Despite jumping out to a 17-0 lead, the North Carolina Tar Heels nearly found themselves on the losing end in Week 7.

Head coach Bill Belichick knows a thing or two about leading a late-game comeback, and that's exactly what the Duke Blue Devils had in mind on Saturday, Oct. 17.

Duke scored 20 unanswered points to take a 20-17 lead, only for Jaylen McGill to score on a 24-yard carry that would give UNC the 24-20 win.

UNC improved to 4-2 (2-1), pushing the Blue Devils down to the same record.

Duke got off to a hot 4-0 (1-0) start, but they've now dropped their last two games by a combined seven points.

As for UNC, they've won two straight and seem to be a brand new team after their losses to Clemson and Notre Dame.

The UNC vs. Duke football rivalry may not mean as much to some as the college basketball rivalry, but throughout the years there have been some incredible showdowns on the football field.

Year after year, this game feels like it's only decided by one score, and that's because this game hasn't ended in a blowout or double-digit victory in quite some time.

Here in 2026, UNC pulled out a four-point victory and sealed it with an interception, which was only Walker Eget's second of the season.

Eget had only been sacked once all year, but the Tar Heels defense was relentless and made sure to bring him down once in this one.

Sixth-year quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. finished 15/25 for 191 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. 

On the ground, McGill led the way with 12 carries for 75 yards. His 6.3 yards per attempt was far greater than Demon June's 3.8 yards per attempt. June finished with just 49 yards on 13 carries, though he also had a rushing touchdown.

Edwards Jr. added 20 yards on the ground himself, and it was surprisingly UNC who outran Duke in this one, 135 yards to 124.

All eyes were on Nate Sheppard, who was a game-time decision, but he ended up suiting up for the Blue Devils.

Sheppard finished with 20 carries for 77 yards, and to no surprise, also led the team with his 11 receptions for 98 yards. 

Edwards Jr. was sacked twice, and Duke had five tackles for loss, which was far better than UNC's one sack and two TFLs.

In the end, the interception sealed the deal, and North Carolina escaped in a game that saw them lose the turnover battle, two to one.