12/06/25 11:23:00
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12/06 23:21 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 in OT.
Mensah threw for 196 yards and two scores --- both to Hasley --- while Nate
Sheppard ran for 97 yards and a score for Duke.
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