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

Mack Brown and the UNC Football program are seeking their third-straight win of the year and will do so in primetime in Atlanta.

After beating Virginia at home last week, UNC hits the road and faces Georgia Tech in the Mercedes Benz Stadium, hoping to earn their second Atlantic Coast Conference win of the early season. More importantly, they are hoping to continue their momentum this season.

UNC got off to a fast start last week against Virginia, jumping out to a lead only to squander that and watch the Cavaliers go on three-straight scoring drives to take a 3-point lead at halftime. But in the second half, UNC answered the call and delivered.

The Tar Heels out-scored the Cavaliers 21-3 in the third quarter, moving the ball on offense and slowing down quarterback Brennan Armstrong. It was UNC’s most impressive quarter of the season and gave us hope that they can turn things around and be the team that earned a Top 10 ranking in the preseason.

But their next opponent won’t be one that will just lay down, either.

Georgia Tech has been a weird team this season. They opened the year with a loss at home to Northern Illinois but in Week 3 they almost stunned the college football world, losing by just 8 to Clemson. They even had the ball at the one-yard line trailing by eight with just seconds remaining.

The Yellow Jackets were able to slow down Clemson’s offense in the game, something that they hope to do here in Week 4 against UNC. Getting pressure and eliminating Sam Howell’s weapons should be key for Georgia Tech, but easier said than done.

Let’s get into our game preview for the Week 4 matchup in Atlanta:

Key to Victory for UNC

Defense. UNC’s offense should be able to score on Georgia Tech’s defense in this game, so making sure the Tar Heels shut down that Yellow Jackets’ offense is key in this one. In Week 1, UNC’s defense struggled in the first half against Virginia Tech but really turned it around in the second half and kept them in the game. They did give up 17 points to a bad Georgia State team but that game was never really in danger.

However, in Week 3 UNC’s defense looked bad in the first half against Virginia. They allowed Armstrong to march down the field and score multiple times in the first half, giving up points on a bunch of drives. That can’t happen this week.

The Yellow Jackets aren’t a very good team and letting them hang in this game longer than they should could spell doom. The defense needs to step up and not let that happen.

Something to Watch

The run game. Ty Chandler had his breakout game against Virginia, rushing for 198 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns. But it wasn’t just Chandler that had a solid day on the ground, either.

Quarterback Sam Howell rushed for 112 yards on 15 carries while Caleb Hood had 9 carries for 66 yards and Josh Henderson had 3 carries for 16 yards. Ideally, you don’t want Howell carrying the ball that many times and taking big hits but it’s a new aspect to his game this season. Getting Chandler as well as Hood going should help UNC in this one and take some pressure off of the quarterback.

I’m looking for the rushing attack to get going against a Yellow Jacket’s team that is allowing 161.3 yards per game on the ground.

What you Need to Know

WHAT? North Carolina Tar Heels (2-1, 1-1 in ACC) AT Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1-2, 0-1 in ACC)
WHEN? Saturday, September 25th at 7:30 p.m. EDT
WHERE? Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia
TV? ACC Network
RADIO? Tar Heels Sports Network
WEATHER? Indoors. High of 78 degrees and Sunny
LINE? UNC -12.5
LAST MEETING? 10/05/2019. UNC 38 – GT 22
ALL-TIME SERIES? Georgia Tech leads 30-21-3
PREDICTION? UNC 38, Georgia Tech 20

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