First look: Rivals Duke and No. 24 North Carolina meet in an ACC rivalry football game
Any possible impact Duke and North Carolina’s game Saturday might have had on the ACC championship race dissipated when the rivals each suffered two-game losing streaks in league play last month.
Still, the battle for the Victory Bell will be fierce when the Blue Devils play at the No. 24 Tar Heels on Saturday at 8 p.m. on ACC Network.
Both UNC (7-2, 3-2 ACC) and Duke (6-3, 3-2 ACC) trail league-leading Florida State (9-0, 6-0) and second-place Louisville (8-1, 5-1) in the league standings. The top two teams will meet at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 2 in the ACC championship game.
UNC owns a four-game winning streak in the series, including last season’s 38-35 win at Durham when Drake Maye led a last-minute scoring drive to erase Duke’s lead.
Maye gets another chance to beat Duke on Saturday, while his Blue Devils counterpart, Riley Leonard, isn’t likely to be on the field. The junior quarterback missed Thursday’s 24-21 win over Wake Forest with a left toe injury that has him wearing a walking boot. The injury is expected to keep Leonard out for multiple games.
Duke used freshman Grayson Loftis against Wake Forest. In his first collegiate start, Loftis completed 7 of 19 passes while throwing one interception, losing a fumble and tossing a touchdown pass. Duke’s usual second-string quarterback, redshirt freshman Henry Belin IV, remains slowed by an upper-body injury.
Key matchup: UNC defense vs. Duke running backs
With the Blue Devils’ passing game limited due to quarterback injuries and wide receiver ineffectiveness, they count on what’s been a strong running game to fuel the offense.
Jordan Waters (534 yards, 10 TDs) and Jaquez Moore (481 yards, four TDs) led a Duke rushing attack that averages 180 yards per game (No. 5 in the ACC). Duke has an injury concern about Moore, who left the Wake Forest game with an undisclosed ailment.
UNC’s rushing defense is No. 9 in the ACC, allowing 151 yards per game. The Tar Heels allowed Georgia Tech to gain 348 rushing yards in its 46-42 win on Oct. 28 one week after Virginia gained 228 rushing yards in its 31-27 win.
Player to watch: UNC RB Omarion Hampton
Duke’s experienced defensive front has been able to stifle strong running games most of the season, a big reason why the Blue Devils have been such a difficult team to score against. But that rushing defense hasn’t been as strong of late, surrendering seven rushing touchdowns over the last three games. Duke had allowed only four over the season’s first six games.
With that in mind, North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton is catching the Blue Devils at the right time. Hampton leads the ACC in rushing yards (1,067) and rushing touchdowns (12). He’s rushed for 100 yards or more in four consecutive games.
Vegas betting odds
The Tar Heels were set as a heavy favorite on Sunday, when the opening lines had UNC favored by 10.5 points.
Duke at North Carolina
Teams: Duke Blue Devils (6-3, 3-2 ACC) at North Carolina Tar Heels (7-2, 3-2 ACC)
Where: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill
Date: Saturday, Nov. 11
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: ACC Network
Stream: DIRECTV Stream, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, SlingTV
