Duke Blue Devils kicker Todd Pelino (29) is pushed out of bounds on a fake field goal during the second half at Kenan Stadium. William Howard-Imagn Images

Duke ends bowl hopes for Bill Belichick, UNC with gutsy fourth-quarter call

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Nov 22, 2025 8:27 PM ET

The Duke Blue Devils became bowl-eligible on Saturday, while also keeping their slim ACC hopes alive, with a 32-25 win over their in-state rivals, the North Carolina Tar Heels. They got it thanks in part to an incredibly gutsy call late in the fourth quarter.

It also means Bill Belichick's first season at North Carolina will end without the possibility of a bowl game.

Fake field goal sets up Duke for win

With Duke trailing, 25-24, with just over two minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils lined up for what appeared to be a 44-yard field goal to take the lead.

Instead of kicking, Duke absolutely stunned North Carolina with a fake that resulted in a first-and-goal to set up the game-winning touchdown.

THERE GOES TODD PELINO!!!!! pic.twitter.com/QU6b6TbOeE
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) November 22, 2025

That is about as gutsy a call as you can make in that spot, but it worked.

Now Duke is bowl eligible with six wins, and thanks to its 5-2 record in ACC play is still somewhat alive in the madness that is the race for a spot in the ACC title game. Duke still needs to beat Wake Forest next week and get a lot of help.

The other big story in this game is that with a 4-7 record, North Carolina is officially eliminated from bowl eligibility. They still have one more game next week against in-state rival North Carolina State. Whether they win that game or not, this is still their worst season since the 2018 campaign, when they won just two games.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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