5 p.m. update: The ACC announced that North Carolina LB Shakeel Rashad would be suspended for one game "for his dangerous collision against an unsuspecting Duke player during a substitution in the second quarter." Additionally, head linesman Tyrone Davis and side judge Angie Bartis have were given one-game suspensions "for failure to adhere to correct mechanics of the game and rules related to player safety."

Also, The N&O's UNC beat writer, Andrew Carter, wrote about Larry Fedora's response to the incident earlier today. In short, he felt Rashad's hit was unintentional.

In a game full of twists and turns, a pre-snap collision in the second quarter may have been the most eyebrow-raising of all. At the very least, it has caught the attention of the ACC league office. 

Take a look at the above video, which, for the record, was titled by the individual that posted it, not me. What it shows is UNC LB Shakeel Rashad, a true freshman, running into Duke WR Conner Vernon from behind. Vernon went down to the ground, rolled around and the trainers came out. He went off the field and was back on the next snap. 

Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said he was told by an official that Rashad had been running backwards and bumped into Vernon. Now, that's clearly not true, and Cutcliffe saw as much when he reviewed the game tape Sunday morning. 

Duke head coach David Cutcliffe receieved a bowl-clinching Gatorade bath 17 years in the making. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Duke (6-2, 3-1 in the ACC, first in the Coastal Division)

Duke's Kenny Anunike (84) and Brandon Connette (18) brought the victory bell into the Blue Devils' locker room. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY 

DURHAM—Duke turned in its most impressive rushing performance of the David Cutcliffe era, running for 234 yards on a season-high 53 carries. And it came against one of the best run defenses in the country.

North Carolina, ranked 14th in the nation with an average of just 99.7 rushing yards allowed per game. Before Duke rushed for its 232 yards, the previous high for a North Carolina opponent was 183 yards to Louisville. Duke’s total was also well above the Blue Devils average of 111.1 yards per game.

Jamison Crowder pulls in the go-ahead touchdown with :13 seconds remaining. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

By Andrew Carter

DURHAM—Duke went into the tunnel at halftime with a 20-6 lead over North Carolina. And that lead came courtesy of a suddenly potent rushing attack.

The Tar Heels entered the game with the nation’s 14-ranked run defense, but Duke put up 119 yards on 38 carries in the first half. That figure is higher than the Blue Devils 111.1 average rushing yards over the course of a full game.

Juwan Thompson leads Duke with 46 rushing yards on nine attempts, followed by Jela Duncan (42) and Josh Snead (39).

The Blue Devils are hopefull that fans will come out for the earliest meeting between Duke and UNC since 1943. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

DURHAM—It's a beautiful mid-October night for football in Durham, as Duke and UNC will kick off for the 99th time in about an hour and a half's time. In case you missed any of these this week, a bit of pregame reading:

Brandon Connette, who injured his shoulder last week, could play against UNC. Credit: CHRIS SEWARD

DURHAM—With each passing week, the Duke injury report becomes less newsworthy. For a team besieged by injuries at the beginning of the year, that's a positive development.

The 7 p.m. start time for the game against UNC gives the Blue Devils a bit more time than normal to ready people to play. 

"Upper extremity, lower extremity, everything has a chance to heal," Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. "I'm not ruling anybody new out.

Last week, Hokies running back JC Coleman (4) racked up 183 yards on the ground. This week, the Duke defense is tasked with stopping UNC's Gio Bernard. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

For today's paper I wrote a story looking at how Duke's defense intends to keep up with North Carolina's offense. While first-year Tar Heels head coach Larry Fedora came to town chugging Red Bulls and preaching offensive speed, Duke was quietly spreading the same message to its defense.

North Carolina has seen its speed emphasis pay off this year, as the Tar Heels are wearing down opponents and outscoring them 122-31 in the second half and 83-13 in the third quarter alone.