North Carolina
Eli Pancol helps Duke football beat Virginia Tech, keep spot as North Carolina’s top team
Duke hasn’t played pretty football at times, but the Blue Devils have consistently proven to be the top team in North Carolina.
After beating UNC (6-5, 3-4) and N.C. State (5-6, 2-5) earlier this year, Duke (8-3, 4-3 ACC) will go for the Tobacco Road sweep in the regular-season finale at Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5) on Nov. 30 (Noon, ACC Network).
Because of their consistently dominant defense and the ability to handle in-game adversity, the Blue Devils are in position to win double-digit games for just the second time in program history.
That’s quite a debut for first-year coach Manny Diaz, who has helped the Blue Devils win five of their six one-score games this season, including a 31-28 victory against Virginia Tech on Saturday in the home finale at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Duke report card vs Virginia Tech
Here’s what and who stood out on senior night in Duke’s eighth win of the 2024 college football season.
Duke wide receiver Eli Pancol caps comeback with special finale at Wallace Wade Stadium
Eli Pancol, Duke’s sixth-year wide receiver who missed the 2023 season with an injury, capped his comeback with an incredible performance in the final home game of his career.
Eli Pancol’s incredible comeback story
Finishing with five catches for 188 yards and three touchdowns, Pancol did most of that damage on two of the first four plays when he had an 86-yard catch-and-run touchdown, followed by a 77-yard catch-and-run TD. In his final two games at Wallace Wade Stadium, Pancol combined for 16 catches for 326 yards and four touchdowns.
Ozzie Nicholas, Cam Bergeron, Kendy Charles shine for Duke football defense
Pancol wasn’t the only senior to shine Saturday night against the Hokies. Duke’s top three tacklers were seniors, combining for 31 tackles, including three for loss. Princeton graduate transfer Ozzie Nicholas, Duke’s leading tackler, led the way again with 11 tackles. Fellow linebacker Cam Bergeron and defensive tackle Kendy Charles each had 10 tackles.
Overall, Duke had 14 tackles for loss, including eight sacks. The Blue Devils have consistently been among the top five teams in the nation at creating havoc for offenses as a steady presence in the backfield. It’s the main reason Duke is in position to reach 10 wins this season.
Manny Diaz keeps proving he was right hire for Blue Devils
Duke has won 10 games once since 1922, getting it done in 2013 under former coach David Cutcliffe, who helped resurrect a struggling program. Following Cutcliffe’s departure, Mike Elko won nine games in his first season and eight in his second before bolting to Texas A&M.
After a successful stint as a defensive coordinator at Penn State, Diaz got a second head-coaching opportunity when Duke hired him in December 2023. In three seasons as the head coach at Miami, Diaz had one year with eight wins. He accomplished that in his debut year at Duke, putting the program in position to join an exclusive club if the Devils can win their final two games.
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
Jasper Johnson scored a career high 22 points as Kentucky rolled past North Carolina Central 103-67 on Tuesday night inside Rupp Arena.
Johnson, a freshman from Lexington, made 6 of 10 from the floor, including 2 of 4 from behind the arc, and 8 of 8 at the line.
UK got a season-high 21 points from Otega Oweh, 14 points from Malachi Moreno, 11 from Trent Noah and 10 from Andrija Jelavic.
The Cats made 39 of 64 (60.9 percent) of its shots from the floor, including 12 of 29 (41.4 percent) from behind the arc. UK had 27 assists on those 39 made field goals.
Kentucky (6-4) scored the first five points of the game on a three from Trent Noah and a Collin Chandler bucket. After an NC Central basket, Oweh hit a three to give UK an 8-2 advantage. However, NCCU scored the next five to get within one.
A Moreno dunk, a Denzel Aberdeen layup and an Oweh floater extended the lead to 14-7. A three from the Eagles cut the UK lead to four before Brandon Garrison made a pair of free throws. However, NCCU scored to again cut the UK lead to four, 16-12.
Johnson scored on a drive to the basket, then was fouled shooting a three. The freshman made all three charity tosses to extend the Cats’ lead to 21-12. After the Eagles hit a three, Aberdeen slashed to the basket for a dunk and Garrison converted a three-point play and UK led 26-15. NCCU scored to get within nine.
A Jelavic three gave UK a 29-17 lead, but the Eagles scored four in a row to get within eight. An Aberdeen basket made it 31-21 before NCCU scored to again get within eight.
A Moreno layup, an Oweh three, two Johnson free throws, another Moreno basket, a Noah three, a Noah dunk, and an Oweh layup comprised a 16-0 run that stretched the UK lead to 47-23. The Cats would lead 52-31 at the half, with Oweh leading all scorers with 12 points.
NCCU scored the first two points of the second half, but UK got a Moreno dunk and an Oweh layup to lead 56-33. After two Eagles’ free throws, Kentucky got layups from Aberdeen and Moreno to lead 60-35. NCCU would score before two Chandler free throws made it 62-37 Cats. However, the Eagles scored the next five points to cut the deficit to 20.
Oweh scored the next five points for the Cats as they took at 67-44 lead. For the second time in the game, Johnson made three consecutive free throws to build the advantage to 70-44.
Later in the second half, the Cats would extend the lead even further on a Chandler three that gave UK an 80-48 lead. NCCU would get back within 26 at 86-60 but the Eagles would get no closer.
Kentucky returns to action on Saturday, hosting Indiana inside Rupp Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on ESPN.
North Carolina
The ‘North Carolina Barbecue Trail’ Is A Mouthwatering Journey Through Old-School Smokehouses Steeped In Tradition – Islands
One of the best parts of traveling is trying the region’s specialty foods, and if you’re visiting North Carolina, that means barbecue. There are two styles of barbecue in North Carolina, and both of them involve pork. The eastern style typically uses whole pigs (no ketchup) on an open pit that’s chopped thin and served with a vinegar sauce. Lexington style uses bone-in pork shoulder, a chunkier chop, and a thicker, sweeter vinegar sauce. You can experience both styles and choose your favorite on a food trail created by the North Carolina Barbecue Society, with iconic stops at traditional smokehouses scattered along the state.
The trail includes 15 restaurants and roadside shacks that have become institutions, each specializing in slow-roasted pork over charcoal and wood, and it’s best visited during summer and fall when several areas host barbecue festivals and events. Not only do trail-goers get to sample amazing barbecue, but they’ll experience some under-the-radar destinations that might have otherwise been missed. The trail includes North Carolina’s “barbecue capital,” a vibrant town full of character with about 15 dedicated barbecue restaurants, and is also home to an iconic barbecue festival, a massive event that takes place in October.
Highlights of the North Carolina Barbecue Trail
The North Carolina Barbecue trail starts off in Ayden with the Skylight Inn, which uses eastern-style methods over wood coals, and earned a coveted James Beard “American Classics” award. Next, the trail heads to Greenville, home to one of America’s prettiest downtowns. The main attraction for foodies here is B’s barbecue, which is known for mouthwatering ribs. Get there early or they might run out! In Goldsboro, Wilbur’s Barbecue has a convenient drive-through and eastern-style ‘cue, plus it’s a great spot to grab some merchandise and souvenirs.
Heading to Dudley, Grady’s Barbecue might not look like much from the outside, but the little shack serves up a mean rack of ribs (cash-only). Another small town oozing with charm that the trail winds through is Shelby, sandwiched between Asheville and Charlotte with unique southern cuisine. Stop by the Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge for hickory-smoked pork sandwiches, or for something different, livermush is a local delicacy (pig liver, cornmeal, and seasonings) and is served at the Shelby Cafe (among other restaurants).
No barbecue trail would be complete without visiting Lexington, often considered North Carolina’s “gateway to BBQ,” which has a walkable downtown with several barbecue joints serving up “Lexington style” ‘cue (using the pork shoulder). The city’s oldest BBQ spot (that is still using pits) is the Lexington Bar-B-Q Center, which has been in operation since the 1950s and is another mouthwatering stop on the barbecue trail. Most people go for the vinegar-based pork served with the hush puppies and red slaw, but they have a variety of pit-cooked options.
Tuesday, December 9, 2025 3:15AM
Some big flakes made for a nice wintry scene in Wake Forest.
Courtesy of Cathy Nestor
Snow and wintry weather fell across Central North Carolina on Monday. Check out some of the images submitted by viewers.
Copyright © 2025 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.
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