North Carolina @ Duke preview
Wallace Wade Stadium
Last Meeting ( Nov 7, 2009 ) Duke 6, North Carolina 19
Coming off a pair of tough losses, North Carolina will look to put a positive end on a trying season Saturday when it takes on Duke in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup.
The Tar Heels (6-5, 3-4 ACC) have lost two straight, suffering losses to Virginia Tech and North Carolina State, to drop out of contention in the ACC Coastal Division.
Virginia Tech has wrapped up the Coastal title and will meet either NC State or Florida State in the ACC Championship game on Dec. 4 in Charlotte.
All that is left for the Tar Heels now is to post a win over their in-state rival and improve their standing for one of the ACC bowl tie-ins. Going to a bowl after a season marked with NCAA investigations and constant roster changes regarding player eligibility would be quite an accomplishment.
A victory over Duke would give North Carolina of a 7-5 record and a third consecutive winning season. It would be the longest streak of winning seasons since the Tar Heels had nine in a row from 1990-98.
It will be interesting to see how the Tar Heels approach this one. They need a win for a winning season and they have dominated the series with the Blue Devils of late, but they will also be playing for the 11th straight week and may be starting to wear down.
North Carolina has won 19 of the last 20 meetings against Duke, including 13 in a row from 1990-2002. Duke’s last win came in 2003, 30-22, when North Carolina went 2-10.
Duke (3-8, 1-6) will be shut out of the bowl season for the 16th straight year, so Saturday’s matchup with its main rival will serve as a bowl game for the Blue Devils and especially the seniors.
It’s been tough going for the Blue Devils where the Tar Heels are concerned as Duke is looking to snap a 10-game home losing skid to North Carolina.
Duke has dropped two straight and is coming off a 30-20 loss at Georgia Tech. North Carolina leads Duke 56-36-4, including a 19-6 victory last season.