The North Carolina Tar Heels are heading south to face the No. 16 Miami (FL) Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. Fans can catch the action live on ESPN and kickoff for this conference showdown is set for 8:00 p.m. ET. These two teams met a year ago with the final outcome being a 24-19 victory for Miami (FL).
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Miami (FL) Hurricanes Betting Preview
The Tar Heels are 1-2 straight up (SU), including 1-0 SU against conference opponents. The Hurricanes are 3-1 SU overall and 0-0 SU in conference play.
The Heels are coming off a 38-35 win over Pittsburgh last week. The passing attack was on point as Nathan Elliott completed 22 passes on 31 attempts for 313 yards and two touchdowns. Antonio Williams (114 yards on 16 rushes, two TDs) provided the ground attack while Dazz Newsome (six receptions, 110 yards) and Anthony Ratliff-Williams (four catches, 84 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Miami (FL) just put together a 31-17 win over FIU. The Hurricanes defensive unit did its job in the victory, limiting the Golden Panthers to only 170 passing yards and 17 rushing yards. CJ Worton was a bright spot in the defeat, recording 123 yards and two touchdowns on five catches for FIU. For Miami (FL), N’Kosi Perry completed 17-of-25 passes for 224 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Travis Homer (114 rushing yards on 13 attempts, one TD) and Lorenzo Lingard (50 yards on 10 carries) mounted the running game while Mike Harley (seven receptions, 76 yards) and Brevin Jordan (five catches, 67 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
North Carolina has run the ball on 48.4 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Miami (FL) has an overall rush percentage of 59.5 percent. The Tar Heels have rushed for 166 yards/game and have five scores on the ground this year. The Hurricanes are logging 210 rush yards per game and have 12 total rushing TDs.
The Heels offense has averaged 228 yards in the air overall and has three passing TDs so far. The Hurricanes have recorded 240 pass yards per contest and have 11 total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, North Carolina has allowed 203 rush yards and 194 pass yards per game. The Miami (FL) D has allowed 145.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 78.8 yards per game on the ground. The Hurricanes are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.33 to opponents, while the Tar Heels have allowed a 5.51 ANY/A.
Offensively, Elliott is up to 450 passing yards this year, and has completed 37-of-66 attempts with three scores through the air and four interceptions. He has a 4.78 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 8.03 over the past two outings.
As a group, Antonio Williams, Anthony Ratliff-Williams and Dazz Newsome have combined to account for 523 total yards and two touchdowns over the last two outings.
On the other sideline, N’Kosi Perry has completed 26-of-39 passes for 317 yards, six TDs and two INTs. Perry’s ANY/A sits at 7.76 for the year and 8.30 across his past two outings.
We expect the Hurricanes to control tempo by feeding the ball-carriers early and often. Jeff Thomas (210 receiving yards, one TD this season) has chipped in lately, but Travis Homer (214 rush yards, one rush TD) and DeeJay Dallas (114 rush yards, 58 receiving yards) have delivered significant production to the Miami (FL) offense.
Betting Pick: North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Miami (FL) Hurricanes
SU Winner – Miami (FL)
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Notes
Betting Notes
The Miami (FL) defense has sacked opposing QBs 11 times this year. North Carolina has produced nine sacks.
Miami (FL) has lost two fumbles this season while North Carolina has lost one.
The Tar Heels offense has tallied two pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Hurricanes have accounted for four such plays.
The North Carolina defense has allowed one pass play of 40+ yards, while Miami (FL) has given up two such plays.
Both defenses have produced five rushing plays of 20 or more yards. The North Carolina offense has recorded 16 running plays of 10+ yards while Miami (FL) has accounted for 26 such plays.
The Tar Heels defense has allowed six rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Hurricanes have given up two such runs.
North Carolina has averaged 5.1 yards per carry over its last two matchups.
Miami (FL) has averaged 5.1 yards per carry over its last two.
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