Battle for Victory Bell Preview: Devils vs Heels
Tomorrow is the Battle of the Victory Bell, the annual rivalry game of Duke and North Carolina in football. North Carolina has dominated the series, but the Bell has lived in Durham for each of the last two years. The winner will get to paint the bell in their coat of blue.
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There will be more at stake than just the Bell. North Carolina is looking to become bowl eligible this season by getting to a sixth win. Duke needs victory to keep up with Georgia Tech and try to win the ACC Coastal Division. A loss to Wake or tomorrow to North Carolina would doom their hopes of a return to Charlotte.
North Carolina would like nothing better than to play spoiler, considering how close the Heels came to knocking off the Blue Devils last season.
Date: November 20
Time: 7:30 PM
TV: ESPN
Venue: Wallace Wade Stadium
Last Time: 2013
Duke and North Carolina fought an intense back and forth game where Duke finally prevailed, but only after a last ditch attempt by North Carolina fizzled out. Jamison Crowder terrorized the Tar Heel secondary. Tar Heel quarterback Marquise Williams ran for more than a hundred yards and threw for 223 more with three total touchdowns but two interceptions.
Nov 15, 2014; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Shaquille Powell (28) runs the ball after the handoff from quarterback Anthony Boone (7) in their game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Keys for Duke (8-2):
Ball control- Duke needs a ball control game that keeps the clock running and the Tar Heels off the field. While Duke might be tempted to match fire with fire, they are best served with big doses of Shaquille Powell and company. Then play action to Crowder when the opportunity comes.
Bring the pain- The Duke front four must exert pressure on Williams to cause him to make mistakes or take too many hits. The Tar Heel offensive line has been shaky at times this season.
Three-and-outs- Good to have against anyone, three and outs are particularly nasty for the Tar Heels. Their defense gets less time to recover for the next drive
Nov 15, 2014; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back T.J. Logan (8) reacts with guard Caleb Peterson (70) and offensive lineman Jared Cohen (65) and offensive tackle John Ferranto (77) after scoring the game winning touchdown in the 4th quarter. The Tar Heels defeated the Panthers 40-35 at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Keys for North Carolina (5-5)
Logan’s Run – TJ Logan’s performance against Pitt suggests that Logan may play better if he gets more snaps to get in a rhythm. With injuries to other running backs, the Tar Heels should test that idea.
Tackle – It seems simple enough, but North Carolina’s defense has been plagued all year by poor tackling. One yard becomes three, three becomes seven, and seven becomes a first down.
Score Every Time – With the defense not to be completely trusted, the Tar Heels have to walk in thinking that it will be a shootout. They were fortunate a slow start against Pittsburgh did not doom them to defeat in that game.