By Briana Gorman

bgorman@heraldsun.com; 419-6668

CHAPEL HILL — After toppling Duke 19-6 on Saturday, North Carolina is now just one win from becoming bowl eligible with three games remaining in the regular season.

But the win over the Blue Devils may have come at a price.

The Tar Heels found out Sunday they will be without starting running back and leading rusher Shaun Draughn for the rest of the season. The junior fractured his left shoulder blade (scapula) after running for 9 yards on UNC’s first snap of the game.

Draughn had started all nine games this season and led the team with 567 yards on 124 carries. He also ranked sixth in the ACC with 69.8 yards per game.

And while losing Draughn is a blow for the Tar Heels, it might not be devastating. Ryan Houston, who had previously been used only in short yardage situations, turned in a career performance Saturday as he carried almost the entire load against Duke. The junior carried the ball a career-high 37 times, while his teammates accounted for the 14 other rushing attempts. Houston finished with a career-high 164 yards as his previous high had been 74 rushing yards against Georgia Tech in 2008.

“It was absolutely amazing,” UNC quarterback T.J. Yates said after Saturday’s game. “Shaun went down on the first play of the game and that’s tough. But that awesome Ryan can come in there. He’s not used to carrying the ball that much. …We kind of had to ride him all the way home. He did a great job.”

UNC will get three chances to clinch a postseason berth, starting with Miami this week in the Tar Heels’ final home game of the season. The twelfth-ranked Hurricanes are coming off a 52-17 blowout of Virginia, but Coach Butch Davis hasn’t lost to his former school since he’s been at UNC.