Duke uses late fake field goal to stun North Carolina, Bill Belichick :: WRALSportsFan.com
Duke Blue Devils
32
North Carolina Tar Heels
25
Final
CHAPEL HILL — Duke pulled off a stunning fake field goal and scored the game-winning touchdown on the next play as the Blue Devils pulled off a memorable 32-25 victory over host North Carolina on Saturday at Kenan Stadium.
Kicker Todd Pelino took a pitch from the holder and ran 26 yards down the left sideline to the UNC 1 late in the fourth quarter. Duke running back Anderson Castle had his third 1-yard touchdown run of the game on the next play to give Duke the lead in a back-and-forth battle for possession of the Victory Bell.
“That’s the first time in a football game I’ve ever had the ball in my hands,” Pelino said.
Duke improved to 6-5 and earned bowl eligibility for the fourth consecutive season. UNC, under first-year coach Bill Belichick, is 4-7 and will not reach six regular-season wins for the first time since 2018, Larry Fedora’s last season as coach.
It was the fourth straight nailbiter between the rivals, the first two won by UNC and the last two by Duke.
Duke made the decision before the third-down play — an incomplete pass – to run the fake, which they’d practiced for more than a month. Pelino and holder Kade Reynoldson tried to play it cool on the sidelines and went through their normal pre-kick routine. The Blue Devils could have checked out of the fake if they saw a certain look from UNC, but it didn’t materialize.
“Here we go,” Pelino said.
UNC linebacker Andrew Simpson said he never thought Duke would fake the kick. “A great call,” UNC’s Jordan Shipp said.
Said Belichick: “We didn’t have it covered.”
Duke coach Manny Diaz said he felt the play was there, a belief reinforced by the way UNC attacked field goals, including a roughing the kicker penalty earlier in the game. Plus Diaz didn’t see that much benefit in taking a potential two-point lead with the 44-yard attempt.
“It didn’t necessarily feel like a gamble,” Diaz said.
Pelino carried it to the 1, thinking around the 5-yardline about diving for the end zone but quickly processing the trouble with a fumble at that spot.
It was the difference.
The North Carolina offense, which ranked among the worst in the ACC and the nation entering the game, came to life against the Blue Devils. UNC took a 25-24 lead early in the fourth quarter after a 12-yard touchdown run by Davion Gause.
But on its final two possessions, UNC couldn’t move the ball. The first came after a Duke fourth-down try went awry, its lone failure on six fourth-down attempts. UNC quarterback Gio Lopez was sacked twice in three plays, and the Tar Heels punted back to set up the fake field goal possession.
“The flipped mo’ in the game,” Diaz said. “It’s two years in a row that when it came down to winning time, at the end of this fixture, the Duke guys were the ones making the plays in clutch time.”
UNC was stuffed on its final possession, too.
Duke led 24-10 early in the second half after a touchdown run by Castle. UNC opened the second half with an unsuccessful surprise onside kick attempt. Down by two touchdowns, for much of the season an insurmountable deficit, UNC responded with a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Gio Lopez to wide receiver Jordan Shipp. The pair connected on a two-point conversion as well.
Lopez completed 21 of 27 passes for 204 yards and one touchdown. He took several big hits in the game. Lopez also rushed for 20 yards and a touchdown.
“Gio really hung in there, threw the ball accurately and showed some toughness,” Belichick said.
The Tar Heels were hurt by penalties throughout. UNC had 12 penalties for 103 yards, including two in the first half that cost UNC points.
With the score tied at 7, UNC’s Marcus Allen was called for roughing the kicker when Pelino missed a 46-yard attempt. Duke had picked up a personal foul penalty on the play before, pushing the Blue Devils into a longer attempt. On the first play after the UNC penalty, Duke quarterback Darian Mensah connected with Jeremiah Hasley for a 14-yard touchdown off a trick formation.
The play was a variation of one that Belichick had run with the NFL’s New England Patriots with an offensive lineman lined up out wide and a tight end in the usual tackle spot.
An ineligible receiver down field penalty stopped the Tar Heels from a first-and-goal situation on the subsequent drive. Instead, UNC settled for a field goal before the half.
Scoring summary
First quarter
UNC — Gio Lopez 1 run (Rece Verhoff kick), 7:57. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 7:03. Key play: Lopez completed a pass down the left sideline to receiver Jordan Shipp for 22 yards on third-and-1 at the UNC 41. UNC 7, Duke 0.
DUKE — Anderson Castle 1 run (Todd Pelino kick), 2:59. Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 4:51. Key play: Duke converted on two fourth-down tries on the drive, including a 27-yard pass on fourth-and-2 at the UNC 46. UNC 7, Duke 7.
Second quarter
DUKE – Jeremiah Hasley 14 pass from Darian Mensah (Pelino kick), 10:25. Drive: 13 plays, 78 yards, 6:11. Key play: North Carolina’s Marcus Allen was flagged for roughing the passer after Pelino missed a field goal, giving Duke a first down at the UNC 14. Duke 14, North Carolina 7.
DUKE – Pelino 33 kick, 2:33. Drive: 14 plays, 71 yards, 6:51. Key plays: Duke converted on three third-down attempts on the drive, including an 8-yard gain on third-and-3 from its own 35. Duke 17, UNC 7.
UNC — Verhoff 47 field goal, :07. Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards, 2:26. Key play: An ineligible receiver down field penalty cost the Tar Heels a 21-yard pickup on third-and-2 from the Duke 26. Instead, the Tar Heels were pushed back and kicked a field goal. Duke 17, UNC 10.
Third quarter
DUKE — Castle 1 run (Pelino kick), 9:15. Drive: 11 plays, 44 yards, 5:45. Key play: Darian Mensah rushed for 13 yards on fourth-and-7 from the UNC 41 to keep the drive alive. Duke 24, UNC 10.
UNC — Jordan Shipp 20 pass from Gio Lopez (Shipp pass from Lopez), 4:52. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:23. Key play: The Tar Heels converted on two third-down tries. UNC entered the game as the ACC’s worst offense on third down. Duke 24, UNC 18.
Fourth quarter
UNC — Davion Gause 12 run (Verhoff kick), 13:13. Drive: 9 plays, 91 yards, 4:30. Key play: The Tar Heels picked up chunks of yards on the drive: 16, 13, 15, 11, 11, 11 and 12. Lopez hit Shipp for 11 yards on third-and-8 at the Duke 45. North Carolina 25, Duke 24.
DUKE — Castle 1 run (Nate Shephard pass from Mensah), 2:18. Drive: 11 plays, 68 yards, 4:19. Key play: Kicker Todd Pelino rushed for 26 yards on a fake field goal. Duke 32, North Carolina 25.
