It didn't need to be that hard.
Carolina fans had seen this story before: the quick 17-0 lead on the road, a sinking feeling of when things would start to crash, and then the torture of the lead disappearing. The first sign was an unfortunate fumble, and yet the defense just kept giving the Tar Heels chances to run away with it. The offense couldn't convert, and then special teams just seemed to make the inevitable happen.
Then a funny thing happened — the offense came back to life just in the nick of time. Once again, the Tar Heels didn't completely fold, and between a game-winning drive and a great interception, Carolina rode back to Chapel Hill with the Victory Bell for the first time in a couple of years.
So let's dive right into the winners, losers, and honorable mentions for UNC's 24-20 win over the Blue Devils.
Jaylen McGill –One huge problem for the UNC offense was how early Benjamin Hall went down. Hall was trying to stretch out a play and basically got pulled in opposite directions on the tackle. All of a sudden, Carolina's deep running back corps suffered a huge hit. McGill took some time to get warmed up, but he's someone that the staff has had their eyes on. On the last drive, though, he had his signature moments. On a fourth and four he rushed for 16 to keep things moving, and then right out of the two minute timeout he took the ball and scampered 24 yards for the go-ahead score. That he was able to not only extend the drive but win the game turned what could have been a disaster for Carolina into arguably the biggest win of the Belichick Era.
Jordan Shipp– As amazing as he's been for Carolina this year, it took into the sixth game for him to finally get a touchdown . What he had to do to actually get that touchdown will have that clip being shown when his name is called in the NFL Draft. It's one thing to make some hay as a receiver when you have a great quarterback, but it's another when you take — we'll call them rough — passes and haul them in for scores. Even his mistake is one that comes with a silver lining. When Shipp fumbled on the play that led to Duke's first score, instead of yelling at teammates or an official, he just walked to the sideline with his head up and tapped himself on the chest, raising his hand to say "that's my fault." He clearly didn't let it eat at him as he finished the day with 75 yards, and when he's the main target life is not going to be easy for him.
UNC Defense –Just a Herculean effort. This squad bowed up and bailed out the UNC offense time and time again. The only touchdown Duke scored on them was the drive on which they took the lead, and even that came on a very short field when the punting team couldn't get a kick off and gave the Blue Devils the ball at the UNC 34. That sudden change is hard on a defense to stop, and they had managed to keep Duke to just two field goals up to that point. They also didn't fall for the myriad of gadget plays that Manny Diaz seemed to want to try to consistently throw at them, almost as if he wanted to really show he could once again outcoach the great Bill Belichick. Diaz overthought it and the UNC defense made them pay. Yes, you'd love more tackles for losses, and the turnover didn't happen until the last play of the game, but the defense is the reason Carolina won that game.
Turnovers– Duke went, effectively, 1-2 on the two fumbles lost for Carolina, and the first one was the only real reason Duke was in the game in the first place. While Carolina was deep in Duke territory, the offense had been effective and another sustained effort that turned into three or seven points might have completely deflated Duke for the rest of the evening. Instead, Shipp's fumble reignited the Devils and completely killed Carolina's momentum basically for the rest of the game until the final drive. The Tar Heels also couldn't force a turnover until the very last drive. That's not really a sustainable formula for the rest of the season, so Carolina needs to be better at protecting the ball, forcing turnovers, or both going forward.
UNC Punters –Aeron Burrell did not have a good day kicking, only averaging 41.7 yards on the day (and his longest was 43, so it's not like there was one kick that killed his average). He ultimately was hurt at some point in the game, and so Adam McCann-Gibbs had to come in cold. The snap to him didn't go well, and his indecision gave Duke the ball with outstanding field position. The Carolina defense just couldn't respond — and honestly, who can blame them? — and put the offense in a difficult position.
UNC Offense (Post First Quarter) –Until the drive that started with 4:34 left in the fourth quarter, the offense that scored on their first three possession managed three punts, two fumbles, and a turnover on downs — which, technically, what that messed-up punt was called. The defense was playing their guts out consistently, keeping Duke at arm's length, begging for the offense to get one more score so that they could get some space between them. The offense, arguably, was responsible for the same amount of Duke points as the UNC defense. A lot of it is at the quarterback position, as Billy Edwards, Jr. is just not a good quarterback. He's fine. He's better for UNC than Gio Lopez was for UNC — again, you wonder if Carolina hadn't nuked that bridge what Lopez would have done in the Petrino offense — but there's no reason why an open Shipp in the end zone should have to go through what he did to catch the ball. Also, Duke quickly realized just how important Shipp was to the team, and Edwards was so locked into him that when he couldn't connect it just dried up. If Petrino and Carolina are going to stick with Edwards the rest of the season, they need to do more with his obvious limitations.
Kenton Dobson IIIdidn't just have the big pickoff for the Tar Heels, he was also fourth on the team in tackles with two solo and seven total. Not bad numbers… Jelani Thurmanhad another solid day with 52 yards in catching but he had the other highlight of the day by laying one of the toughest stiff arms you'll see on a defender and then ultimately getting hit out of bounds. He continues to shine as a portal addition…. Demon Junehad the other touchdown for the Tar Heels with just a great red zone run. While he hasn't put up the gaudy numbers, he's put up great work deep on the field, and he's settled into his role nicely.
This stretch of games rolls on as the Tar Heels finally return to Kenan Stadium for the first time since the Notre Dame loss to take on Syracuse. Carolina enter the second half of the year with a 4-2 record and only have to hit the road two more times this season. Can this squad keep the momentum rolling? We'll see under the Kenan Stadium lights with the first night game of the season.
