Facing a prolific passing attack and playing without its top rusher, North Carolina found a way to inch closer to bowl eligibility.
     
Ryan Houston ran for a career-high 164 yards while Jheranie Boyd scored the clinching touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to help the Tar Heels beat Duke 19-6 on Saturday, extending their recent dominance of their next-door rivals.
     
Charles Brown also had a key interception late in the third quarter as part of a dominating defensive performance for the Tar Heels (6-3, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who pressured Thad Lewis the entire game to derail the passing offense that led the Blue Devils (5-4, 3-2) to three straight victories.
     
North Carolina lost starting tailback Shaun Draughn to a shoulder injury on the game's first offensive play and got relatively little from its offense outside of Houston. Still, the Tar Heels are one win from bowl eligibility for the second straight season.