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Game Notes: North Carolina
9/27/2021 3:57:00 PM | Football
DURHAM – The Victory Bell is on the line Saturday when Duke and North Carolina square off in their 108th meeting at Kenan Stadum.
Kickoff is set for noon and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
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North Carolina leads the all-time series between the two schools, 62-41-4. In the last meeting on Nov. 7, 2020, Duke dropped a 56-24 decision to the Tar Heels. The Blue Devils' last win over North Carolina came on Nov. 10, 2018, when Daniel Jones set school single-game records for total offense (547) and rushing yards by a quarterback (186) to help lift Duke to a 42-35 victory.
Saturday's ESPN2 broadcast will feature Mike Morgan, Kirk Morrison, and Dawn Davenport on the call. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devil Sports Network from LEARFIELD through the Varsity app or goduke.com
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HOW TO FOLLOW
Duke (3-1, 0-0 ACC) vs. North Carolina (2-2, 1-2 ACC)
Saturday, October 2, 2021 • 12:00 PM
Chapel Hill, N.C. • Kenan Stadium
TELEVISION • ESPN2
RADIO • Blue Devils Sports Network from LEARFIELD
GAME NOTES • Duke Notes (PDF)  • North Carolina Notes
LIVE STATS • GoHeels.com
TWITTER • @DukeFOOTBALL
GAME NOTES
The Battle for the Victory Bell began in 1948 with North Carolina first earning possession following a 20-0 win. Head cheerleaders from Duke (Loring Jones) and North Carolina (Norman Sper) decided on the idea, with Jones designing the model and Sper obtaining a bell from an old railroad train. Red Lewis, Duke's business manager, agreed to find money in the budget to pay for the bell.
After four games, senior running back Mataeo Durant finds himself atop the league charts in numerous categories. Most notably, he ranks first in scoring (54 points), total touchdowns by a running back (9), rushing touchdowns (8), and second in rushing yards (522) and all-purpose yards per game (171.75).
Durant continues to climb up the Blue Devils' all-time rushing chart. His 124 yards against Kansas moved him into 14th place with 1,843 career yards. He is currently 97 yards away from breaking into the top-10 and 157 yards away from becoming the ninth Duke player to amass 2,000 career rushing yards.
Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward has two double-digit tackle games this season and has led Duke in tackles in three of its four contests. The Dacula, Ga., native currently leads the ACC with 42 tackles.
With his 105 receiving yards against Kansas, senior wide receiver Jake Bobo became the first Duke receiver to record back-to-back games with 100-plus yards receiving since T.J. Rahming did so in 2017 against Florida State and Pittsburgh. Bobo recorded 109 yards against Northwestern on Sept. 18.
CUTCLIFFE, DUKE IN OCTOBER
Duke is 21-26 in the month of October under David Cutcliffe ... on the road, the Blue Devils are 12-12.
OUT-OF-CONFERENCE WINS
In nine of head coach David Cutcliffe's 14 seasons at the helm, the Blue Devils have registered three-plus out-of-conference wins. In six of those nine, Duke went to a bowl game.
OFFENSIVE YARDS
Duke has registered 2,178 total yards over the opening four games for the most since 1970.
Total Yards Over First 4 Games of Season (since 1970)
NUMBERÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Year
1.  2,178       2021
2. 2,049        1988
3. 1,967Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2014
4. 1,880Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2017
5. 1,818Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1982
During Duke's last outing against Kansas, the Blue Devils registered 607 total yards for the most since putting up 645 (363 rushing and 282 passing) versus Syracuse in 2020. The total against the Jayhawks was also the seventh highest offensive output by a Duke team under head coach David Cutcliffe.
LEADER OF THE RUN GAME
Senior Mataeo Durant has accumulated 522 rushing yards on 87 attempts with eight TDs in Duke's opening four games. The Plum Branch, S.C., native is currently tied for first in the nation in rushing touchdowns, second in total scoring (54 points), third in rushing yards and tied for third in rushing yards per game (130.5). Thanks to a 57-yard touchdown run against Kansas, Durant now holds three 50-plus yard rushing scores on the season, becoming the first Blue Devil to do so since Jay Wilkinson ran for four touchdowns in 1963.
HOLMBERG JOINS ELITE COMPANY
With 328 passing yards and four rushing touchdowns, quarterback Gunnar Holmberg accomplished a rare feat in the Blue Devils' win over Kansas, becoming just the fifth player nationally over the past 15 seasons to throw for 300-plus yards while running for four-plus scores in a single game against a Power 5 opponent. The other four individuals to achieve the feat include Florida's Tim Tebow (vs. South Carolina, 2007), Kansas State's Collin Klein (vs. West Virginia, 2012), Louisville's Lamar Jackson (vs. Syracuse, 2016) and Mississippi State's Nick Fitzgerald (vs. Arkansas, 2016).
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Holmberg's four touchdowns on the ground equaled the school single-game record most recently achieved by Brandon Connette against Miami in 2013. He also became the first Blue Devil to throw for 300-plus yards in back-to-back games since Daniel Jones did so in 2016. Holmberg's 416 yards of total offense (328 passing and 88 rushing) against Kansas marked the most since quarterback Quentin Harris earned 428 yards (345 passing and 83 rushing) against North Carolina A&T in 2017.
300, 100 & 100
Against Kansas, Duke finished with a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard receiver and a 100-yard rusher for the second consecutive game, marking the first time a Duke trio had done so in back-to-back outings since Dave Brown, Clarkston Hines and Randy Cuthbert achieved the feat in three consecutive games in 1989. Saturday's accomplishments against the Jayhawks, marked the 18th time in program history a trio achieved this mark.
20+ IN A QUARTER
In three consecutive games, Duke has registered at least 20 points in a quarter en route to a victory. Over the last five years, the Blue Devils have recorded at least one quarter with 20-plus points on 14 occasions. Twelve have resulted in a win, while two ended in a loss. Both of those losses came at the hands of Pittsburgh (2018 and 2019).
BOBO BIG UNDER PRESSURE
Senior wide receiver Jake Bobo has become Duke's top target for extending drives. The North Andover, Mass., native had 32 catches in 2020, with 22 of those going for a first down. Bobo has continued that trend in Duke's opening four games. Nineteen of his 34 receptions have earned a first down.
Of his 34 receptions on the year:
** 19 have earned a first down
** Three have gone for nine yards
** 11 have gone for eight-or-less yards
** One went for 11 but missed a first down due to a false start on previous play
Against Kansas, Bobo finished with a team-high 105 yards on seven receptions to become the 39th player in program history to reach 1,000 career receiving yards (1,032). He also became the first Duke receiver to record back-to-back games with 100-plus yards receiving since T.J. Rahming did so against Florida State and Pittsburgh in 2017.
HEYWARD NOTABLES
Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward has registered 1+ tackle in 20 straight contests. He has also recorded fumble recoveries against Pittsburgh (2019), North Carolina (2019), and Georgia Tech (2020), while earning a safety and special teams TD against Georgia Tech in 2020. In 31 career games (21 starts), Heyward has compiled 194 tackles, 18.0 TFL, 6.5 sacks, two INTs, three fumble recoveries, and nine QB pressures.
ACC LEADERS AMONG TACKLES
Duke is one of five schools in the ACC with three players with 25-plus tackles on the year. Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward is tops on the list with 42, while redshirt senior safety Lummie Young II sits tied for 13th (28), and sophomore linebacker Dorian Mausi is tied for 21st (25).
INTERCEPTIONS
Duke accumulated nine interceptions last season and the Blue Devils are looking to continue that trend in 2021. In eight of the last nine seasons, Duke has earned nine-plus interceptions, with its lone blip on the radar being the 2018 season (4). During that stretch, the Blue Devils recorded six years with double digit picks, including an impressive 18 in 2013.Â
During their outing against Kansas, the Blue Devils intercepted two passes, marking the first time since 2019 (North Carolina and Notre Dame) that Duke recorded back-to-back games with multiple interceptions. Shaka Heyward, Leonard Johnson, Jeremiah Lewis, Nate Thompson, and Lummie Young IV accounted for the five picks.
PUNTING PERFECTION
In his first year as Duke's starting punter, redshirt sophomore Porter Wilson garnered a Freshman All-America nod from The Athletic and was tabbed a semifinalist for the 2020 Ray Guy Award. Tthe Fairlawn, Ohio, native started all 11 games for Duke last season, totaling 53 punts for 2,276 yards (42.94). He ranked eighth in the league in punting average and had 21 kicks downed inside the opponent 20-yard line to just two touchbacks. Wilson finished the season second all-time on Duke's freshman single-season chart in punting average.
In his first four games of 2021, Wilson has booted 16 punts a total of 720 yards for an average of 45.00. Five of those kicks were inside the 20, while one was a touchback. He currently sits fifth in punting average and sixth in punting yards.
KICKING WITH HAM
Redshirt sophomore kicker Charlie Ham concluded 2020 by being named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award. The Atlanta, Ga., product wrapped up his first season as the primary place-kicker converting 13-of-15 field goal attempts (29-, 30-, 25-, 47-, 39-, 36-, 45-, 21-, 46-, 29-, 32-, 29- and 35-yards).
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Last year, Ham ranked tied for second in the ACC and 13th in the country with a .867 field goal percentage. His 13 made field goals finished tied for eighth in the league, along with his 1.18 field goals per game. In Duke's opening four games of 2021, Ham has converted on all 20 of his PAT attempts and is five-of-six on field goal attempts, including a career-long 50-yarder against Northwestern. His five field goals tie him with Syracuse's Andre Szmyt for fourth in the ACC.
Has has recorded 31 kickoffs for 1,664 yards for an average of 53.68. Ham and fellow teammate Mataeo Durant are ranked in the top-10 in the ACC in scoring: Durant is first with 54 points, while Ham is seventh with 35.
#GoDuke
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Kickoff is set for noon and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
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North Carolina leads the all-time series between the two schools, 62-41-4. In the last meeting on Nov. 7, 2020, Duke dropped a 56-24 decision to the Tar Heels. The Blue Devils' last win over North Carolina came on Nov. 10, 2018, when Daniel Jones set school single-game records for total offense (547) and rushing yards by a quarterback (186) to help lift Duke to a 42-35 victory.
Saturday's ESPN2 broadcast will feature Mike Morgan, Kirk Morrison, and Dawn Davenport on the call. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devil Sports Network from LEARFIELD through the Varsity app or goduke.com
Â
HOW TO FOLLOW
Duke (3-1, 0-0 ACC) vs. North Carolina (2-2, 1-2 ACC)
Saturday, October 2, 2021 • 12:00 PM
Chapel Hill, N.C. • Kenan Stadium
TELEVISION • ESPN2
RADIO • Blue Devils Sports Network from LEARFIELD
GAME NOTES • Duke Notes (PDF)  • North Carolina Notes
LIVE STATS • GoHeels.com
TWITTER • @DukeFOOTBALL
GAME NOTES
The Battle for the Victory Bell began in 1948 with North Carolina first earning possession following a 20-0 win. Head cheerleaders from Duke (Loring Jones) and North Carolina (Norman Sper) decided on the idea, with Jones designing the model and Sper obtaining a bell from an old railroad train. Red Lewis, Duke's business manager, agreed to find money in the budget to pay for the bell.
After four games, senior running back Mataeo Durant finds himself atop the league charts in numerous categories. Most notably, he ranks first in scoring (54 points), total touchdowns by a running back (9), rushing touchdowns (8), and second in rushing yards (522) and all-purpose yards per game (171.75).
Durant continues to climb up the Blue Devils' all-time rushing chart. His 124 yards against Kansas moved him into 14th place with 1,843 career yards. He is currently 97 yards away from breaking into the top-10 and 157 yards away from becoming the ninth Duke player to amass 2,000 career rushing yards.
Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward has two double-digit tackle games this season and has led Duke in tackles in three of its four contests. The Dacula, Ga., native currently leads the ACC with 42 tackles.
With his 105 receiving yards against Kansas, senior wide receiver Jake Bobo became the first Duke receiver to record back-to-back games with 100-plus yards receiving since T.J. Rahming did so in 2017 against Florida State and Pittsburgh. Bobo recorded 109 yards against Northwestern on Sept. 18.
CUTCLIFFE, DUKE IN OCTOBER
Duke is 21-26 in the month of October under David Cutcliffe ... on the road, the Blue Devils are 12-12.
OUT-OF-CONFERENCE WINS
In nine of head coach David Cutcliffe's 14 seasons at the helm, the Blue Devils have registered three-plus out-of-conference wins. In six of those nine, Duke went to a bowl game.
OFFENSIVE YARDS
Duke has registered 2,178 total yards over the opening four games for the most since 1970.
Total Yards Over First 4 Games of Season (since 1970)
NUMBERÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Year
1.  2,178       2021
2. 2,049        1988
3. 1,967Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2014
4. 1,880Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2017
5. 1,818Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1982
During Duke's last outing against Kansas, the Blue Devils registered 607 total yards for the most since putting up 645 (363 rushing and 282 passing) versus Syracuse in 2020. The total against the Jayhawks was also the seventh highest offensive output by a Duke team under head coach David Cutcliffe.
LEADER OF THE RUN GAME
Senior Mataeo Durant has accumulated 522 rushing yards on 87 attempts with eight TDs in Duke's opening four games. The Plum Branch, S.C., native is currently tied for first in the nation in rushing touchdowns, second in total scoring (54 points), third in rushing yards and tied for third in rushing yards per game (130.5). Thanks to a 57-yard touchdown run against Kansas, Durant now holds three 50-plus yard rushing scores on the season, becoming the first Blue Devil to do so since Jay Wilkinson ran for four touchdowns in 1963.
HOLMBERG JOINS ELITE COMPANY
With 328 passing yards and four rushing touchdowns, quarterback Gunnar Holmberg accomplished a rare feat in the Blue Devils' win over Kansas, becoming just the fifth player nationally over the past 15 seasons to throw for 300-plus yards while running for four-plus scores in a single game against a Power 5 opponent. The other four individuals to achieve the feat include Florida's Tim Tebow (vs. South Carolina, 2007), Kansas State's Collin Klein (vs. West Virginia, 2012), Louisville's Lamar Jackson (vs. Syracuse, 2016) and Mississippi State's Nick Fitzgerald (vs. Arkansas, 2016).
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Holmberg's four touchdowns on the ground equaled the school single-game record most recently achieved by Brandon Connette against Miami in 2013. He also became the first Blue Devil to throw for 300-plus yards in back-to-back games since Daniel Jones did so in 2016. Holmberg's 416 yards of total offense (328 passing and 88 rushing) against Kansas marked the most since quarterback Quentin Harris earned 428 yards (345 passing and 83 rushing) against North Carolina A&T in 2017.
300, 100 & 100
Against Kansas, Duke finished with a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard receiver and a 100-yard rusher for the second consecutive game, marking the first time a Duke trio had done so in back-to-back outings since Dave Brown, Clarkston Hines and Randy Cuthbert achieved the feat in three consecutive games in 1989. Saturday's accomplishments against the Jayhawks, marked the 18th time in program history a trio achieved this mark.
20+ IN A QUARTER
In three consecutive games, Duke has registered at least 20 points in a quarter en route to a victory. Over the last five years, the Blue Devils have recorded at least one quarter with 20-plus points on 14 occasions. Twelve have resulted in a win, while two ended in a loss. Both of those losses came at the hands of Pittsburgh (2018 and 2019).
BOBO BIG UNDER PRESSURE
Senior wide receiver Jake Bobo has become Duke's top target for extending drives. The North Andover, Mass., native had 32 catches in 2020, with 22 of those going for a first down. Bobo has continued that trend in Duke's opening four games. Nineteen of his 34 receptions have earned a first down.
Of his 34 receptions on the year:
** 19 have earned a first down
** Three have gone for nine yards
** 11 have gone for eight-or-less yards
** One went for 11 but missed a first down due to a false start on previous play
Against Kansas, Bobo finished with a team-high 105 yards on seven receptions to become the 39th player in program history to reach 1,000 career receiving yards (1,032). He also became the first Duke receiver to record back-to-back games with 100-plus yards receiving since T.J. Rahming did so against Florida State and Pittsburgh in 2017.
HEYWARD NOTABLES
Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward has registered 1+ tackle in 20 straight contests. He has also recorded fumble recoveries against Pittsburgh (2019), North Carolina (2019), and Georgia Tech (2020), while earning a safety and special teams TD against Georgia Tech in 2020. In 31 career games (21 starts), Heyward has compiled 194 tackles, 18.0 TFL, 6.5 sacks, two INTs, three fumble recoveries, and nine QB pressures.
ACC LEADERS AMONG TACKLES
Duke is one of five schools in the ACC with three players with 25-plus tackles on the year. Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward is tops on the list with 42, while redshirt senior safety Lummie Young II sits tied for 13th (28), and sophomore linebacker Dorian Mausi is tied for 21st (25).
INTERCEPTIONS
Duke accumulated nine interceptions last season and the Blue Devils are looking to continue that trend in 2021. In eight of the last nine seasons, Duke has earned nine-plus interceptions, with its lone blip on the radar being the 2018 season (4). During that stretch, the Blue Devils recorded six years with double digit picks, including an impressive 18 in 2013.Â
During their outing against Kansas, the Blue Devils intercepted two passes, marking the first time since 2019 (North Carolina and Notre Dame) that Duke recorded back-to-back games with multiple interceptions. Shaka Heyward, Leonard Johnson, Jeremiah Lewis, Nate Thompson, and Lummie Young IV accounted for the five picks.
PUNTING PERFECTION
In his first year as Duke's starting punter, redshirt sophomore Porter Wilson garnered a Freshman All-America nod from The Athletic and was tabbed a semifinalist for the 2020 Ray Guy Award. Tthe Fairlawn, Ohio, native started all 11 games for Duke last season, totaling 53 punts for 2,276 yards (42.94). He ranked eighth in the league in punting average and had 21 kicks downed inside the opponent 20-yard line to just two touchbacks. Wilson finished the season second all-time on Duke's freshman single-season chart in punting average.
In his first four games of 2021, Wilson has booted 16 punts a total of 720 yards for an average of 45.00. Five of those kicks were inside the 20, while one was a touchback. He currently sits fifth in punting average and sixth in punting yards.
KICKING WITH HAM
Redshirt sophomore kicker Charlie Ham concluded 2020 by being named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award. The Atlanta, Ga., product wrapped up his first season as the primary place-kicker converting 13-of-15 field goal attempts (29-, 30-, 25-, 47-, 39-, 36-, 45-, 21-, 46-, 29-, 32-, 29- and 35-yards).
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Last year, Ham ranked tied for second in the ACC and 13th in the country with a .867 field goal percentage. His 13 made field goals finished tied for eighth in the league, along with his 1.18 field goals per game. In Duke's opening four games of 2021, Ham has converted on all 20 of his PAT attempts and is five-of-six on field goal attempts, including a career-long 50-yarder against Northwestern. His five field goals tie him with Syracuse's Andre Szmyt for fourth in the ACC.
Has has recorded 31 kickoffs for 1,664 yards for an average of 53.68. Ham and fellow teammate Mataeo Durant are ranked in the top-10 in the ACC in scoring: Durant is first with 54 points, while Ham is seventh with 35.
#GoDuke
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