DURHAM – Protecting Jacolby Criswell was the number one key for North Carolina going into its game at Duke on Saturday.

At the very least, it was key 1-B.

For a while, the Tar Heels did a solid job in building a 20-0 lead midway through the third quarter. But that’s when the tide dramatically shifted. The Blue Devils got to Criswell, forcing an array of quick passes that sailed high, hit the ground early, or were behind receivers.

After starting the game a respectable 16-for-26, Criswell was 5 for his last 13 pass attempts. It coincided with UNC failing to move the ball while its defense collapsed against the Blue Devils in the 21-20 loss.

"I think we'll have to look at all of it,” UNC Coach Mack Brown said about the onslaught Criswell faced in the second half. “I mean, you saw the same game I saw. There was a lot of pressure on him."

Criswell was under pressure 23 of the 47 times he dropped back to pass. He was 5-for-17 with 56 yards, one touchdown and an interception on those plays. Duke blitzed him 18 times, and he was 9-for-16 with 111 yards, a touchdown and interception.

Duke sacked Criswell only twice, almost half of its per-game averaging coming in, and had six TFLs, less than half its average entering the game. But the damage was done in the pressure, forcing Criswell to regularly get rid of the ball before he could get into his progression.

“That’s what teams kind of like to do. They want to get the quarterback off rhythm a little bit,” Criswell said. “They brought some pressures and I take it all on me. As a quarterback, I’ve got to distribute where they’re empty at, and I feel like in the second half, I put it all on me. I didn’t do my job.”

Unlike a week earlier when the Tar Heels dropped five passes for a second consecutive week, there were no drops at Wallace Wade Stadium. Criswell had just two throwaways, too. He got rid of the ball, but the misses were quite off.

A fifth-year player with a year of eligibility remaining, Criswell is also awfully inexperienced. He threw 58 passes in college before subbing for struggling Conner Harrell during the NC Central game two weeks ago, and now finds himself as the starter after beginning the season as the third stringer.

While Criswell turns 23 in October, he’s very much in an early part of his process.

"He's just really inexperienced, so he'll have to learn from this and go forward,” UNC Coach Mack Brown said following the loss to the Blue Devils. “And the biggest thing is we've got young tackles, and we haven't been a one minute team like we have been in the past.

“Because we didn't protect and really, I think Jacolby got hit on the last play, so he didn't really throw the interception. He got hit releasing the ball, so we got to protect him better."

For the game, Criswell was an okay 21-for-39 with 251 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, which came on his final pass with 25 seconds remaining.

Criswell acknowledged he had to get rid of the ball quickly, but also took it upon himself to better handle those situations.

“I’ve just got to get faster with my reads,” he said. “That’s all it is.”

Getting better protection up front would help him, too.