Game To Watch: #17 North Carolina at #10 Miami: December 12, 2020
North Carolina will visit Miami in a top 25 match-up of ACC teams this Saturday at 3:30. North Carolina is 7 – 3 overall and 6 – 3 in ACC play. They bounced back from a 31 – 17 loss to Notre Dame with a 49 – 9 win over Western Carolina last week. Miami is 8 -1 overall and 7 – 1 in ACC play. In their first game since November 14th, the Hurricanes dominated Duke to the tune of a 48 – 0 victory. Neither team can qualify for the ACC Championship game but both programs are on the rise and will look to continue their positive momentum with a strong finish.
Recent History
North Carolina and Miami have traded two game winning streaks head to head since 2013. The Hurricanes won in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018 while North Carolina won in 2015, 2016 and 2019. If that pattern hold, the Tar Heels are in good shape this Saturday. Last year’s game was a 28 – 25 win for the Tar Heels, in a game that was won on a go ahead touchdown pass by Sam Howell with 1:01 to play in the fourth quarter. A lot has changed over the past year, but expect another close game between the two teams on Saturday.
Top 25 Players
What To Watch For…
Can North Carolina protect Sam Howell?
Miami has two of the best defensive ends in college football. Jaelan Phillips and Quincy Roche have been pressuring quarterbacks and wreaking havoc in the backfield all season. They have combined for 28 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks through nine games in 2020. 12 of those tackles for loss have come in the last two games against Virginia Tech and Duke. Phillips and Roche are a nightmare to block and they are hitting their stride recently. North Carolina struggled to protect Sam Howell against Notre Dame and struggled offensively scoring a season low 17 points in the game. The Tar Heels allowed six sacks that game and were constantly off schedule and unable to establish rhythm offensively. The two other games that North Carolina failed to score 30 points came against Boston College and Florida State, Howell was sacked four times in each of those games as well. If the Tar Heels can’t block Phillips and Roche they will have a tough time scoring enough points to win this game.
Can Miami contain the Tar Heels weapons?
If Sam Howell has time he has a talented group of weapons to get the ball to. The Tar Heels have two receivers that rank in our top 25 at the position, Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome. Both players are over 600 receiving yards and five touchdowns on the season. North Carolina also has two running backs that rank in the top 10 in our running back rankings. Javonte Williams and Michael Carter are as a good a duo as their is in college football. Both players average over 90 yards per game and 6.7 yards per carry, while combining for 23 rushing touchdowns. The backs have served as capable receiving options as well both adding over 250 receiving yards and a combined 5 touchdown catches. Miami has a formidable pass rush, but there is some concern in the Hurricane’s secondary. Starting cornerback Al Blades has been lost for the season with a medical condition. This creates a vacancy for a unit that has had some struggles this season, particularly against teams like Louisville and Clemson that have talent at the skill positions. North Carolina has the weapons to test the Hurricanes defense, if they can block long enough to get them the ball.
How does North Carolina defend D’Eriq King?
D’Eriq King’s transfer to Miami is the single biggest reason for the team’s turnaround in 2020. King has brought stability to the quarterback position for a team that flip flopped between Jarren Williams and N’Kosi Perry last year. King has been efficient as a passer, completing 64 percent of his passes for 2,334 yards with 20 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions while also making game changing plays as a runner, where he has added 467 yards and 4 touchdowns. Defending King has been difficult for opponents, because the quarterback has proven he can beat teams from the pocket as well as when he escapes the pass rush and improvises. North Carolina’s Chazz Surratt will be a critical piece in the Tar Heels defensive game plan. The excellent linebacker has the athleticism and instincts to impact the game in multiple facets. He leads the team with 81 tackles and 6 sacks this season, and will be asked to pressure King and also pay attention to him as a runner. King is the catalyst for the Miami offense, if the Tar Heels can slow him down it will be a tough day for the Hurricanes.
Prediction
Both teams have match-ups they can exploit to score points on Saturday. The North Carolina running attack will be used to slowdown the Hurricanes pass rush, but when Miami creates obvious passing situations they will put plenty of pressure on Howell. North Carolina will have a tougher time stopping the Miami offense, giving the Hurricanes a close win. Miami 34 North Carolina 28.
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Clemson vs. University of Miami Football image taken by TigerNet.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
