McGill’s late TD lifts North Carolina past Duke 24-20

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Jaylen McGill ran 24 yards for a touchdown with 1:53 remaining for North Carolina’s first points since early in the second quarter and the Tar Heels recovered to beat Duke 24-20 on Saturday.

Billy Edwards Jr. threw for 191 yards and a touchdown plus a key fourth-down completion on the winning drive as North Carolina (4-2, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) won as a road underdog for the second straight week.

“Fortunately, we were able to make a couple more plays than they did,” Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick said. “I thought our guys earned it.”

Duke (4-2, 1-2) took its first lead when Nate Sheppard scored from 7 yards out by reaching the end zone off a short pass from Walker Eget with 4:39 left.

Two years ago in the same stadium, Duke rallied from a 20-0 deficit to beat the Tar Heels.

Sheppard, the nation’s leading rusher in yards per game, was held to 77 yards on 20 carries, though he netted 98 yards on 11 receptions.

North Carolina went more than 41 minutes without scoring before McGill burst through the line with an open path to the end zone.

Edwards, a first-year Tar Heel, said he felt “the weight of this game” because of the importance to each university.

The Tar Heels led 17-0 after Demon June’s 4-yard run on the third play of the second quarter.

Duke began its comeback with safety Andrew Pellicciotta’s 9-yard fumble recovery return for a touchdown in the second quarter.

The takeaway

North Carolina: The Tar Heels managed only about 100 yards after scoring the game’s first 17 points until they marched 78 yards on their final full possession with the outcome on the line. That included a fourth-and-4 conversion from their own 28-yard line with 3:48 left when Edwards connected with Jelani Thurman over the middle for 12 yards.

“I wasn’t punting again,” Belichick said. “I wanted to take our best shot.”

Edwards said, “We had run that play a few times throughout the night.”

Duke: The Blue Devils had won eight consecutive games against in-state opponents. But just like a week earlier at Georgia Tech, they couldn’t hold on after gaining a late lead and gave up the winning touchdown inside the 2-minute timeout.

“I told the team in the locker room that there’s a good football team that’s had two very tough results,” coach Manny Diaz said.

Belichick’s Bell

North Carolina players rushed across the field at game’s end to reclaim the Victory Bell, which goes to the winner of the annual matchup.

“It felt amazing,” said receiver Jordan Shipp, whose 5-yard catch in the first quarter marked the game’s first touchdown. “That’s why you come to Carolina, for a rivalry game like that.”

As Belichick spoke to reporters in a small room outside the visiting locker room, sounds of the Victory Bell ringing threatened to interrupted him a few times. He already had his moment.

“I did ring, absolutely,” Belichick said. “I’m sure it’ll be out there on ‘MyFace’ or whatever.”

Up next

North Carolina: Hosts Syracuse on Saturday night.

Duke: Friday night at Virginia

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