Keeping It Heel
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UNC Football vs. Virginia: Game preview, info, prediction and more

By Zack Pearson

Oct 24, 2020; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Javonte Williams (25) runs for a touchdown as North Carolina State Wolfpack safety Jakeen Harris (6) defends in the fourth quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 24, 2020; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Javonte Williams (25) runs for a touchdown as North Carolina State Wolfpack safety Jakeen Harris (6) defends in the fourth quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Can the UNC Football program win their second-straight game? They have a Halloween showdown with Virginia on Saturday looming

Will it be a trick or a treat for the UNC Football program in a primetime matchup on Halloween as the Tar Heels head to Charlottesville to take on Virginia Saturday night.

After rebounding with a home win over N.C. State last week, North Carolina didn’t see a jump in their Associated Press Top 25 Poll but Saturday presents another chance to up that ranking and build a win streak.

Their opponent, Virginia, is entering this game at 1-4 with their latest loss coming on the road at No. 11 Miami. That was a game where the Cavaliers were in it for the entirety but just couldn’t make the plays to pull off the upset. They return home in hopes of tricking the Tar Heels and handing them their second loss of the year.

While North Carolina will be favored by at least a touchdown again in this road game, they can’t take the Cavaliers lightly.

Looking at how Virginia played a good Miami team last week, they could be poised to pull off an upset at home. With the game being on Halloween, weird things could happen and the Tar Heels will want to avoid that.

Virginia is led by quarterback Brennan Armstrong who replaces Bryce Perkins, the starter a year ago. Armstrong has thrown for 777 yards and 7 touchdowns but does have 6 interceptions on the year. He will certainly give you an opportunity for a takeaway, the Tar Heels just have to make sure they take advantage.

Leading the way on the ground for the Cavaliers is junior Wayne Taulapapa. The running back has 301 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground but has struggled to find consistency this year. He’s yet to hit 100 total rushing yards in a game as the Cavaliers offense has really had their difficulties protecting the quarterback and opening up run lanes. This should be a matchup where UNC’s defense can exploit a weak offensive line and potentially have a big day.

For the Tar Heels offense, it’s the usual suspects leading the way.

The Tar Heels offense had another big day in their win over N.C. State and hope to carry that over this week against Virginia. The duo of Michael Carter and Javonte Williams in the backfield are looking to have another big game and make life easy on quarterback Sam Howell.

So far, Howell hasn’t had a monster season like we saw in 2019 but he’s still been pretty damn good throwing for 1,403 yards,10 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions. He’s been able to lean on his run game with Carter rushing for 584 yards and 3 touchdowns while Williams has 562 yards and 10 touchdowns on the year.

As a team, UNC is averaging 249 rushing yards and 282.2 yards through the air. Will it be another big offensive performance on Saturday night?

Key to Victory for the Tar Heels

Don’t turn it over. The Tar Heels have actually done a great job this year limiting the turnovers with their biggest mistake coming on a Sam Howell pick-six against Florida State. But other than that, they have been solid in this area.

Coming in as road favorites, really the only thing that UNC can do to really screw up their chances is turning it over. Unnecessary turnovers will doom this team on Saturday night and take their offense out of its flow. It just can’t happen.

Protect the football, play your game and get to 5-1 on the year.

Something to watch

Defense sets the tone early? In their last primetime road matchup, UNC was hit in the mouth as Florida State jumped all over them early on. Their defense had no answer for the Seminoles offense in the first half but put together an impressive second half to keep them in the game.

I’d love to see UNC come out and make a statement in this one early on defensively. They did that on Saturday against N.C. State and it allowed their offense to play with a cushion in that second half.

Don’t let Virginia stay in the game. Get out to a lead early and hold it.

Next. Chazz Surratt named ACC linebacker of the Week. dark

What you need to know

WHAT?   North Carolina Tar Heels (4-1, 4-1 ACC) AT Virginia Cavaliers (1-4, 1-4 in ACC)
WHEN? Saturday, October 31, 8 p.m. ET
WHERE? David A. Harrison III Field at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia
TV? ACC Network
RADIO? Tar Heels Sports Network
WEATHER? Partly cloudy with a high of 53
LINE? UNC  – 7
LAST MEETING? Virginia beat UNC 38-31 in 2019
ALL-TIME SERIES? UNC leads 63–57–4
PREDICTION? UNC 38, Virginia 22

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