The Duke Blue Devils ensured Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels would suffer a losing season on Saturday, and they did so by twisting the knife a bit.
Duke beat North Carolina 32-25 at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Saturday, winning the rivalry game and ensuring the Tar Heels will not be bowl eligible. North Carolina had rallied from 24-10 down to take a 25-24 lead, but the Blue Devils broke their hearts with a perfectly executed fake field goal with just over two minutes left.
The fake was a pitch to kicker Todd Pelino, who took the ball down to the 1-yard line.
THERE GOES TODD PELINO!!!!! pic.twitter.com/QU6b6TbOeE
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) November 22, 2025
Duke running back Anderson Castle punched the ball into the end zone one play later. The Blue Devils also converted the two-point conversion to take a 32-25 lead that they would hold onto.
This pretty much sums up how Belichick’s first season at North Carolina has gone. He lost his first game 48-14 against TCU, and any fear factor was gone after that. It took until October 31 for him to win his first ACC game of the season, and they can do no better than 3-5 in conference play.
Belichick fully embraced the rivalry with Duke at the start of the season. This one will sting, both in terms of how they lost and who they lost to.
