Atlantic Coast Conference Champions! In Football. Read those words a couple times and let them sink in. This is definitely a “stop and smell the roses” event for Duke fans.
Duke defeated Virginia 27 -20 in overtime to win their first conference championship since 1989 which they shared with Virginia. This is Duke’s first outright ACC Championship since 1962.
Duke committed to the run game, a tactic which helped them finish the regular season with wins over North Carolina and Wake Forest. Duke ran the ball
44 times for 137 yards led by Nate Sheppard with 97 yards on 21 carries.
Darian Mensah completed 19 of 25 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Cooper Barkate was the leading receiver with five receptions for 91 yards. Mensah’s two touchdowns went to Tight End Jeremiah Hasley.
The star of the game was Duke’s defense which contained Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris and the explosive Virginia offense for 60 plus minutes.
Play One: In overtime, after Duke scored to take a 27-20 lead, linebacker Luke Mergott intercepted a Chandler Morris pass to end the game.
Play Two: With nine minutes and 29 seconds remaining in the 1st quarter, on 4th down and two yards to go, Darian Mensah completed a 16-yard pass to Landon King for a first down to extend the drive. Six plays later, Mensah tossed a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Hasley to give Duke a 7-0 lead.
Play Three: With seven minutes and 26 seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter, on 3rd down and 14 yards to go, Mensah completed a pass to Sahmir Hagans for 35-yards. Two plays later Nate Sheppard rushed 16-yards for a touchdown to give Duke a 14-7 lead.
Play Four: Kicker Todd Pelino successfully kicked two field goals in the second half. The first was with three minutes and 56 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter and the second was with five minutes and two seconds remaining in the 4th quarter.
Play Five: Duke’s defense got back-to-back stops in the 4th quarter. On 3rd down and nine, J’Mari Taylor rushed for four yards but was tackled by Mergott. On 4th and 5, Virginia QB Morris threw the ball toward Trell Harris in the end zone but the pass was broken up by safety DaShawn Stone.
Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions | Drop us a line
