On Saturday, November 11, 2023, the North Carolina Tar Heels hosted the Duke Blue Devils under the lights at Kenan Memorial Stadium. The two teams battled it out for the Victory Bell, an important symbol in the history of the rivals. The Tar Heels play in Chapel Hill and the Blue Devils play in Durham, these universities make up two points in the intellectual triangle (North Carolina State in Raleigh makes the third). The intellectual triangle is one of the most highly intelligent areas in the country, and the students attending these three schools are held to extremely high academic standards. Say what you want about the stereotypical football player, but the guys out on the field have amazing brains.
The rivalry between UNC and Duke has been a thing since 1888, when the first Victory Bell game was held. A lot of this rivalry is rooted in basketball. But recently, both schools’ football programs have been on the rise, with UNC reaching the 10 seed in the AP Poll and Duke making it to 17. The Tar Heels fell to 24, and Duke is now unranked. Not to mention, Duke’s starting quarterback Riley Leonard was out for the second week in a row due to injury, and backup Grayson Loftis barely made it past Wake Forest in the previous week.
Saturday night’s game was a wild ride, and the stadium was roaring with excitement. The Heels had the ball first, and less than five minutes into the first quarter quarterback Drake May threw downfield to receiver Devontez Walker to get into the redzone. Two plays later, Maye ran in it for a 3-yard rushing touchdown. The first quarter ended with UNC leading 10-0. The Blue Devils outscored Carolina in the second quarter, but did not take the lead. UNC was still leading 16-14 at the half. The third quarter was slow, with Carolina only scoring a field goal and Duke not putting up any points. However, the fourth quarter made the game very interesting. The Blue Devils had their best quarter of the game, scoring 22 points, but wasn’t able to stop the Tar Heels from scoring 17 points of their own.
The game went to overtime and both teams were successful in scoring a touchdown and extra point, taking the game to a second overtime. UNC scored another touchdown and 2-point conversion, giving another rushing touchdown to Drake Maye, and then Duke scored again. Every Tar Heel fan held their breath during Duke’s 2-point attempt. Loftis could not connect with Jalon Calhoun in the endzone, bringing the game to a final close and UNC winning 49-47. Players, coaches, and fans spilled out onto the field in celebration, and the Victory Bell stays in Carolina for another year!
This was a very special night for the Heels, as it was the last home game and Senior Night. “This will be one they remember for the rest of their lives on Senior Night.” commented UNC Coach Mack Brown, who achieved his thirteenth straight win against Duke.
UNC quarterback Drake Maye and a thrilling game, with multiple saves and fourth down conversions, throwing for 342 yards and a touchdown, as well as the two rushing touchdowns. Maye has a brilliant mind and thinks awfully quick on his feet. Coach Brown said, “I think he’s as good as anybody I’ve ever been around. He never even flinched.” Many reporters are saying if he declares for the draft this year there is a huge chance he could go number one or two, and he has become quite the prospect. There has been a lot of speculation lately on what his decision will end up being. Even though he is just a sophomore, this was likely his last home game. The quarterback has not publicly committed to a decision.
The Carolina players made this game look like backyard football with an exhilarating ending. The UNC vs Duke rivalry will live on forever. Duke played hard, but not hard enough. The North Carolina Tar Heels keep hold of the Victory Bell once more.
