UNC football's offense fails to respond to Duke's 21-point second half

DURHAM — On a make-or-break possession, the pocket collapsed around Jacolby Criswell.

With 30 seconds left on the clock and down by one, he looked to graduate tight end John Copenhaver downfield. The graduate quarterback had three seconds to make a play before Duke's Jaylen Stinson broke through a gap in the line and ran at him full-speed. 

As Criswell released the ball, Stinson took him to the ground. The pass was off-target, landing in the hands of Duke's Tre Freeman. Game over.

Criswell stood up from the grass, walked toward the sideline and took off his helmet. As Duke fans poured out of the stands and onto the field, he kept his eyes ahead of him. Heads bowed, Criswell and the rest of the Tar Heels slowly trudged off the field and toward the visitor's locker room. 

Not enough time. Not enough weapons. Not enough momentum. 

On Saturday, North Carolina fell to Duke, 21-20, at Wallace Wade Stadium, giving up a 20-0 lead. In UNC's first loss to the Blue Devils since 2018 — a season in which the Tar Heels posted a 2-9 record — North Carolina's offense evaporated, unable to answer Duke's 21-point second half. 

“It came down to one play, right at the end,” head coach Mack Brown said. “One drive. They made the play, and we didn’t.”

Rebounding from a scoreless 30 minutes of regulation, the Blue Devils stormed down the field after halftime, finding gaps in the line and utilizing their run game to score three unanswered touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels slowed to a halt. 

UNC's ground game fizzled out, recording 105 rushing yards in the first half to just 51 in the second.

Penalties cost momentum and yardage at key moments. 

A play that would've pushed North Carolina closer to the end zone for a first down in the third quarter was overturned by a holding penalty, forcing UNC to kick a field goal instead.

Up by only one possession in the final quarter, holding and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties pushed the Tar Heels from the 40-yard line to their own 15 — first and 35. North Carolina went three-and-out, opening the door for Duke's game-winning touchdown. 

“I thought we'd come out and take over the game, which we should have to start the third quarter,” Brown said. “And we didn't.”

Then, on the final drive, Criswell's deep pass to enter field goal range flew over senior tight end Bryson Nesbit's head. Next came the pick.

“Second half, I put it all on me,” Criswell said. “I didn’t do my job.”

It wasn't an effort problem, Brown said. It was a stark contrast to the team he saw give up an embarrassing 70-50 loss to James Madison last week.

But the collapse on Saturday in a rivalry game was still devastating for Criswell, who had yet to experience a loss to Duke in his previous three seasons with the Tar Heels. 

It was for his teammates, too. After the game, a UNC player shed his uniform and hid in an alcove of the Duke practice facility, sobbing into his hands. An emotional Travis Shaw, a defensive lineman, refused to go into the locker room. 

But, North Carolina doesn't want to be counted out yet. Even in the grim circumstances of back-to-back losses caused by collapses in some shape or form, there's still more games to be played. There's still more time. 

“We’re not falling apart, we’re nowhere near down,” graduate defensive lineman Jahvaree Ritzie said. “People are thinking, ‘Oh, dealing with two losses — a loss to your rival, a loss to JMU.’ It's a loss. Everyone loses at some point. We just have to come back together.”

@carolinewills03

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