COME WHAT MAYE: Duke football drops rivalry thriller to North Carolina in final moments

At moments, it appeared as if the Victory Bell could be altering each arms and shades of blue. 

However when the smoke cleared Saturday evening in Durham, North Carolina got here out on prime 38-35 after touchdown the final punch in a heavyweight battle of fierce rivals. For the fourth-straight season, the Tar Heels rang the Victory Bell come sport’s finish, this time after a valiant effort from sophomore quarterback Riley Leonard and the Blue Devils in entrance of a raucous crowd at Wallace Wade Stadium.

With time ticking down in Saturday’s rivalry thriller, freshman quarterback Drake Maye and North Carolina (6-1, 3-0 within the ACC) confronted fourth-and-5 on the Duke 20-yard line. Backed up in opposition to the wall, Maye related with junior receiver Josh Downs for the primary down, holding the Tar Heels’ hopes alive.

That hope in the end wound up as way more. Two performs later, Maye discovered senior receiver Antoine Inexperienced close to the pylon and simply inches from the sideline for what seemed to be the go-ahead rating with 16 seconds to play. After an extended assessment, officers upheld the ruling and North Carolina walked out of Durham with the win.

Trailing 31-28 with the tides turning of their favor early within the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils (4-3, 1-2) took over at their very own 21-yard line with an opportunity to totally erase what had been a 10-point deficit simply moments earlier.

It was a possibility that Duke wouldn’t waste: On third-and-8 on the unsuitable facet of midfield, Leonard discovered senior receiver Eli Pancol for 28 yards to maintain the drive alive. Redshirt junior working again Jordan Waters completed off the drive on the very subsequent play, dashing 38 yards to the tip zone to place the Blue Devils on prime 35-31.

Lower than three minutes later, defensive finish R.J. Oben got here off the sting to hit Maye within the throwing movement. The ball hit the turf, junior captain DeWayne Carter recovered and—after an extended assessment—the Blue Devils took over, seemingly cementing their upset win. However after penalties pushed Duke again and redshirt junior kicker Charlie Ham missed a 43-yard subject purpose with 2:09 to play, the Tar Heels had a shot.

On the second play of the fourth quarter, junior tight finish Nicky Dalmolin injected some life into Duke’s assault and the Wallace Wade crowd with a 30-yard seize. One play later, Leonard dropped a cross over the shoulder and into the arms of redshirt freshman receiver Sahmir Hagans within the nook of the tip zone, slicing the Blue Devils’ deficit to 31-28.

Then and there, Duke sophomore quarterback Riley Leonard modified all of that in a flash: Going through second-and-24 after a Tar Heel sack, the Fairhope, Ala., native tucked the ball in and weaved his approach by way of North Carolina’s defensive entrance earlier than spying a large patch of open subject. Seventy-four yards later, Leonard was in the long run zone and the Blue Devils had been within the lead.

Inside a matter of moments, the back-and-forth nature of Saturday’s fireworks-filled affair was clear: On the primary play from scrimmage, Maye aired one out alongside the best sideline, connecting with senior receiver Antoine Inexperienced for a 53-yard acquire. The Blue Devils stood tall, forcing the Tar Heels to accept a 45-yard subject purpose and a 3-0 lead.

However Duke matched its visiting archrival within the early going, piecing collectively a methodical first drive led by Leonard and freshman working again Terry Moore. Eight performs and 75 yards after North Carolina took the early lead, the Blue Devils took it proper again with redshirt junior working again Jordan Waters’ goal-line plunge.

Duke’s 7-3 benefit was momentary, as Maye discovered junior tight finish Kamari Morales throughout the center to retake the lead for North Carolina. After one quarter of motion, neither group had walked away from a drive empty-handed.

With North Carolina down 14-10 and trying to reply Leonard’s breakaway rating, the Blue Devils earned one other large alternative when Maye misplaced the ball within the pocket. Duke’s Shaka Heyward recovered, organising a brief subject for Leonard and the offense, who delivered: Sophomore working again Jaquez Moore capped off the abbreviated scoring drive, placing Duke up 21-10 with lower than two minutes remaining within the half.

That proved to be loads of time for Maye, because the true freshman engineered a lightning-fast landing drive to shut out a formidable half beneath heart. After discovering sophomore working again Caleb Hood in a good window for the four-yard rating, Maye headed to the locker room with 231 complete yards and a pair of passing touchdowns to his identify.

With the win, North Carolina achieves bowl eligibility and stays atop the ACC Coastal Division. Duke, then again, tallies its second-straight loss after falling in additional time one week prior at Georgia Tech.

Subsequent up, the Blue Devils journey to Miami Oct. 22.