Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Football at Pittsburgh: Location, time, prediction, and more

By Nick Delahanty

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 16: Armani Chatman #9 of the North Carolina Tar Heels intercepts a pass in the end zone intended for Daniel Jackson #9 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half of their game at Kenan Memorial Stadium on September 16, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tar Heels won 31-13. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 16: Armani Chatman #9 of the North Carolina Tar Heels intercepts a pass in the end zone intended for Daniel Jackson #9 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half of their game at Kenan Memorial Stadium on September 16, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tar Heels won 31-13. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Sep 16, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels wide receiver J.J. Jones (5) catches the ball in the second quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 16, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels wide receiver J.J. Jones (5) catches the ball in the second quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

The UNC Football program looks to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 1997 as they kick off conference play on the road against Pittsburgh.

Conference play has finally arrived, as the UNC football program will have its first official test among its ACC foes.

The first battle comes on the road, as this game will also be the Tar Heels’ first true road game of the 2023 season. They’ll take the trip to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers, a team that comes in struggling but is one that has given North Carolina trouble over the last few seasons.

The last time North Carolina was able to defeat Pittsburgh on the road was in 2017, as the last two trips resulted in brutal overtime losses.

This year, the Tar Heels hope to change that narrative.

A lot of the attention is focused on Pittsburgh’s quarterback situation, as journeyman Phil Jurkovec hasn’t gotten the job done through three weeks of the season. Pat Narduzzi stated that he is sticking with the veteran signal-caller, but it remains to be seen just how big of a leash he has given the team’s early-season struggles.

The UNC football program hopes to improve to 4-0 on the season, which would mark the first time the program has been able to win its first four games since the 1997 season. As different narratives have dictated the Tar Heels’ three current victories, it remains to be seen which unit owns the spotlight in this contest.

North Carolina’s offense is coming off a very strong performance through the air, as Drake Maye and Nate McCollum led the aerial attack that was too much for Minnesota’s defense to handle. Could this be another week where Maye makes it happen through the air, or will the running game, which was fantastic over the first two weeks of the season, have a bounce-back week on the road?

With Jurkovec’s struggles, could the Tar Heels defense be in line for a big day? If the front seven can provide pressure, similar to what they did a week ago, Pittsburgh’s offense may be destined to turn the ball over multiple times, as they did against West Virginia last weekend.

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