North Carolina 24, Duke 20: McGill's 24-yard run answers Duke's late lead

North Carolina spent most of Saturday giving back a 17-0 lead and then took the game back with one run. With 1:53 left, Jaylen McGill went 24 yards for a touchdown, and the Tar Heels left Wallace Wade Stadium with a 24-20 win over Duke.

Duke had scored 20 straight points and led 20-17 with 4:39 to play. North Carolina needed less than three minutes to answer. The full line history is on the game page.

How it was won

The Tar Heels opened fast. R. Verhoff kicked a 28-yard field goal at 10:03 of the first quarter, and Billy Edwards Jr. found Jordan Shipp for a 5-yard touchdown at 7:21. Demon June added a 4-yard run at 13:43 of the second quarter, and it was 17-0.

The swing came at 8:37 of the second. Edwards hit Shipp for 4 yards, Shipp fumbled, and A. Pellicciotta picked it up and returned it 9 yards for a Duke touchdown. 17-7 at the half.

North Carolina did not score again until the final two minutes. G. Strange kicked a 22-yard field goal at 6:54 of the third quarter and a 21-yard field goal at 8:47 of the fourth. Both drives stalled inside the 5, and those were points Duke would miss.

Walker Eget then put Duke ahead, finding Nate Sheppard for a 7-yard touchdown at 4:39. 20-17. McGill's run at 1:53 settled it.

Duke won most of the statistical columns. The Blue Devils outgained North Carolina 373 to 326, converted 8 of 18 on third down against the Tar Heels' 4 of 12, and held the ball for 31:23. Eget completed 24 of 38 for 249 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Sheppard did a bit of everything: 20 carries for 77 yards, plus 11 catches for 98 yards and the touchdown. CJ Campbell Jr. ran 9 times for 61 yards, and Jared Richardson caught 3 passes for 55.

North Carolina had more first downs, 22 to 19, and turned the ball over twice to Duke's once. Edwards went 15 of 25 for 191 yards and a touchdown. Shipp caught 7 passes for 75 yards, with a score and the costly fumble. Jelani Thurman added 4 catches for 52 yards. On the ground, McGill had 75 yards on 12 carries and June had 49 on 13.

Against the number

Duke closed as a 3-point favorite, so North Carolina covered and won outright. The Tar Heels closed at +130 on the moneyline, with Duke at -155.

The total closed at 46.5. The teams combined for 44, so the under came in. The two Duke field goals inside the 5 mattered here too: a touchdown on either one would have pushed the game over.

North Carolina has now won two straight road games as an underdog-sized margin team, following a 21-17 win at No. 25 Pittsburgh with this one. Duke has lost back-to-back games by a combined seven points, 28-25 at Georgia Tech and now 24-20 at home.

What's next

North Carolina (4-2) hosts Syracuse on Saturday, October 24, on ACC Network. The Tar Heels' two losses came to Clemson and No. 3 Notre Dame, and they are 4-0 against everyone else.

Duke (4-2) has a short week. The Blue Devils play at Virginia on Friday, October 23, on ESPN, looking to stop a two-game slide after opening the season 4-0.