DURHAM, N.C. – Peyton Jones ran 20 yards for a touchdown as Duke took its first lead with 5:42 left, star Thomas scored two touchdowns and the Blue Devils overcame a 20-point deficit to beat rival North Carolina 21-20 defeated in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams on Saturday.

Thomas rushed for 166 yards and Maalik Murphy threw for a touchdown and 209 yards.

The Blue Devils (5-0) ended a six-game losing streak in this series and defeated their neighbors for the first time since 2018. Tre Freeman’s interception with 25 seconds left provided the decisive victory. Shortly afterwards, fans stormed onto the pitch to celebrate and demand the victory bell.

It was an outstanding win for first-year coach Manny Diaz, a former assistant at Texas under current North Carolina coach Mack Brown.

The Tar Heels (3-2) lost for the second straight week despite Jacolby Criswell’s two touchdown passes and running back Omarion Hampton’s 103 rushing yards.

After trailing 20-0, Duke’s first touchdown came when Thomas completed a 29-yard pass into the end zone in the third quarter. His 2-yard touchdown run on the fourth play of the fourth quarter allowed Duke to make it 20-14.

North Carolina’s defense, which had given up a majority of points allowed in a 70-50 home loss to James Madison a week earlier, racked up 97 yards of total offense in the first half. The Tar Heels led 17-0 at halftime.

In the second half, due to a strange sequence, Duke did not take a snap until the first seven minutes of the third quarter had elapsed. The Blue Devils blocked a North Carolina punt, but the ball went beyond the line of scrimmage and was mishandled by the Blue Devils. The Tar Heels rebounded from another string of losses to take a 20-0 lead on Noah Burnette’s 37-yard field goal.

The closest Duke came to scoring in the first half was when Todd Pelino bounced his 47-yard field goal off the right upright in the final minute.

The snack bar

North Carolina: The Tar Heels performed better defensively, but this result will be difficult to understand. It was a chaotic week for the team after Brown apologized for his reaction to the James Madison loss and North Carolina players were kept away from the media.

Duke: The Blue Devils racked up 297 yards in the second half and had just enough clutch plays to eke out a win despite being 2-for-14 on third down. Duke’s defense was strong in the first month of the season and improved in the second half.

Next

North Carolina: Home Saturday against Pitt

Duke: Saturday at Georgia Tech

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