UNC football Drake Maye's clutch play helps Tar Heels beat Duke in double overtime

CHAPEL HILL — The Victory Bell is staying with North Carolina football.

The 24th-ranked Tar Heels earned a 47-45 double overtime win against Duke on Saturday night at Kenan Stadium for their fifth win in a row against the Blue Devils.

UNC (8-2, 4-2 ACC) has kept the bell in Chapel Hill since 2019, and Duke (6-4, 3-3) came up just short in its quest to beat a top-25 team on the road for the first time since 2014.

In what will likely be quarterback Drake Maye’s last home game, the second-year starter helped head coach Mack Brown improve to 13-2 against the Blue Devils, including 13 wins in a row across Brown’s two stints with the Heels.

"This'll be one that they remember for the rest of their lives," Brown said.

Maye, who could be the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, didn't say it would be his last game at Kenan Stadium. But, if it is, he's glad to go out with a win.

“It’s a fairy-tale ending. I’m glad it ended this way; I would’ve been heartbroken if it had went the other way," said Maye, who had the go-ahead touchdown in double overtime and a two-point conversion pass to John Copenhaver that proved to be the deciding points.

"No better way against a rival, with the fans storming the field, senior night, a lot of emotions, this is why I came to Carolina: to play in these big-time games. … It’s a dream come true to play quarterback here.”

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Duke kicker Todd Pelino and UNC kicker Noah Burnette made field goals in the first overtime period before Maye scampered in for a 5-yard touchdown to put the Heels ahead in the second overtime. He connected with Copenhaver for the two-point conversion before UNC's defense got a game-clinching stop on Duke's two-point conversion attempt.

"I saw Drake Maye do some things (against Duke) that are just unbelievable," Brown said. "He made play after play after play – including the two-point play – that normal people just don't make. I think he has to be the best quarterback in the country."

UNC fans stormed the field after the final play to celebrate the victory.

"It's fun for the students and they'll remember this for the rest of their lives," Brown said. "That's what you want to do: You want to give them some gifts."

Maye, who had 342 passing yards and accounted for three touchdowns, led UNC down the field with 41 seconds left in the fourth quarter and Burnette – who matched a school record with six field goals – tied the game with a 43-yard field goal as time expired to send the game to overtime.

"Two years in a row, we just couldn't stop that kid with the game on the line," Duke coach Mike Elko said of Maye. ". ... He's unbelievably competitive and has the ability to will that team to win and he certainly did it again tonight."

UNC has played multiple overtime games in the same season for the first time in program history. In Week 2, the Heels outlasted App State in double overtime.

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Sophomore running back Omarion Hampton became the first Tar Heel to rush for 100 yards in five consecutive games since Giovani Bernard in 2011. Don McCauley has the record with eight in a row. Hampton finished with a career-high 31 carries for 169 yards and a touchdown.

Impressive stretch for Duke football, quarterback Grayson Loftis

Trailing 13-0 late in the first half, Duke had a furious four-minute stretch in the second quarter that turned a double-digit deficit into a lead.

Freshman quarterback Grayson Loftis threw a touchdown pass at the 6:13 mark of the second quarter, Jaylen Stinson snagged an interception just over a minute later and the Blue Devils took a 14-13 lead on a Loftis run at the 2:07 mark.

Jordan Waters had two rushing touchdowns and Duke took a 36-33 lead with 41 seconds left in the fourth quarter before UNC rallied. Loftis accounted for four touchdowns, including three passing TDs, and Duke scored 21 points in the final 10 minutes of the fourth quarter.

UNC football’s red-zone struggles

The Tar Heels led 19-14 in the third quarter, but struggled to find the end zone at times. Noah Burnette made four field goals on drives that stalled in the red zone, allowing Duke to hang around. To the Blue Devils’ credit, they came into the game with the nation’s second-best red zone defense. Even with its inability to finish some drives, UNC didn't punt until its eighth drive and scored on 10 of its 12 drives on the night.

Tar Heels hit road to face Clemson, NC State

Brown bemoaned the Tar Heels’ closing stretch when the schedule was announced. That tough, two-game slate has arrived for UNC, which finishes the regular season at Clemson (6-4, 3-4) before wrapping things up in Raleigh against NC State (7-3, 4-2).

The Heels have lost five in a row to the Tigers and haven’t won at Clemson since 2001. UNC has lost back-to-back games against the Wolfpack, including a 34-30 loss in 2021 at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC football Drake Maye's clutch play helps Tar Heels beat Duke