Duke’s Comeback Effort Falls Short in 24-20 Loss to North Carolina

Saturday, October 17

Durham, N.C.

3:30 p.m.

Duke University

4-2 , 1-2

North Carolina

4-2 , 2-1

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
North Carolina	10	7	0	7	24
Duke	0	7	3	10	20

Duke football falls to North Carolina 24-20

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke’s Comeback Effort Falls Short in 24-20 Loss to North Carolina

10/17/2026 7:39:00 PM | Football

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DURHAM, N.C. – Duke rallied from 17 points down to go ahead 20-17, but a late fourth-quarter touchdown by North Carolina dashed the Blue Devils' comeback hopes as the Tar Heels escaped Durham with a 24-20 victory.

The Blue Devils fell behind 10-0 in the opening quarter, closed to within 17-7 at the half and ultimately took the lead for the first time at 20-17 with 4:39 left in the game. North Carolina went 78 yards in 2:41 to regain the lead with under two minutes to play. The touchdown marked the first points for the Tar Heels since the 13:43 mark of the second quarter.

Midseason first team All-America running back Nate Sheppard led the Blue Devils with 98 receiving yards and added a team-high 77 on the ground. Andrew Pellicciotta scored his first career touchdown with a nine-yard fumble return in the second quarter. The 11 receptions by Sheppard are tied for fifth all-time by a Duke running back in a single game.

Preston Watson and Nick Morris Jr. led the defensive effort with eight and seven total tackles, respectively. Watson also registered a sack as the Blue Devils held the Tar Heels without a point for 37 minutes spanning the second to fourth quarters.

HOW IT HAPPENED

North Carolina received the opening kickoff and went 74 yards on 11 plays to take a 3-0 lead as Rece Verhoff converted a 28-yard field goal with 10:03 left in the first quarter. With the Tar Heels having first-and-10 from the Duke 12-yard line, the Blue Devils stiffened and yielded just two more yards during the drive.
After a blocked punt by the Tar Heels, UNC made it a 10-0 advantage at the 7:21 mark of the first quarter with a Billy Edwards Jr. five-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Shipp. A three-and out by Duke set up North Carolina for a 63-yard touchdown drive and a 17-0 lead with 13:43 to play in the half as Demon June punched in a four-yard scoring run.
Duke attempted to answer on its ensuing drive, but was stopped short on fourth-and-one from the two-yard line.
Three plays later, a North Carolina fumble was recovered by Andrew Pellicciotta, who returned it nine yards for a score to make it a 17-7 Tar Heel lead. Kyon Loud forced the fumble while Pellicciotta scored the first touchdown of his career and Duke's first on a fumble return since 2023.
The Blue Devils received the opening kickoff of the second half and converted a 22-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 17-10 with 6:54 remaining in the third quarter. Gavin Strange converted the kick as the drive was kept alive by a pair of third-down conversion passes by Walker Eget.
Duke's defense held UNC to just 64 yards of offense in the third quarter, forcing the Tar Heels into a fumble and punt on their two drives. However, the Blue Devils couldn't capitalize and headed into the fourth quarter still trailing, 17-10.
The Blue Devils pulled within four at the 8:47 mark on a 21-yard field goal from Strange. Duke had first-and-goal from the eight-yard line before being stopped on the North Carolina four-yard line to set Strange up for the three points.
Duke grabbed its first lead of the evening with 4:39 remaining in the final period, capitalizing on a mishandled snap on a North Carolina punt. Taking over on downs on the UNC 34-yard line, Sheppard capped the five-play drive with a two-yard catch and a seven-yard dash untouched into the end zone.
The Blue Devils' lead was short lived as North Carolina answered by marching 78 yards to go ahead 24-20. Jaylen McGill put the Tar Heels back in front with a 24-yard run. Duke, getting the ball back with 1:53 to play, drove to the UNC 34-yard line but the Tar Heels sealed the victory with an interception.