All Tar Heels

Social Media Reacts to North Carolina’s Loss to Duke

All the best reactions from North Carolina's loss to Duke on Saturday.
Logan Lazarczyk|
Nov 22, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez (7) is hit after a pass by Duke Blue Devils defensive back Caleb Weaver (3) during the first half at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images
Nov 22, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez (7) is hit after a pass by Duke Blue Devils defensive back Caleb Weaver (3) during the first half at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

In this story:

North Carolina Tar Heels

The North Carolina Tar Heels were officially eliminated from bowl eligibility after falling to the Duke Blue Devils 32-25 on Saturday.

It was the offense's best performance of the season, but in the end, costly penalties and multiple sacks taken in the final minutes of the game cost the Tar Heels.

Here are social media reactions during the game, unfolding how the contest transpired.

First Drive Success

North Carolina's opening drive of the game concluded with a one-yard rushing touchdown scored by Lopez, who completed all six of his passes for 65 yards. The Tar Heels went 4-for-4 on third-down conversions during the first offensive drive of the game.

Duke's Response

The Blue Devils returned the favor with a touchdown drive of their own, which was capped off by a one-yard rushing score by Anderson Castle.

Duke kept the drive alive with two fourth-down conversions, including a 27-yard completion to Jeremiah Hasley, which took the Blue Devils into the red zone.

After forcing a three-and-out, Duke's offense returned to the field with an opportunity to steal momentum to close out the first quarter. Mensah continued to punish the Tar Heels' defense on third-down situations, connecting with Cooper Barkate for a 24-yard gain.

Duke's Momentum Carries Over into Second Quarter

It was self-inflicted miscues for the Blue Devils, as Brian Parker committed an unnecessary roughness penalty, pushing Duke back to a 46-yard field goal attempt. Kicker Todd Pelino would send the kick wide right, but the Tar Heels committed a roughing the kicker penalty, which resulted in an automatic first down. Mensah would take full advantage and find Hasley up the seam for a 14-yard touchdown, extending the Blue Devils' lead to 14-7.

Allowing long third-down conversions was starting to pile up against North Carolina's defense, as Mensah connected with Sahmir Hagans for a 22-yard gain. Duke would commit a costly holding penalty, which stalled the drive, but the Blue Devils were able to tack on three more points, taking a 17-7 lead with under three minutes left in the first half.

It appeared that Duke would end the first half with 17 unanswered points, but the Tar Heels stopped the bleeding with a 49-yard field goal with seven seconds left. North Carolina would enter halftime down 17-10.

Odd Start to the Third Quarter

North Carolina attempted to catch Duke off guard with an onside kick, but the ball failed to travel 10 yards, giving the Blue Devils the ball on the plus side of the field. That decision appeared to be saved by a defensive stop, but Duke's head coach, Manny Diaz, decided to keep his offense on the field. Mensah delivered with a first-down scramble on 4th & 7.

Instead, the Blue Devils took full advantage of the short-field situation and capped off the drive with Castle's second touchdown of the game. The perplexing decision by Bill Belichick led to the Tar Heels suddenly facing a 14-point deficit early in the second half.

North Carolina Strikes Back

Lopez was instrumental on the ensuing drive, completing 7-of-8 passes - the one incompletion was a dropped touchdown by Kobe Paysour - including a 20-yard touchdown to Jordan Shipp while being crushed by two defenders. The Lopez-Shipp connection would remain strong on the two-point conversion. The Tar Heels trailed 24-18 with 4:52 left in the third quarter.

Duke's defense was beginning to break at the seams, as the Tar Heels' offense would produce seven plays of 11+ yards, including a 12-yard rushing touchdown by Davion Gause. North Carolina would take a 25-24 lead two minutes into the fourth quarter.

On 4th & 1 and in field-goal range inside the Tar Heels' 30-yard line, the Blue Devils elected to go for it. However, instead of running a rudimentary play, Duke trusted Que'Sean Brown to throw the ball on a trick play, but through no fault of his own, Brown suffered a sack.

Duke's Defense Steps Up

Following the questionable turnover-on-downs sequence, the Blue Devils defense tallies back-to-back sacks on Lopez, forcing a quick three-and-out.

Clutch Fourth-Down Conversion by Duke

After a fortunate dropped interception, Mensah recovered with a calm and smooth throw to Hagans to convert 4th & 7 and keep the Blue Devils alive.

Duke With a Gutsy Fake Kick

The Blue Devils were forced to settle for a 44-yard field goal with 2:28 remaining in the game. Instead, Diaz dialed up a fake kick, as Pelino ran for 26 yards to North Carolina's one-yard line.

That would lead to Anderson's third touchdown of the game, giving Duke a 30-25 lead, with a two-point conversion on tap. Nate Sheppard would secure a swing pass, extending the Blue Devils' advantage to 32-25.

Lopez would suffer another sack, leading to an unrecoverable fourth down, which North Carolina failed to convert. Duke would kneel out the clock, ending a two-game skid while eliminating the Tar Heels from postseason play.

Please make sure you follow us today on our Facebook page when you click right HERE!

Please follow us on X when you click right HERE!

Published
Logan Lazarczyk
LOGAN LAZARCZYK

Logan Lazarczyk is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Journalism. He is our UNC Tar Heels Beat Reporter. Logan joined our team with extensive experience, having previously written and worked for media entities such as USA Today and Union Broadcasting.