UNC vs. Miami: Keys to Victory
Head Coach Larry Fedora and the North Carolina Tar Heels seem to be in the middle of their annual mid season run and they will try to continue recent success when they travel to South Florida to take on the Miami Hurricanes. Both the Tar Heels and the Hurricanes are within striking distance in the ACC Coastal division, so this is a huge game. Winning this game on the road will be tough for Carolina but here are the keys to coming home victorious.
Contain Duke Johnson
Without a doubt this guy the catalyst of the Miami Offense. Duke has rushed for 1,036 yards, seven touchdowns and he average’s a mind blowing 7.5 yards per carry. It’s safe to say that the Canes will be using him early and often, thats why UNC’s top priority on defense should be slowing down Johnson. The Carolina D has had its struggles but they have to at least hold their own in order to give the offense a chance to win this game. If Duke is allowed to run wild, he will wear down the undersized Tar Heels defense and keep the ball away from Marquise Williams and company. Johnson is going to get his but Carolina can’t let him go crazy and they have to make Miami’s freshman quarterback beat them.
Marquise Williams
Speaking of quarterbacks, there aren’t many in the county that are playing better than Marquise Williams and he will have to come up with another big time performance to lead his squad to a victory. Sometimes a player has put his team on his back to get the job done and this could be the game that Marquise has to do just that. I find it hard to believe that UNC will all of a sudden find a running game outside of Williams, so the junior from Charlotte will have to get close to 100 yards on the ground to keep the Miami defense honest. If he can combine that with a passing offense that looks like its turned a corner, it could result in a huge afternoon. Carolina has no shot if Marquise doesn’t play well but if he plays like he has of late, the Heels have realistic chance of winning this game.
The Offensive Line
For a unit who has had their issues, the UNC offensive line starting to play pretty well and they’ll have to continue that play versus the Hurricanes. These guys can’t let the Miami D-line beat them up, they have to be just a physical and began to impose their will. If they’re able do a decent job in pass protection and open up a hole every now and then for a runningback, UNC will put up its fair share of points. On the other hand, if the O-line can’t stand up to the Canes front seven, the offense will struggle and Carolina will look a lot like they did early in the season. It’s that simple, if the offensive line plays well , the offense likely plays well and the Heels have good chance to steal this game. Otherwise, Miami probably cruises to a W.
Win the turnover battle
Like I said earlier, the Tar Heels will have their work cut out for them trying to stop Duke Johnson and the Miami running attack and as a result the Hurricanes will probably dominate the time of possession. That alone makes it even more important that UNC wins the turnover battle. The Carolina offense has to take care of the ball so no extra pressure is put on that defense. Should that defense force a turnover or two, it could be just enough to offset the likely time of possession difference as well as give Marquise Williams extra opportunities to do his thing.