McGill TD, Dopson Interception Clinch Thrilling, 24-20 Win At Duke

Saturday, October 17

Durham, N.C. (Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium)

3:30 P.M.

North Carolina

4-2 , 2-1

Duke

4-2 , 1-2

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
North Carolina	10	7	0	7	24
Duke	0	7	3	10	20

Jaylen McGill scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:53 to play.

McGill TD, Dopson Interception Clinch Thrilling, 24-20 Win At Duke

October 17, 2026 | Football

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By: Matt Bowers

DURHAM, N.C.— Kenton Dopson III picked off Duke quarterback Walker Eget at North Carolina's 15-yard line with 14 seconds left in the fourth quarter as the Tar Heels held on to beat Duke, 24-20, in a thriller on Saturday afternoon at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Carolina raced out to a 17-0 lead in the first 17 minutes, then went scoreless for over 41 minutes and allowed Duke to grab the lead, 20-17, in the final five minutes before replying to earn the victory.

Jaylen McGill's clutch, 24-yard touchdown run gave the advantage back to the Tar Heels, 24-20, with 1:53 to play. McGill ran three times for 44 yards on what ultimately proved to be the game-winning drive, a 78-yard march in eight plays. The drive included a key, fourth-down conversion from UNC's own 28-yard line when Billy Edwards Jr. connected with tight end Jelani Thurman for 12 yards.

"I wasn't punting again," Tar Heel head coach Bill Belichick said postgame. "It hadn't gone well for us, and so unless it was like fourth and 30 or something [I was going to go for it]. I didn't want to give the ball back and thought we'd go down and take our best shot."

After McGill's scoring scamper, Duke took the ensuing kickoff and drove inside the Tar Heel 35 in the final minute, but UNC's defense forced an intentional grounding penalty with 24 seconds remaining to push the Devils back to the Carolina 44-yard line. Dopson intercepted Eget's subsequent pass, giving the ball back to the Tar Heels and ensuring the win.

The Tar Heels won their second in a row to improve to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season, snapping a two-game Duke winning streak in the rivalry while handing the Blue Devils their second consecutive defeat.

Duke fell to 4-2, 1-2, suffered its first home loss of the year and saw its eight-game winning streak against in-state opponents come to an end.

Carolina recaptured the Victory Bell and won its first game in Durham since 2022. The Tar Heels lead the all-time series, 67-42-4.

"Certainly, it's good to come in here and beat a good football team, defending [ACC] champs, and they deserve to be," said Belichick of the Blue Devils. "So, we're proud to win, but we understand we've got a lot of work to do going forward."

A team strength throughout the season, UNC's defense continued to excel against the Blue Devils. Playing without injured starting defensive backs Tre Miller and Kaleb Cost, the Tar Heels nonetheless held the Duke offense scoreless for the first 37:23 until a field goal with under seven minutes left in the third quarter. The Blue Devils' lone touchdown in the opening 37 minutes came on a first-half interception return.

Carolina held Duke to a season-low 124 yards on the ground to keep it out of its usual offensive comfort zone and force 38 passing attempts, second-most for the Blue Devils this season.

Duke running back Nate Sheppard, who entered the weekend leading all FBS players in rushing yards and all-purpose yards per game, was questionable to play prior to the game. He started but tallied only a season-low 77 yards on 20 carries (3.9 per attempt) while adding 11 catches for 98 yards and a TD.

"He's tough," Belichick said of Sheppard. "He's a really good back. He got outside a couple times. They got him out there on that swing screen with [Duke tight end Jeremiah] Hasley in front of him. They got a couple good gains on that, which we kind of expected. Then we missed the tackle another time. He's tough in space. We were just trying to keep him as as condensed as possible, which is a lot easier said than done."

Edwards completed 15 of 25 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown. Eget connected on 24 of 38 attempts for 249 yards and a score and the game-changing interception in the final minute.

When asked about Edwards' performance, Belichck said, "I thought he did a really good job of pocket presence. Duke's a good pass rushing team. He stepped up in the pocket. He slid in there. He he ran once or twice, but he made a number of completions when he he slid up in the pocket and got some extra time and hit those guys over the middle. It's his poise and and moving in the pocket helped us help the passing game a lot."

McGill rank the ball 12 times for 75 yards and his score, while Demon June added 13 carries for 49 yards and a TD. Jordan Shipp caught seven passes on nine targets for 75 yards and a score.

Up Next
The Tar Heels will return home for the first of back-to-back home, ACC games next Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. against Syracuse on ACC Network. On Saturday October 31, Carolina will host Miami.

How It Happened
First Quarter
• Carolina started strong, taking the opening kickoff and driving 11 plays for 74 yards before Rece Verhoff kicked a 28-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. Edwards went 3-for-5 for 49 yards on the drive, including a 26-yard completion to Trech Kekahuna on the first play from scrimmage. It was UNC's 10th drive of 10+ plays resulting in points this season.
• After the Tar Heel defense forced a three-and-out on Duke's initial offensive drive, a bad snap led to a blocked punt by Calvin Thomas, Jaziel Hart recovered on the Duke 11.
• Three plays later, Edwards connected with Shipp for a beautiful catch in the back of the end zone, a five-yard score and a 10-0 lead.

Second Quarter
• Carolina forced another three-and-out on Duke's next possession, then mounted another lengthy drive. On its 14th play, June converted a fourth-and-two play from the Duke four, running it in for his sixth TD of the season to make the score 17-0 Tar Heels.
• The Blue Devils responded with an eight-play drive inside the Carolina five, but UNC made a goal-line stand and Greg Smith III made a huge tackle on fourth and one from the two-yard line.
• Three plays later, Shipp caught an Edwards pass but fumbled. Duke's Andrew Pellicciotta recovered and ran it in for a nine-yard, defensive score to make the score 17-7 with 8:37 left before halftime.

Third Quarter
• Duke marched for 19 plays on its first second-half possession. Sheppard converted a fourth-and-one chance with a 13-yard rush to the left, leading to a 22-yard field goal by Kade Reynoldson to pull the Blue Devils within a score at 17-10 with 6:54 left in the third.
• Carolina then drove inside the Duke 10 on its next drive, but McGill lost a fumble that the Devils recovered at their own nine-yard line. After the turnover, the Tar Heel defense held and gave the ball back to its offense with 14 seconds left in the quarter, but UNC punted after a three-and-out drive.

Fourth Quarter
• In the fourth, the Blue Devils marched nine plays and 32 yards inside the Carolina five-yard line, but the UNC defense held once again and forced a field goal to preserve a precarious, 17-13 lead with 8:47 to play.
• With 7:43 remaining, UNC was lined up to punt before Tar Heel punter Adam McCann-Gibbs dropped the snap and was tackled for a loss, giving Duke the ball in prime field position at the Tar Heel 34.
• Four plays later, Eget connected with Sheppard for a seven-yard scoring pass to make it 20 unanswered points and a 20-17 Duke lead with 4:39 to play.
• The Tar Heels replied with a 24-yard rushing score by McGill that proved to be the game-winner after Dopson's game-saving interception.

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