14 Unforgettable Touchdown Passes

I first started following Duke football closely when I arrived as a freshman in the fall of 1976. In the 41 seasons since then, the Blue Devils have registered 617 touchdown passes. I haven't seen them all, but here are 14 of the most unforgettable ones during that span — with two from the 1960s thrown in for history's sake.

1. Sean Renfree to Jamison Crowder, 2012 vs. UNC
The final drive was long and dramatic (14 plays, 87 yards). The Renfree pass could not have been more clutch (fourth down at the 5 with 13 seconds left). The catch was Crowder at his phenomenal best, rising high in a crowd, contorting, flipping over and landing on his head, but still holding on to the football. And the stakes made it one to cherish forever: bowl eligibility for the first time since '94, the Victory Bell for the first time since '03 (final: 33-30).

2. Don Altman to Tee Moorman, 1961 Cotton Bowl
This looked like a running play, with Altman taking the snap and tossing to his halfback while his left guard pulled to the right to block for an apparent sweep. But then the HB gave the ball back to Altman, who rolled right and spotted Moorman open in the end zone for a 9-yard strike with 2:45 play to beat Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl (final: 7-6).

3. Ben Bennett to Mark Militello, 1983 vs. NC State
At the first night game in Wade Stadium history, played on a Thursday night under portable lights for a national TV broadcast, Bennett and his teammates were down by 19 points in the third quarter. But Bennett was not going down to defeat on his Senior Night, and he completed an improbable comeback by connecting with Militello on fourth down from the 7-yard line with 26 seconds left. Militello made a spectacular catch, spinning from right to left while in the air, shielding his defender from the ball (final: 27-26).

4. Steve Slayden to Doug Green, 1985 vs. UNC
Trailing UNC 21-3 in the third quarter, Slayden led Duke back with three scoring strikes of 20, 1 and 5 yards to Green. The game-winner came with 1:10 to play on a pass that Slayden placed perfectly on the left side of the end zone, where it could either be caught or fall incomplete out of bounds but not be intercepted. Green stretched, dove and held on for the win (final: 23-21).

5. Mike Dunn to Tom Hall, 1977 vs. Georgia Tech
The best running quarterback in modern Duke history, Dunn was known more for getting the ball in the end zone with his feet. But his arm was never more lethal than in the fourth quarter of this game. Trailing 24-9, Dunn led a remarkable comeback by converting 10 of 12 third and fourth down plays, then produced the game-winner with a 7-yard toss to Hall in the corner of the end zone with :07 on the clock (final: 25-24).

6. Ben Bennett to Carl Franks, 1982 vs. UNC
Bennett spent the afternoon piercing the Sun Bowl-bound Tar Heels and their nationally second-ranked defense with one long drive after another, then capped the day by hitting his tight end Franks with the winning TD pass to give the Blue Devils a second straight 6-5 season (final: 23-17).

7. Daniel Jones to Anthony Nash, 2016 vs. Notre Dame
Redshirt freshman Jones' mastery of the read-option led to several impressive runs and ground scores this year. At Notre Dame, offensive coordinate Zac Roper added another wrinkle to the play. Jones read the defensive edge, faked a handoff to his running back and headed toward the left end. But as soon as the edge defender bit on the run, Jones flipped the ball to Nash a few yards away and he took it 64 yards for the tying score (35-35) with 6:47 to go. Duke later won it on a field goal (final: 38-35).

8. (tie) Anthony Dilweg to Clarkston Hines, 1988 vs. Tennessee

Ben Bennett to Chris Castor, 1982 vs. Tennessee
Two stunning early-season Duke wins in my favorite stadium outside Wallace Wade were highlighted by these pinpoint passes. In '88 Dilweg quieted the Neyland throng with TD tosses of 26, 18 and 15 yards to Hines, the most memorable coming when the two communicated the route with brief hand signals at the line of scrimmage and then connected for paydirt (final: 31-26). In '82 the Vols were blessed with world-class speed, but Castor got a step on two defenders, caught a perfect spiral from Bennett in the UT logo at midfield and showed he was the fastest man on the field in pulling away the remaining 50 yards to the end zone to finish off an 88-yard play (final: 25-24).

10. Thad Lewis to Conner Vernon, 2009 vs. Virginia
With 3:45 left in the fourth quarter, Lewis stood in the pocket in the face of a Cavalier blitz and released the ball at the last possible moment before being sacked. Vernon hauled it in right down the middle of the field and raced untouched to the end zone, completing a 42-yard play that gave Duke an 18-17 lead (final: 28-17).

11. Dave Brown to Clarkston Hines, 1989 vs. Wake Forest
After QB Billy Ray was injured, coach Steve Spurrier tapped redshirt freshman Brown to start at Wake Forest in week 9. On the first offensive snap of the game, Brown hit Hines with a shocking 76-yard scoring strike and the Blue Devils rolled on to victory (final: 52-35). It was the start of perhaps the three best consecutive games by a Duke QB, as Brown had totals of 444, 374 and 479 yards and 11 TDs in wins over Wake, N.C. State and UNC (outcomes that clinched the ACC title and a bowl bid).

12. Scottie Montgomery to Richmond Flowers, 1999 vs. Virginia
Duke needed a touchdown in the final minute to force overtime and it came unexpectedly on a broken play from the 9-yard line. The Blue Devils were supposed to run a halfback pass to quarterback Spencer Romine, but the ball was mishandled in the backfield. Wide receiver Scottie Montgomery alertly picked up the loose ball and flung it toward Romine by the goal line, but his fellow wideout Richmond Flowers stepped in front of his QB for the grab and short burst into the end zone with six seconds left. Duke then won in OT for coach Carl Franks' first victory (final: 24-17).

13. Anthony Boone to Jamison Crowder, 2013 vs. Virginia
Duke trailed Virginia 22-0 late in the second quarter when Boone rolled right and hit Crowder between two defenders for a 6-yard score with :46 on the clock. That lit the fuse as the Blue Devils went on to score 35 unanswered points for an impressive victory (final: 35-22). The TD pass that put Duke ahead in the second half, though, was almost as compelling. Brandon Connette came in on fourth down, faked a handoff and flipped the ball to tight end Braxton Deaver for a 47-yard scamper.

14. Leo Hart to Wes Chesson, 1968 vs. Wake Forest
No list of passing superlatives could be complete without Blue Devil Hall of Famers Hart and Chesson, the duo that brought the modern aerial game to Duke. This one from late in their sophomore year helped them beat the Deacons (final: 18-3) and went for 81 yards, at the time the longest pass play in school history.

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