The Darkest Duke Football Moments of the Decade: No's 1 and 2

Two plays that still trigger Duke fans top the countdown

We finish off the countdown of the darkest Duke football moments of the 2010s with a pair of heartbreaking Coastal losses.

2. The jump pass to Surratt:

Duke and North Carolina had identical 2-2 ACC records and hopes of winning a wide-open Coastal Division in 2019 when the pair met at Kenan Stadium. In a back-and-forth game, Duke led with four minutes left in the third quarter before UNC kicked a field goal to tie the game at 17. The Heels hit another field goal with 7:00 to play in the game to take a three point lead.

Carolina appeared on the verge of scoring again, when the Blue Devils got the miracle play they needed, forcing a fumble on their own two-yard line and recovering it with 2:55 to play.

Duke marched down the field, converting a fourth down on their own 26 and another at UNC’s 32 instead of trying to tie the game with a 50-yard kick.

With less than a minute to play, Duke got a first and goal at the UNC two with a chance to run a couple of shots at the end one before kicking a chip shot to tie.

The Blue Devils set up to run a running-back jump pass that has worked in the past, including against Army a few years ago, back when Jay Bateman, currently UNC’s defensive coordinator, held the same position at the military academy.

Bateman recognized the formation and called time out to tell his player to watch out for the jump pass.

Despite the red flag that the surprise was blown on the trick play, Duke stuck with it, and former UNC quarterback Chazz Surratt picked off the ball in the end zone to seal a Tar Heel win.

1. Upon further review, the play is still under review:

Duke has lost bowl games and rivalry games, blowouts and nail-biters, but nothing … NOTHING … triggers Blue Devil fans more than Miami 2015.

The Blue Devils had come back from 14 points down, 12 down in the fourth quarter, to take the lead over the Hurricanes at Wallace Wade on Halloween, thanks to a Thomas Sirk touchdown pass and touchdown run in the final three minutes.

Six seconds remained on the clock. All Duke had to do was kick off.

Well, that … and also tackle the Miami return man.

Well, that … and also get credit for said tackle.

Miami threw a total of eight laterals, including one where replays seemed to clearly show that the Hurricanes ball carrier’s knee was on the ground as he threw the ball to a teammate, and Corn Elder eventually got free to finish off the 91 yard return for a game-winning touchdown.

The game was then held up for several long minutes as officials reviewed the film. At one point, the referee stepped away from the replay and announced to the crowd, “Upon further review … the play is still under review.”

Eventually, the refs gave the touchdown the green light, and Duke lost. The ACC later released a statement confirming that they’d missed the call and suspended the officials, but the damage was done. Duke had suffered an improbable, unjust loss that still gets Coach Cutcliffe angry when he talks about it.