Saturday, October 20, 2012 07:00 PM (ET)

Recap: Duke 33, North Carolina 30

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 20, 2012


Duke 33: North Carolina 30: Jamison Crowder caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Sean Renfree with 13 seconds remaining, lifting the Blue Devils to an Atlantic Coast Conference victory against the visiting Tar Heels and making them bowl-eligible for the first time since 1994.

Renfree finished 23-of-36 for 276 yards and a touchdown while Conner Vernon caught six passes for 124 yards and Crowder had five receptions for 41 yards. Josh Snead led the Duke rushing attack with 99 yards on 15 carries.

The victory ended an eight-game losing streak by the Blue Devils (6-2, 3-1 ACC) against the Tar Heels (5-3, 2-2) in the earliest meeting between the teams since 1943.

Duke had taken a 23-9 lead on a 20-yard field goal by Ross Martin with 4:28 left in the third quarter and moved ahead 26-16 on his 43-yard kick with 9:22 left in the game.

Giovani Bernard rushed for 143 yards on 24 carries and scored a fourth-quarter rushing touchdown for North Carolina. He also scored on a 4-yard fumble recovery with 3:12 left in the game after teammate Erik Highsmith was stripped of the ball after a long reception, giving the Tar Heels a 30-26 lead.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Duke rushed for a season-high 234 yards, while North Carolina gave up its most rushing yards in a game this season. … The Blue Devils led 20-6 at the half, their first halftime lead against North Carolina since 2003. … The Tar Heels are 5-1 with Bernard in the lineup this season. He recorded his third straight 100-yard rushing game.

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