Upcoming Event: Football versus NC State on September 20, 2025 at 4 p.m.
Football
vs NC State
Notes: North Carolina 45, Duke 44
11/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
- Nineteen Blue Devils playing in their final game were honored prior to the contest this afternoon.
- Duke scored a season-best 44 points today vs. North Carolina. The previous best was a 28-point effort vs. Vanderbilt on Oct. 28. The 44 points were the most by Duke in a game since a 48-35 win over Wake Forest on Nov. 13, 1999.
- The 89 combined points is the second highest in the series between Duke and North Carolina. The Tar Heels defeated the Blue Devils 59-34 on Nov. 21, 1970, to close out that season. It also marks the most combined points since Navy defeated Duke 64-27 on Oct. 5, 1996. The 89 points is also the second-highest combined total at Wallace Wade Stadium behind an N.C. State 47-45 win over Duke on Nov. 14, 1987.
- With three scoring catches, junior FB Tielor Robinson increased his total to four in 2006 (he also had one last week at Georgia Tech). His three TD receptions were the most in a game by a Duke player since Corey Thomas had four vs. Georgia Tech on Nov. 15, 1997. He also caught a two-point conversion that tied the game at 31-31 with 1:21 remaining in the third quarter.
- Sophomore WR Eron Riley entered the game leading the ACC in yards per reception (18.9). He had a huge game today, catching four passes for 115 yards. On the season, he now has 32 catches for 643 yards for a 20.1 average. Riley now ranks second on Duke's single-season chart for yards per reception (minimum 25 receptions) behind only Chris Castor (20.7 in 1982).
- Duke's trio of Jomar Wright (40), Raphael Chestnut (39) and Eron Riley (32) became the first group of three wide receivers in school history to have 32 or more receptions each ... The trio combined for 111 catches for 1,579 yards and seven touchdowns on the year
- Riley eclipsed the 100-yard barrier for receiving yards for the second time this season and the third time in his career
- Junior DE Patrick Bailey returned his first career interception for a 21-yard touchdown with 2:49 left to bring the score 45-44.
- Senior CB John Talley now has 33 pass breakups in his career, tops on the Duke all-time chart. He registered one in his final game today vs. North Carolina. He also ended his career with 18 interceptions, the highest total in school history and second-best figure in ACC history.
- Freshman QB Thaddeus Lewis moved into first place for freshman passing yardage at Duke with 2,134 on the season. He passed Ben Bennett, who had 2,050 passing yards in 1980.
- Lewis' four TD passes this afternoon established a career high. With 11 TD passes this year, Lewis matched Bennett for the most by a true freshman in school history. Dave Brown holds the Duke rookie record with 14 TD throws in 1989.
- Lewis' 285 yards passing were the second-highest total of his career. He had a career-high 305 at Wake Forest on Sept. 9.
- With his 2,134 yards on the year, Thaddeus Lewis ranks fourth on the ACC's single-season chart for passing yards by a freshman ... His total trails only Florida State's Drew Weatherford (3,208 in 2005), N.C. State's Philip Rivers (3,054 in 2000) and Florida State's Chris Rix (2,734 in 2001) ... In addition, Lewis' 2,060 yards of total offense is a Duke rookie record and ranks as the sixth-highest single-season total by a freshman in league history behind Weatherford (3,180 in 2005), Rix (3,123 in 2001), Rivers (2,969 in 2000), Georgia Tech's Reggie Ball (2,380 in 2003) and Georgia Tech's Shawn Jones (2,078 in 1989)
- With 180 completions on the year, Lewis posted the 11th-highest single-season total in school history -- just three behind Steve Slayden's 183 that ranks 10th on the chart ... Lewis' 340 attempts ranks as the 10th-best single-season total at Duke
- Lewis' four touchdown passes versus North Carolina match the second-best single-game performances in Blue Devil history ... Steve Slayden holds the school standard with six scoring tosses against Georgia Tech in 1987, and Lewis is now tied with 10 others with four ... The last Duke player to throw four TD passes in a game is David Green versus Georgia Tech in 1997
- Senior LB Codey Lowe had 1.5 tackles for loss today vs. the Tar Heels, bringing his season total to a team-best 14. He entered the game ranked fourth in the ACC in that category. He also forced and recovered a fumble on the same play with 10:32 remaining in the third quarter to halt a North Carolina drive.
- Sophomore TB/QB Clifford Harris threw his first career TD pass in the second quarter today -- a six-yarder to Raphael Chestnut. It was Harris' third career passing attempt and his first career completion.
- Duke's five passing TD's (four from Lewis, one from Harris) marked the first time since Oct. 13, 1990, that Duke has had five touchdowns through the air. Billy Ray had three and David Brown two vs. Western Carolina that day.
- Junior TE Nick Stefanow had his first career TD reception today ? a 20-yarder from Thaddeus Lewis in the second quarter.
- Junior RB Ronnie Drummer had a 38-yard run on a reverse in the first quarter. It was his second-longest rush of the season behind a 48-yarder vs. Vanderbilt on Oct. 28.
- Duke's 10 points in the first quarter today were more than it had amassed in the opening quarter in its first 11 games (9). The Blue Devils' 23 first half points today were the third-most they have scored in any game this season behind only the Florida State (24) and Vanderbilt (28) contests.
- Duke opened the game with a 7-play, 52-yard drive in 1:35 that was capped by a 25-yard field goal by senior K Randy DeSmyter.
- Jabari Marshall finished the year with 38 kickoff returns for 953 yards -- good for a 25.1 yards per return average ... The 38 returns rank second on Duke's single-season list behind Tijan Redmon's 45 in 1995 ... The 953 yards stand second on both the Duke and ACC single-season chart trailing Redmon's 1,065 yards in 1995
- Brandon King established new season-highs for both receptions (4) and receiving yards (25).
- Michael Tauiliili recorded a game-high 11 tackles against North Carolina, marking his fourth double-figure tackle game of the season ... Tauiliili now has reached double digits in the tackle column eight times in his career including two versus the Tar Heels.
Players Mentioned
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