12/06/25 11:28:00
Printable Page
12/06 23:27 CST Duke beats No. 16 Virginia 27-20 in overtime for first outright
ACC championship since 1962
Duke beats No. 16 Virginia 27-20 in overtime for first outright ACC
championship since 1962
By STEVE REED
AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) --- Duke won its first outright Atlantic Coast Conference
title since 1962 and threw the College Football Playoff into chaos on Saturday
night when Darian Mensah connected with Jeremiah Hasley for a 1-yard touchdown
on a fourth-down play in overtime, and the unranked Blue Devils held on to beat
No. 16 Virginia 27-20.
The Blue Devils (8-5) are unlikely to make the playoff field, opening the door
for a second Group of Five team --- likely James Madison --- to make it.
Duke last won a share of the ACC regular-season title in 1989, sharing it with
Virginia in Steve Spurrier's final season as the Blue Devils' coach. The
conference championship game was created in 2005, and Duke got there this year
thanks to a five-team tiebreaker.
Virginia (10-3), the ACC regular-season champion, would have reached the CFP
for the first time in school history with a victory but fell short when
Chandler Morris was intercepted by Luke Mergott on the Cavaliers' first
offensive play of OT.
Mensah threw for 196 yards and two scores --- both to Hasley --- while Nate
Sheppard ran for 97 yards and a score for Duke.
Virginia trailed by 10 with 5:02 left in regulation, but got a field goal from
Will Bettridge before Morris capped a 10-play, 96-yard drive with an 18-yard
strike to Eli Wood in the left corner of the end zone with 22 seconds left to
tie it at 20-all.
In the extra period, Sheppard got the Blue Devils to the Virginia 2 with three
runs. Duke was stuffed twice before Mensah rolled out and found Hasley for the
go-ahead score. Virginia was flagged for roughing passer on the throw, meaning
it had to start its overtime possession at the 40 instead of the 25.
Morris fired downfield on first down and was picked off by Mergott, setting off
a raucuous celebration.
Morris, who finished 21 of 40 for 216 yards with two TDs and two interceptions,
was in tears after the game. J'Mari Taylor, the ACC's leading rusher, was
limited to 65 yards on 15 carries and scored on an 11-yard reception.
Duke established control of the line of scrimmage early.
The Blue Devils controlled the clock in the first half, putting together the
two longest drives in ACC championship game history --- 9:38 and 8:02 ---
culminating with a 12-yard touchdown catch by Hasley and a 16-yard run by
Sheppard to take a 14-7 lead into halftime.
Duke coach Manny Diaz, who ran a fake field goal that led to the Blue Devils'
dramatic win over rival North Carolina, called a fake punt on Duke's go-ahead
drive in the second quarter. It worked, with Kevin O'Connor taking the direct
snap and running up the middle for 6 yards.
The takeaway
Duke: The Blue Devils' punt team was big. Along with the fake punt, Duke pulled
Virginia offsides on a hard count on fourth-and-7, and then Diaz sent the
offense back on the field to get the first down on fourth-and-2. Duke punter
Kade Reynoldson also pinned Virginia at the 1, leading to Morris' interception
three plays later.
Virginia: Taylor fumbled on the Virginia's first play from scrimmage --- it was
negated by a penalty --- and could never get on track against the Duke defense,
which played its best game recent weeks.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up
here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football:
https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and
https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
|
