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WRALSportsFan

UNC 24, Duke 21

Nov 19, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina's plans for the postseason came down to one final possession. Trailing Duke in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, Matt Baker looked around the huddle and saw exactly what he was looking for in his teammates' eyes.

"We didn't give up on the drive," he said. "I think everybody out there knew we were going to score. They had confidence in themselves."

That, along with a couple of clutch runs by Ronnie McGill, was just enough for the Tar Heels.

The junior tailback capped his best game of the season with a 3-yard touchdown with about 90 seconds left, helping North Carolina rally past Duke 24-21 Saturday to keep the Blue Devils winless against Division I-A opponents.

"An obviously very, very disappointing loss that rips your guts out," Duke coach Ted Roof said. "I was proud of our kids, the way they fought. We had some chances there to win."

The Tar Heels (5-5, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) retained the Victory Bell for the 15th time in 16 seasons, and now they need to win at No. 7 Virginia Tech next week to become bowl eligible for the second straight season. McGill finished with 146 yards on the ground, but none were more important than the final 3.

With about 5 minutes left, the Blue Devils (1-10, 0-8) took the lead for the first time on Ronnie Drummer's 24-yard scoring run. North Carolina took over on its 32-yard line, and a roughing-the-passer penalty on Duke linebacker Alex Williams helped get the drive started.

Matt Baker then connected with Jesse Holley for what appeared to be a 40-yard touchdown two plays later, but Holley was called for pass interference after he pushed off against cornerback John Talley. Later, on fourth-and-1, McGill got just enough yardage _ make that inches _ for the first down.

"When I first went down, I didn't know where I was," he said. "I knew what we were supposed to get, and when I first saw him spotting it, I thought they were spotting it short. But he came in and adjusted it, and then I knew we had it."

Baker scrambled 25 yards down to the 11, and an 8-yard pass to tight end Jon Hamlett set up McGill's TD with 1:38 remaining. The victory was secured when North Carolina's Tommy Richardson intercepted a pass from Mike Schneider 30 seconds later.

"We were able to finish the game," Tar Heels coach John Bunting said. "That's probably the best thing about it. Our seniors get to leave their last home game with a win over archrival Duke."

That interception probably wasn't the most impressive play for Richardson. Earlier in the fourth quarter, he and fellow linebacker Durell Mapp stopped Re'quan Boyette on fourth-and-goal from the 1 to help the Tar Heels protect a 17-14 lead.

The Blue Devils, last in the ACC in total offense, bounced back. They got good field position on the ensuing possession, and a 17-yard pass from Zack Asack to Andy Roland moved them to North Carolina' 24.

On the next play, Asack started right on the option, but pitched it instead to Drummer for a reverse. The trick play completely fooled the defense, and Drummer ran untouched in another big play for the sophomore. Earlier this season, he had runs of at least 50 yards in three consecutive games, including an 81-yard touchdown at Miami.

Still, it wasn't enough to keep Duke from a winless record in the conference for the seventh time in the past 14 seasons.

"Nobody really wanted to talk about that loss," Boyette said of the mood in the locker room. "We had it in our hands. It was right there."

Baker was 15-of-34 for 238 yards and a touchdown, and he ran for another score on the opening drive. The Tar Heels also were stingy on defense, allowing only 244 yards _ 76 yards in the first half _ and finishing with three interceptions off three different passers.

This Tobacco Road rivalry has lost a bit of its importance in recent years with the struggles of both programs, but the players certainly took it seriously. Numerous personal fouls were called for violations after the whistle, and North Carolina defensive end Kentwan Balmer was ejected in the first quarter for throwing an elbow following a play.

"I was really disappointed in losing our poise and not being disciplined," Bunting said. "Those things will be addressed again when we get back on Monday. There is no reason for that."

Drummer also was flagged for excessive celebration after his touchdown.