duke and North Carolina face off, the stakes are always elevated. Saturday night’s matchup is not just another late-season ACC game; it is the 109th gridiron matchup between two fierce rivals who reside just eight miles apart in central North Carolina.
The Tar Heels scored with 16 seconds on the clock to take the lead and win 2022’s version of the rivalry game. The come-from-behind victory kept the Victory Bell in Chapel Hill for the fifth-straight season. The Blue Devils are looking to bring the long-running rivalry trophy back to Durham for the first time since Duke quarterback Daniel Jones accounted for 547 yards and four scores in a 2018 victory.
“At the end of the game, this game means an awful lot,” Elko said. “It's going to take a full 60 minutes worth of playmaking and maybe even more for somebody to walk out of there with the bell.”
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