Thursday, November 10, 2016 07:30 PM (ET)

Duke pulls out upset win over No. 17 North Carolina

The Sports Xchange
Nov 10, 2016

DURHAM -- Duke held No. 17 North Carolina's high-powered offense to a pair of second-half field goals in pulling off a stunning 28-27 victory in Atlantic Coast Conference football Thursday night at Wallace Wade Stadium.

The outcome likely knocks the Tar Heels (7-3, 5-2 ACC) out of contention to play in the ACC championship game as the Coastal Division representative, with Virginia Tech needing to win only one of its remaining two league games to qualify.

Duke (4-6, 1-5) was in danger of dropping out of a chance to reach bowl eligibility after a four-year string of bowl appearances, but instead the Blue Devils snapped a three-game losing streak.

Duke defeated North Carolina for only the fourth time in the last 27 meetings.

The Blue Devils took possession at its own 1-yard line with 8:39 remaining after a punt, clinging to a one-point lead. North Carolina didn't get the ball back until the 1:51 mark at its own 6.

After a first down, Alonzo Saxon II picked off North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky.

Duke quarterback Daniel Jones completed 22 of 34 passes for 240 yards and also rushed for 83 yards. Blue Devils running back Shaun Wilson gained 107 yards on 24 carries.

Trubisky was 24-for-33 for 297 yards, with his two interceptions doubling his previous season total

Duke took its first lead of the game on Jones' 2-yard jump pass to tight end Davis Koppenhaver with 2:10 left in the third quarter.

North Carolina's T.J. Logan responded with a 75-yard kickoff return, putting the Tar Heels at the Duke 25. North Carolina settled for Nick Weiler's 37-yard field goal, closing the gap to 28-27.

Duke had a chance to build its lead, but didn't convert on fourth down after reaching the North Carolina 26 with just less than 12 minutes to play.

North Carolina took the first possession of the second half into Duke's territory before safety Deondre Singleton's interception.

The Tar Heels had a 24-21 lead after their next possession with Weiler's 36-yard field goal.

The game was tied at 21 entering halftime, with the teams combining for 533 yards of total offense.

North Carolina scored on its first two possessions for a 14-0 lead.

Trubisky connected with receiver Thomas Jackson for a 16-yard touchdown on the Tar Heels' first drive.

The next possession consumed 96 yards in 10 plays, with Truibisky throwing to receiver Bug Howard for a 19-yard touchdown.

Jones put Duke on the board with an 8-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter.

The Blue Devils pulled even about five minutes later on running back Shaun Wilson's 1-yard run.

A broken coverage led to tight end Carl Tucker's 54-yard touchdown catch, putting the Tar Heels back ahead with the redshirt freshman's first college points.

Jones ran one yard with 4:26 to play in the half as the Blue Devils pulled even again. By this point, North Carolina had allowed more points than in any of its three previous games.

In the second quarter, Jones set Duke's single-season freshman record with more than 2,160 passing yards.

NOTES: The winner of the annual Duke-North Carolina showdown keeps the Victory Bell until next year's game. ... Duke senior CB Breon Borders missed the game with a hip injury. ... Duke honored 27 members of the program in a pregame ceremony on Senior Night. ... North Carolina's defense entered the game without an interception after leading the ACC with 17 picks last year. ... This was Duke's third game in a four-game span against a nationally-ranked team. ... North Carolina has its final two games at home, beginning Nov. 19 against The Citadel in a non-league game. Duke plays Nov. 19 at Pittsburgh.
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