Mack Brown's defense relentless in first half vs. Duke after 20-point loss to JMU
By Sam Fariss
The UNC Tar Heels needed to have a good start in their Week 5 matchup against in-state rivals the Duke Blue Devils and that is exactly what they did. After 30 minutes, the Heels led the Devils 17-0 and allowed Duke to earn less than 100 yards.
In Week 4, North Carolina was completely embarrassed when they hosted the JMU Dukes, paid James Madison $500,000 to come to town, and lost 70-50.
Following the loss, head coach Mack Brown said he was disappointed in himself more than anything else and was looking forward to moving on to the next week.
In Week 5, UNC had the perfect opportunity to bounce back from the loss as they visited the Blue Devils in Durham. While many people expected Duke to blow the doors off of North Carolina, the Heels stormed into town and manhandled their opponent.
At halftime, quarterback Jacolby Criswell had completed 10 passes for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns while the UNC rushing game had earned an additional 105 yards on the ground.
Meanwhile, the North Carolina defense had held the Blue Devils scoreless through the first two quarters. Maalik Murphy, Duke's quarterback, earned an abysmal 60 yards through the air while rushing for -15 yards on the ground.
The rest of the Blue Devils' running game managed to eke out 52 yards, bringing their rushing total to a whopping 37 yards... Disappointing at best.
The start to the ACC rivalry game was exactly what Brown and his Tar Heels were looking for and if they can hold on for the remainder of the matchup, they will ruin the Blue Devils' perfect record.