What Went Wrong With Duke's Pass Rush Against UNC?

Duke entered the game against UNC with the nation’s top two pass rushers. Chris Rumph II and Victor Dimukeje were tied for the country’s lead with 7.5 sacks.

Both were shut out against the Tar Heels, however, and Duke’s entire pass rush managed just one sack in the game as North Carolina rolled to a 56-24 win over the Blue Devils.

“Give credit to North Carolina,” Rumph said. “They came out in the first half, threw a couple punches, made some big plays and we dug ourselves into a hole. They have a good quarterback, two good running backs, a solid offensive line. They have a balanced attack. We’ve just got to give them credit for what they did.”

And what did North Carolina do to shut down Rumph and Dimukeje?

“We knew coming into the game they were going to try to limit the pass rush,” Rumph said. “They kept the tight end in a couple times. They did a couple max protection, ran play action most of the game. The main thing we have to do is play a little bit faster, just make plays. You’ve just got to give them credit for coming up with the game plan.”

Rumph pointed out that it was a game of inches, and often the two standout ends were just missing on adding to their sack totals.

“We were around the quarterback,” he said. “We made him uncomfortable a couple times back there. We’ve got to finish I missed a couple sacks. A couple other guys missed a couple. The main things—play action, keeping a tight end in—they did a good job protecting. They had a good game plan to try to slow us down. They executed. We’ve got to go back to the drawing board, take this bye week and get back to attacking the passer.”