UNC Football vs Miami: Game preview, info, prediction and more

Rising UNC football program set to take on 10th-ranked Miami Hurricanes in final regular season game

The North Carolina Tar Heels are fresh off their lone non-conference game of the season, a 49-9 victory over Western Carolina that brought their win total to seven on the season. North Carolina now has a shot at an eight-win season for the first time since the 2016 campaign, a year in which Mitchell Trubisky lined up under center for the Tar Heels and former head coach Larry Fedora.

The last time that North Carolina played the Miami Hurricanes, the Tar Heels were able to grind out a hard-fought three-point victory. While North Carolina had the geographical advantage in that game, it’s the Hurricanes who will get to be on their home turf this time around. Not only that, but the Hurricanes are a better team than they were a season ago.

Although it’s North Carolina’s offense that gets more of the publicity, and deservedly so, Miami’s offensive unit is greatly improved. They enter their game with UNC as the Atlantic Coast Conference’s third-ranked scoring offense at 34.9 points per game. They also average better than six yards per snap. Quarterback D’Eriq King has completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,334 yards and 20 touchdowns to just four interceptions. And although that pales in comparison to Sam Howell’s numbers, the Tar Heels’ defensive unit could still struggle to stop King and company.

The UNC defense is definitely the weakest of the four major units in this game, and may have to step up in a handful of situations to change the course of this game. Will their bend-but-don’t-break style of play get them to the finish line with a victory over the Hurricanes? Or will it take some big plays from the likes of Chazz Surratt and the UNC defense to turn the tide against the feisty Hurricanes?

Key to victory for UNC

The Tar Heels are going to have to get their explosive offense on the board early, and establish both the rushing and passing attack. While the Tar Heels rank fifth nationally in yards per play, and 12th in scoring offense, the Hurricanes’ defense is 27th in yards per play, and ranks fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in plays of 30 or more yards allowed. Miami has given up fewer than 20 points in five of their nine games this season, and it’s fairly safe to assume that North Carolina will need to score at least 20 to win. The Hurricanes have, however, given up point totals of 34, 42, 41 and 24 to the likes of Louisville, Clemson, NC State and Virginia Tech, respectively. Only one of those contests resulted in the team’s lone defeat of the season, though.

Something to watch for

For the second consecutive week, a trio of Tar Heels have the opportunity to pass milestone numbers for the season. Both Michael Carter, Jr. and Javonte Williams could hit the 1,000-yard rushing plateau against the Hurricanes. Carter is just 63 yards shy of 1,000, while Williams is 96 yards shy of the mark. Junior wide receiver Dyami Brown is also nearing 1,000 yards through the air. He needs just 68 yards on Saturday to reach 1,000, as his 51 receptions on the season have yielded 932 yards to go along with eight touchdowns.

What you need to know

WHAT? No. 17 North Carolina Tar Heels (7-3, 6-3 ACC) @ No. 10 Miami Hurricanes (8-1, 7-1 ACC)
WHEN? Saturday December 12 at 3:30 p.m. EST
WHERE? Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, Florida
TV? ABC
RADIO? Tar Heels Sports Network
WEATHER? Partly cloudy and 79 degrees
LINE? Miami -3
LAST MEETING? UNC won 28-25 on September 7, 2019
ALL-TIME SERIES? UNC leads 11-10
PREDICTION? UNC 38, Miami 35

Check back with Keeping It Heel for complete coverage of the Tar Heels’ game against the Hurricanes, as well as everything UNC football.