Duke vs North Carolina gameday guide: How to watch, betting line, fast facts
The game was played on Thanksgiving Day, under what was said to be a brilliant November sun. Reports of the game said it was “hotly contested” and had “fine attendance.”
That was in 1888. It was the first time Duke, then Trinity College, and North Carolina, referred to simply as “University” in the News & Observer’s account, got together for a football game. Or “Boot Ball,” as it was called in the N&O.
It was played at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh before a crowd estimated at 600. It was won 16-0 by Trinity, whose quarterback was named Durham (no first names appeared in the N&O). Among the University players listed: Howell.
Which brings us to this year. The game will be played Saturday at Duke and there will be no attendance at Wallace Wade Stadium. With a noon start, there could be a brilliant sun and it could again be hotly contested.
“It is a unique rivalry,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said this week on his media call. “I like to refer to it as the grocery store rivalry. It doesn’t matter where you go people are going to talk to you about that game. It’s got to be one of the more unique football rivalries in the country, and I’m proud that we’ve tried to help make it one.”
The Tar Heels (4-2, 4-2 ACC), with Sam Howell at quarterback, will be after a bounce-back game from the 44-41 loss at Virginia that had Howell pass for 443 yards and four TDs. The Blue Devils (2-5, 1-5), after beating Charlotte 53-19 last week, will look to reclaim the Victory Bell after a 20-17 loss last year to the Tar Heels that had UNC’s Chazz Surratt intercepting a halfback jump-pass by Duke at the goal line in the final seconds.
“It’s added extra fuel to a rivalry that’s already super intense,” Duke safety Michael Carter II said this week.
Duke vs UNC: How to watch
The game has a noon start and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Betting line: UNC favored
UNC is an 11-point betting favorite according to ESPN.com. The over/under is 63.5.
Duke vs UNC by the numbers
- Records: Duke 2-5 (1-5 ACC); UNC 4-2 (4-2 ACC)
- Duke offense: 25.9 ppg | 402 ypg | 234.3 passing ypg | rushing 167.7 ypg
- Duke defense: 29.0 ppg | 393.0 ypg | 237.9 passing ypg | 155.1 rushing ypg
- UNC offense: 38.3 ppg | 532.0 ypg | 309.0 passing ypg | 223.0 rushing ypg
- UNC defense: 28.2 ppg | 382 ypg | 239.8 passing ypg | 142.2 rushing ypg
Duke football fast facts
▪ Duke quarterback Chase Brice is a Georgia native who grew up a Georgia Bulldogs football fan and said he didn’t like Georgia Tech. At Clemson, he said didn’t like South Carolina. And now, after transferring from Clemson? “At Duke, you don’t like North Carolina.”
▪ The Battle for the Victory Bell began in 1948 and was first won 20-0 by UNC. It is said the head cheerleaders from each school jointly decided on the idea and a bell was taken from an old railroad train.
▪ Duke’s Carter II on what makes UNC’s Howell so tough to defend: “He’s going to keep plays alive with his feet and he has the arm to get the ball anywhere on the field.”
▪ Duke defensive ends Victor Dimukeje and Chris Rumph II are tied for first in the ACC in sacks per game (1.08) and the first teammates to each have 7.5 sacks in a season. Dimukeje needs one sack to break the Duke career record of 22 set by Charles Bowser.
▪ Talk about a contrast: Duke ranks last among 103 FBS schools with 23 turnovers. UNC is tied for second to last in the ACC with only seven (six interceptions, one fumble) takeaways.
UNC fast facts
▪ UNC coach Mack Brown indicated Carolina won’t become more conservative on offense and use a slower tempo as a means to “protect” its defense. “It helps us when we can run the ball better because it keeps our defense off the field,” he said. “We don’t have as much depth on defense and they get tired more easily.”
▪ UNC linebacker Surratt leads the team in tackles but is well behind his pace from last season. Co-defensive coordinator Jay Bateman said that doesn’t mean Surratt is struggling. “People are making sure that he can’t just go out and win the game,” Bateman said. “And when they don’t, I think he makes a lot of plays. You know, we sometimes we think Chazz gets dressed in the phone booth and puts a cape on.”
▪ UNC junior receiver Dyami Brown’s career-high performance against Virginia in catches (11), yards (240) and touchdowns (3) was only the fourth time he’s surpassed 100 receiving yards in a game. But he has reached the feat in consecutive games after gaining 107 yards vs N.C. State.
▪ Carolina’s running tandem of Michael Carter and Javonte Williams were each held below 100 yards rushing against Virginia for the first time since gaining just 78 and 57 yards, respectively, against Syracuse in the season opener. Duke is one of just five ACC teams holding opponents to less than 4.0 yards per attempt.
