Jones Leads Duke to 28-27 Upset Win Over No. 15 UNC

Thursday, November 10

Durham, N.C.

7:30 p.m.

Duke University

North Carolina

Jones Has Excelled During First Season as QB

Jones Leads Duke to 28-27 Upset Win Over No. 15 UNC

11/11/2016 12:30:00 PM | Football

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Jones threw for 240 yards, rushed for 94 more and accounted for three touchdowns to lead the Blue Devils to a thrilling 28-27 upset of 15th-ranked North Carolina at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium Thursday night.

The win for the Blue Devils was the first over an Associated Press top-25 North Carolina team since 1958. It also keeps Duke's bowl hopes alive, improving its record to 4-6 overall and 1-5 in ACC action.

Jones went 22-of-34 for 240 yards through the air, rushed for 94 yards on 16 carries, ran for two touchdowns and threw a third in an outstanding all-around performance by the Blue Devils. Shaun Wilson headlined the ground game, rumbling to 107 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. T.J. Rahming caught eight passes for a season-high 100 yards to pace the receiving corps.

The Blue Devils' resiliency was on center stage at Wallace Wade after they went down 14-0 early in the first quarter. Duke's defense, after the slow start to the game, was outstanding with Joe Giles-Harris leading the charge with a career-high 16 stops. Ben Humphreys added 12 tackles and Deondre Singleton recorded five and an interception. The Blue Devils held the Tar Heels to just 4-of-10 on third downs in the game.

Trailing 14-0, Jones and Duke regrouped and responded right back with consecutive scores to tie the game at 14 apiece early in the second quarter. The back-and-forth battle between the Tobacco Road rivals, to the delight of the fans, continued as they traded touchdowns to finish the second period and head into the locker room knotted at 21-21.

The scoring for both teams slowed in the second half, but the excitement never dwindled. Singleton picked off UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky on his opening drive of the third and Dominic McDonald dropped Anthony Ratliff-Williams for a 12-yard loss on the next North Carolina possession to hold the Tar Heels to just three points on their first two drives of the half.

Trailing 24-21 with the ball on its 26-yard line and facing a long third down, Jones, like he did all night, stepped up into the pocket and fired a 35-yard strike down the field to Rahming. Two plays later, Jones raced down the field for 22 yards to set up his two-yard toss to David Koppenhaver to put Duke up 28-24 heading into the final quarter.

The all-around team effort was evident in the fourth quarter as Duke's defense held the Tar Heels to just 31 yards and the Blue Devils' offense was able to eat up 11:08 on the clock despite regularly starting deep in their own territory.

After Duke ate up 6:48 on a 65-yard drive that ended in a 28-yard punt from Jones to the Tar Heels' 6-yard line, North Carolina took over with 1:51 left on the clock. The Tar Heels battled their way to the 18-yard line, only to be denied on the next play by an Alonzo Saxton II interception to ice the victory.

Duke hits the road for its final two games. The Blue Devils travel to Pittsburgh next Saturday, Nov. 19, for a 3 p.m., kickoff.

#GoDuke