Duke Wins 'Battle of the Victory Bell' Over Tar Heels

The Duke Blue Devils traveled to take on a historic rival of theirs, the North Carolina Tar Heels, led by Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Belichick. The Blue Devils needed just one win to become bowl eligible, which would just be the cherry on top if they were able to defeat the Tar Heels.

The Blue Devils had been playing well against their ACC opponents this season, as four of their five wins have come against them. The Tar Heels had home advantage, but that wasn't something that was going to hold Duke back from getting itself into a bowl game.

1st Quarter

The game began with both programs trading off touchdowns: The Tar Heels got the ball to begin the game and put together a 13-play drive, going for 75 total yards and carving seven minutes and three seconds off the game clock. The Blue Devils' response drive went for 53 total yards over 10 plays.

With both teams running the clock and getting on the board in doing so, the first quarter ended with a 7-7 tie, as North Carolina punted the ball away to end the quarter.

Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz watches from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

2nd Quarter

Duke took advantage of North Carolina punting the ball away on their second drive of the game, as the Blue Devils found their way into the end zone for the second straight drive. Quarterback Darian Mensah found tight end Jeremiah Halsey to grab the lead. 14-7 DUKE.

The Blue Devils' defense held its own once more, forcing the Tar Heels to punt the ball away for the second possession in a row. Keeping pedal to the metal, Duke added three more after a successful field goal after moving the ball down the field in 14 plays worth 71 yards. 17-7 DUKE.

Nov 15, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarter back Darian Mensah (10) drops back for a pass against Virginia Cavaliers defensive lineman Jacob Holmes (23) during the first quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Going into halftime, North Carolina added three points to their total, giving Duke the advantage going into the second half of the game. 17-10 DUKE.

3rd Quarter

Similar to the beginning of the game, both programs traded off touchdowns, as Duke extended their lead to 24-10 momentarily, before Gio Lopez and the Tar Heels added seven of their own after a touchdown and a successful extra point attempt. 24-18 DUKE.

Nov 22, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez (7) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

A Blue Devils punt would give the Tar Heels possession going into the fourth quarter, still the same score.

4th Quarter

Sep 18, 2021; Durham, North Carolina, USA; A Duke Blue Devils helmet sits on an equipment box during the fourth quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

For the first time since the opening drive of the game, the Tar Heels grabbed the lead after a nine-play touchdown drive, taking the lead 25-24 following the extra point. With 13 minutes and some change left in the game, the Blue Devils had time to get the job done.

The Blue Devils pulled off an impressive fake field goal attempt to gain a first down and give themselves prime positioning to take the lead with two minutes and 20 seconds left in the game. Anderson Castle gets Duke into the end zone, giving the Blue Devils the 30-25 lead with 2:18 left. The two-point conversion gave Duke the 32-25 lead.

That would be the final. Duke 32, Tar Heels 25

As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking HERE, and following us on X (formerly Twitter)HERE