Carolina Visits Duke Thursday Night On ESPN

November 19, 2014 | Football

By: UNC Athletic Communications

DURHAM, N.C. --- Just five days after evening its record at 5-5 with an exciting come-from-behind victory over Pitt, North Carolina travels to Durham to face the Blue Devils on Thursday, Nov. 20. The game will be televised by ESPN and will kickoff at 7:45 p.m. from Wallace Wade Stadium.

The Tar Heels (5-5 overall, 3-3 ACC) are looking to end a two-game losing streak to Duke, which enters the game tied atop the ACC Coastal Division standings. The Tar Heels are one win away from bowl eligibility. UNC's final two games come against its biggest rivals at Duke and home against NC State (Nov. 29).

Quarterback Marquise Williams leads the league's third-highest scoring offense, which is averaging 35.9 points per game. Williams ranks second in the league in total offense and is pushing for All-ACC honors.

Duke saw its four-game win streak come to a halt with a 17-16 loss at home to Virginia Tech last Saturday.

AT A GLANCE
Records: North Carolina 5-5 (3-3 ACC), Duke 8-2 (4-2 ACC)
Rankings: Duke is ranked No. 25 in both the AP poll and the coaches' poll.
TV: ESPN. Rece Davis (play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (analyst), David Pollack (analyst) and Samantha Ponder (sideline) have the call. ESPN will also feature a bonus Skycam feed that can be seen here.
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (click to listen), a division of Learfield Communications. Jones Angell (play-by-play), Ethan Albright (analyst) and Lee Pace (sideline) have the call. | Affiliate List (PDF)
On The Web: GoHeels.com | UNC Notes | GoDuke.com | Duke Notes
Twitter: @TarHeelFootball, @CoachFedora | @Duke_FB | @DavidCutcliffe
Fan Information: Tickets | Gameday/Parking Information

QUICK HITS
• With a win over Duke, Carolina will be bowl eligible for the second consecutive season and sixth time in the last seven years.
• Carolina has won 11 of its last 12 games in Durham. The Tar Heels have won 21 of the last 24 against the Blue Devils, but have dropped the last two.
• QB Marquise Williams is second in the league in total offense, second in passing, fourth in scoring TDs and seventh in rushing.
• Williams has been responsible for 176 points this season (17 passing TDs, 10 rushing TDs, one receiving TD, one two-point conv.), which ranks 11th in the country.
• Williams ranks third among FBS quarterbacks in scoring with 11 TDs (10 rush, 1 rec). Only Navy's Kenan Reynolds (17 TDs) and Mississippi State's Dak Prescott (12) have scored more.
• Carolina has scored 40 or more points in three of the last five games. The Tar Heels are third in the ACC and 24th in the country averaging 35.9 points per game.
• Williams ranks second in the ACC and 16th in the country in total offense, averaging 312.5 total yards per game. Only FSU's Jameis Winston (323.0) is averaging more in the ACC.
• Williams is one of six players in the country leading his team in both passing yards and rushing yards.
• Carolina has 10 players with 10 or more receptions this season, including Ryan Switzer (47),
• Mack Hollins (32), Bug Howard (30), Quinshad Davis (29), Jack Tabb (20), T.J. Logan (20), Romar Morris (17), T.J. Thorpe (14), Austin Proehl (12) and Kendrick Singleton (10). Only Texas Tech and Arizona have as many players with 10-or-more catches.
• Carolina ranks third in the conference and 24th in the country in scoring, averaging 35.9 points per game. The Tar Heels have scored 30 or more points in seven of 10 games this year.
• Five UNC players have thrown a touchdown this year. No other school in the country has five different passers with a touchdown.
• Four different times this year a Carolina player has thrown just one pass in a game and it has gone for a touchdown - Mitch Trubisky at Virginia, Quinshad Davis at Notre Dame, Ryan Switzer at ECU and Tommy Hibbard at ECU.
• Mack Hollins has an ACC-best seven receiving touchdowns. Hollins had touchdown receptions of 53 and 67 yards against Virginia. He became the first Tar Heels with two 50-yard TD catches in a single game since Hakeem Nicks in 2008 vs. West Virginia.

CAROLINA-DUKE NOTES
• The winner of Thursday's game will receive the coveted Victory Bell, which has been presented annually to the winner of the Carolina-Duke football game since the 1940s. A large bell on wheels, this prize was originated by former Tar Heel cheerleader Norm Sper. The winner is allowed to paint the frame of the bell its team color. Carolina has owned the bell for 21 of the last 24 seasons, but Duke has held the bell each of the past two seasons.
• North Carolina and Duke will renew their rivalry for the 101st time on Thursday with the Tar Heels holding a 59-37-4 advantage. n Carolina has had a player rush for 100 yards or more on 39 occasions vs. Duke, including nine of the last 10 meetings. The last time a Carolina player did not rush for 100 yards against the Blue Devils was in 2006.
• Since 1990 Carolina's only loss in Durham was a 33-30 decision in 2012. The Tar Heels are 11-1 in Durham since 1990. n Seven of the last nine games in the series have been decided by eight points or less.
• The Blue Devils claimed a dramatic 33-30 win in Durham in 2012 as QB Sean Renfree threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jamison Crowder on fourth down with 13 seconds left in the game. Last year, Duke kicked a field goal with 2:22 remaining to claim a 27-25 victory. Marquise Williams rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another as the Tar Heels' five-game win streak came to an end.
• Carolina linebacker Jeff Schoettmer's father, Steve, played linebacker at Duke (lettered in 1974-75).
• Duke enters Saturday's game ranked No. 25 in both the AP and USA Today coaches' polls. Carolina has lost nine straight to ranked teams. The last time UNC beat a ranked team was 2010 when the Tar Heels' knocked off No. 24 Florida State in Tallahassee.