After a week of anticipation and anguish over the future of America, the Tar Heels took all the drama out of their normally nerve-wracking game against Duke in literally 15 minutes. We thank them for that and, as Mack Brown likes to say, the right to stick our chests out for another year.
Carolina scored three touchdowns in the first quarter and a fourth on the third play of the second quarter to take a 28-0 lead and never looked back.
The final result, in political terms, was a landslide. And, boy, was it ever fun to watch.
During and after the 56-24 blowout, two questions remained to the naked eye that might not have seen all of the games these blue blood rivals have played so far in this unusual football season.
One, are the Tar Heels this good or the Blue Devils that bad?
And, two, if Carolina is this good, how did it lose two games?
The game plan against Duke was clearly pass the football to open up the running game against the Blue Devils’ stacked box.
Sam Howell came out throwing leather darts after RPO (run-pass option) fakes. He completed four of them on the quick-strike drive, the last one on the first of four gambles on fourth down the Tar Heels took and made. Howell faked a hand-off to Javonte Williams before finding him wide open in the end zone. It was the first of four more touchdowns for the junior scoring machine who now has 17 to lead the nation.
Fewer than three minutes of game clock had elapsed when, after a Duke three-and-out, Howell had them back in the red zone within 60 seconds. This three-play drive contained a 12-yard run by Williams, a 51-yard completion to Emery Simmons and Howell’s three-yard bootleg to the house.
If you had a sense the game waa over against 2-5 Duke, you might have remembered the same start over there in 2016 with Mitch Trubisky at the controls that the home team rallied to win.
The third straight scoring drive took eight plays and an eternal 4:10, with Michael Carter streaking for 27 yards and a second touchdown by Williams, who had kept the drive alive on another fourth down conversion.
Brown talked last week about being pulled kicking and screaming into the analytics age, where he learned some statistics show that going for it on fourth down in certain situations carries better odds than he thought.
So now it was 21-zip, and the only concern was the Tar Heels’ negative numbers all the season in the second quarter, where coming in they had been outscored 78-45.
Fortunately, DeAndre Hollins picked off a sideline pass from Duke QB and Clemson transfer Chase Brice (Duke’s nation-leading 24th turnover of the season) and returned it 41 yards to give Carolina another short field. Three snaps later, on the second play of the second quarter, Howell completed a wheel route to our Michael Carter who bowled over their Michael Carter into the end zone.
Carolina scored another 21 points in the second period, capped by touchdown bursts from Williams of 32 and 33 yards, compared to Duke’s first TD, which came after a UNC penalty kept the drive alive, and a field goal for a 42-10 halftime score.
If you weren’t convinced the fat lady was singing by now, the Blue Devils fumbled away the first play of the second half, after which three snaps later came Howell’s scoring pass to Dazz Newsome, his first touchdown since the Virginia Tech game. It was 49-10, and we were safe to change the channel and peek at the presidential- election celebrations that were growing in cities around the country.
Carolina’s eight touchdowns were scored on its first 12 possessions, seven straight to begin the game.
Behind Williams’ 151 and Carter’s 85, and some from back-ups who played much of the second half, Carolina rushed for 358 yards in empty Wade Stadium, which was remindful of the bad old days at Duke when nobody came and there was no COVID.
Howell had another stellar day, throwing for 235 and three touchdowns, extending his streak to 19 of throwing a TD in every game he has played as a Tar Heel.
Carolina’s 573 total yards were almost twice what Duke gained, mostly in the second half, when Brown continued clearing his bench until the clock ran out, the Tar Heels clanged the Victory Bell and took it back to Chapel Hill. It was Brown’s 10th straight win over the Blue Devils, dating back to 1990 and his first UNC tenure.
Afterward, he told his players to enjoy their fifth victory, celebrate safely, and get ready for a hot Wake Forest team that had the weekend off. If Carolina beats the 4-2 Deacons, the so-called “state championship” that Brown has talked about for years is all but in the bag.
He noted that Carolina has been “playing Duke since 1904, their name is in our fight song” and fans of both schools live, work, worship and shop in the same neighborhoods.
At the end of the day, those of a blue persuasion who cheer for candidates as well as colleges had witnessed two great victories.
