UNC Football vs. Pitt: Preview, game info, prediction and more

The UNC Football team will host Pitt in their 2018 home opener on Saturday at Kenan Memorial Stadium inChapel Hill, North Carolina

Last season the lone Atlantic Coast Conference win for the North Carolina Tar Heels football program came in a Thursday night matchup on the road at Pittsburgh. It was one of the lone bright spots for a Tar Heels team that finished 3-9 overall.

As we enter into Week 4 of the college football season, the Tar Heels are winless after losing road games at Cal and at ECU. Their previous home opener against USF was cancelled due to Hurricane Florence, marking Saturday’s game as the new home opener.

For UNC, they are not only hoping to turn their season around but they are hoping to open up the ACC schedule with a win.

Saturday should also be an emotional day at Kenan Memorial Stadium as it will be the first game back since Hurricane Florence swept through North and South Carolina leaving destruction and taking lives. We told you earlier in the week about UNC players donating their food stipend to help raise money for Florence relief efforts, so make sure to show them your appreciation with a loud ovation if you’re heading to the game.

As for the game itself, Nathan Elliott is in-line to start again at quarterback for the Tar Heels but he could be on a short leash.

The quarterback struggled in the second half against ECU and Fedora made the decision to pull him late in the game for freshman Jace Ruder. If Elliott continues to struggle, it will be interesting to see what Fedora does in terms of the position.

Elliott did play well last season at Pitt, leading the Tar Heels to a win and has a chance to really turn things around.

Here’s our game preview for Saturday’s contest:

UNC key to victory

The run game. 

One of the lone bright spots from the loss to ECY was the Tar Heels’ run game in the first half, particularly from Antonio Williams. The former Ohio State transfer had 96 rushing yards on 6 carries against the Pirates before being ejected for a targeting call.

Williams and Jordon Brown are the primary backs for UNC this season with sophomore Michael Carter out with a broken forearm.

Pitt has been bad against the run this season and ranks 100th in all of college football giving up 197 yards per game. They allowed 6 yards per carry in the loss to Penn State and then gave up 320 yards to Georgia Tech despite beating the Yellow Jackets. The Georgia Tech number is tough since they base their offense around running the football.

If UNC can come out and establish the run early, it will open things up for the passing game and Elliott. Let’s see if the Tar Heels can get on track and have a big day on the ground.

Something to watch..

How the defends responds. Against ECU, UNC’s defense looked bad in the second half as they gave up 20 points to the Pirates which essentially sealed the game for the home team.

UNC has been prone to giving up big plays resulting in touchdowns and that’s something they can’t do against Pitt.

The Panthers offense isn’t anything special but they will take advantage of sloppy play on defense and can move the ball down the field. Pitt’s rushing attack is led by senior Qadree Ollison who is averaging 6.3 yards per carry this season.

The Tar Heels are going to have to force some turnovers and give the ball back to their offense if they want a shot at winning this. That’s an area they have struggled in over the years.

Getting pressure on Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett will also be key. They can’t let Pickett sit back there and be comfortable in the pocket. He’s pretty accurate for the most part, completing 65 percent of his attempts this season.

What you need to know

WHAT? Pitt 2-1 (1-0 ACC) AT UNC 0-1 (0-0 ACC)
WHEN? Saturday, September 22 at 12:20 p.m. ET
WHERE? Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
TV? Raycom/ACC Network. Tom Werme (play-by-play), Dave Archer (analyst), Lericia Harris (sideline)
RADIO? Tar Heel Sports Network. Jones Angell (play-by-play), Brian Simmons (analyst) and Lee Pace (sideline). Sirius 135, XM 193
WEATHER? Cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms and a high of 88 degrees.
LINE? UNC + 3 Over/Under 47.5
ALL-TIME SERIES? UNC leads the all-time series 9-3 and has won five-straight.
PREDICTION? UNC 27, Pitt 24.