The Victory Bell is on the line Saturday when the 2-5 Blue Devils and the 4-2 Tar Heels square off in their 107th meeting. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup.
The History:
- The series dates back to 1888 when the Blue Devils won 16-0 at a neutral site.
- The first meeting in Durham occurred in 1892, a 24-0 shutout win for the traveling Tar Heels.
- Carolina and Duke have met on the football field every year since 1922.
- The Battle for the Victory Bell began in 1948 with North Carolina first earning possession following a 20-0 win. Head cheerleaders from Duke (Loring Jones) and North Carolina (Norman Sper) decided on the idea, with Jones designing the model and Sper obtaining a bell from an old railroad train. Red Lewis, Duke’s business manager, agreed to find money in the budget to pay for the bell.
- This year’s game will mark the 107th on the gridiron between the two schools with North Carolina leading the all-time series, 61-41-4.
- Duke holds the 5-3 edge over the Tar Heels in the last eight meetings. The Blue Devils registered their longest streak in the series (seven straight wins) from 1950-56.
- Between 1991 and 2011, the Tar Heels went 10-1 against Duke with only a loss in 2003 in a 20-year stretch.
- UNC is 30-19-2 all-ti me in away games at Duke. However, the Blue Devils have won three of the previous four meetings at home, including the most recent two held at Wallace Wade Stadium in 2016 and 2018.
The Last Meeting:
Carolina snapped a three-game losing streak to the Blue Devils last season with a dramatic 20-17 win. Chazz Surratt picked off Deon Jackson’s trick-play pass at the goal line with 14 seconds left to help return the Victory Bell back to Chapel Hill for the first ti me since 2015.
The Last Time Out:
Carolina was upended 44-41 at Virginia last Saturday night. Sam Howell finished with 443 passing yards (third most in program history) and four touchdowns, and Dyami Brown caught 11 passes for 240 yards, the second highest figure in Tar Heel history.
Duke stepped out of conference to post a 53-19 victory at home over Charlotte on Saturday. Deon Jackson and Mataeo Durant combined for 205 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
How to Watch:
Television: ESPN2
On-Air Time: 12:00 p.m.
Announcers: Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (color analyst), and Alex Chappell (sideline)
Channel Finder:Spectrum | Verizon | Direct TV | Dish Network | Comcast Xfinity | Cox
Streaming Apps: TuneIn (Blue Devil Sports Network from Learfield IMG College)
Announcers: David Shumate (play-by-play); Dave Harding (color analyst); John Roth (sideline reporter); Kyle Schassburger (studio updates)
Listen HERE
Satellite Radio:
Sirius: Channel 81
XM: Channel 81
Internet: Channel 81
Announcers: David Shumate (play-by-play); Dave Harding (color analyst); John Roth (sideline reporter); Kyle Schassburger (studio updates)