bstrickland@heraldsun.com; 419-6671
CHAPEL HILL -- Any number of words, virtually all of them negative, could be used to describe Duke's performance at North Carolina on Saturday.
Duke coach David Cutcliffe, however, selected a surprising one.
"We were fortunate," Cutcliffe said.
The Blue Devils certainly couldn't have felt fortunate after losing to their biggest rival in a game with implications beyond bragging rights, a game in which their offense failed to score a touchdown.
Still, Cutcliffe couldn't help but feel like his team was a little lucky after the 19-6 loss.
"We really were very fortunate to have a chance there in the fourth quarter to win the game, because the bottom line is we got whipped," Cutcliffe said. "We didn't play very well, and Carolina played extremely well."
Duke, averaging 440 yards during its three-game winning streak, entered the fourth quarter Saturday with just 125 yards. Yet the teams stood even at 6-6 before Casey Barth's 41-yard field goal on the final snap of the third quarter.
The problem, besides having just 125 yards so late in the game, was that the Blue Devils still had 125 yards at the end of the game. And their defense almost constantly was on the field.
"Coming into the game, we said we were going to have to outhit them, just keep hitting them and keep hitting them and they would wear down," Duke cornerback Leon Wright said. "We didn't hit them hard enough, I guess. We knew it was going to be a hard-nosed football game, and they came to play. We didn't show up when we needed to."
Heading into the game, Cutcliffe appeared to engage in the age-old tradition of "coachspeak," saying that UNC's defense couldn't be blocked and that he couldn't find an individual matchup that favored his offense.
"I was too prophetic," he said. "I thought schematically we could do some things to hurt them, but to their credit, they adjusted a little bit and had a good plan. We just didn't get it done."
Thad Lewis couldn't find open receivers the way he had while throwing for 1,532 yards over his previous four games.
The ACC's most productive passing game was limited to 113 yards -- 212 below its average. Its least productive running game was limited to 12 yards -- 63 below its average.
"It kind of limits what you can do when you have a great front and guys bearing down on you and not giving you enough time to throw the ball, and you're not running the football," said Lewis, who had two runs totaling 33 yards early in the second half for an offense that netted minus-21 yards otherwise. "They did a great job of scheming us up today, and their players made plays."
Still, Duke's defense didn't break despite some bending, and the Blue Devils somehow found themselves down just 9-6 entering the fourth quarter. A Johnny Williams kickoff return and a late hit on UNC then set Duke up at the UNC 41, but the Blue Devils couldn't get a first down.
Facing the prospect of a 52-yard field goal attempt with strong-legged starter Will Snyderwine out because of a strained quad suffered in warm-ups, Duke went for it on fourth-and-4, but defensive end Robert Quinn knocked away a pass, setting up Houston and Co. to drive the length of the field and salt away the victory.
