The North Carolina Tar Heels cross state lines to face the Virginia Cavaliers at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia. The contest is scheduled to go off on Saturday, October 22nd at 3:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on the ACC Extra Network. North Carolina is a -9.5 point favorite and the total for the game is at 68.
The Tar Heels and the Cavaliers met last year in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tar Heels created five turnovers in the second half alone and went on to defeat Virginia 26-13. In that game, Elijah Hood rushed for 101 yards with two three-yard touchdown runs for North Carolina.
#21 North Carolina (5-2):
The Tar Heels reclaimed the top spot in the ACC Coastal division with a 20-13 rebound performance against the Miami Hurricanes in Florida. A week earlier they looked horrible in their loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Quarterback Mitch Trubisky was solid against the Canes’, throwing for 299 yards and two scores. The Tar Heel signal-caller has put up some nice numbers in North Carolina’s five victories. All totaled, he has amassed over 2,000 yards on 179 completions with 15 touchdowns and only two picks.
North Carolina likes to throw first, but they can run the ball effectively when needed. Two tail backs tote the ball for the Tar Heels. T.J. Logan and Elijah Hood have pitched in 145 carries for over 775 yards and nine touchdowns. Mitch Trubisky also has four rushing touchdowns to his credit.
Wide receiver and special teams stand-out Ryan Switzer leads a productive group of wide outs. This year he has grabbed 58 passes out of the sky for 606 yards and three scores. The others have pitched in another 1,000 yards and 10 scores.
The North Carolina defense isn’t the heart and sole of this club, but showed up last week against the Hurricanes. They held Miami to only 13 points and 4 of 15 on third down conversions. The Tar Heels are especially good against the pass, ranking 31st in the nation. The back-end only allows enemy quarterbacks 201 yards via the air.
Virginia (2-4):
Virginia finally broke their 17 game road losing curse against the Duke Blue Devils a few weeks back, but faltered in the second half last week against Pitt. Even after a bye, they were outscored by ten points in the fourth quarter and lost 45-31.
Part of the reason for Virginia’s offense resurgence is the play of their quarterback Kurt Benkert. Benkert has improved, throwing for 1,733 yards on 139 completions with 14 scores and seven interceptions.
Two running backs share the carries almost equally for the Cavaliers. Taquan Mizzell and Albert Reid have a combined 132 carries for just under 700 yards and nine touchdowns between the two of them.
Kurt Benkert has three receivers that he throws to regularly. The trio has responded, putting up some respectable numbers for Virginia. Together, they have over 1,000 yards receiving and nine touchdowns. Albert Mizzel pitches in out of the back field too. He has 24 catches for just under 200 yards and another trip to the end zone.
Virginia’s defense has had plenty of problems in their 2016 college football campaign. So far, they struggle to stop the opposing team’s run game, ranking 78th in the country giving up almost 170 yards a contest. Unfortunately, the Cavaliers are even worse against the pass. The back-half surrenders 280 yards a match, ranking 114th in the country.
Trends and Notes:
The Tar Heels are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games in October.
The Cavaliers are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 conference games.
The Over is 5-2 in the Tar Heels last 7 games following a ATS win.
The Over is 7-2-1 in the Cavaliers last 10 home games.
The Tar Heels are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings.
Game Predictions:
The North Carolina Tar Heels are coming off a big win that vaulted them back into the top 25. Furthermore, a win on Saturday gives them first place in their respective division. Mitch Trubisky will be licking his chops to get after the Cavalier’s 114th ranked secondary.
Virginia has shown some improvement moving the football over their last three contests, but the defense still hasn’t figured out how to stop anybody. They will have to play lights-out on Saturday, if they want to limit North Carolina’s offensive out-put.
Last year, North Carolina got the job done running the rock against the Cavaliers and this year we at Get More Sports think they will get it done through the air. Virginia might score enough to hang with the Tar Heels, but then again they might not find a lot of production against North Carolina’s 21st ranked pass defense.
Take the better offense and the more well-rounded team in this ACC potential shoot-out. Instead of waiting for quarters, just wait the first two to cash your ticket. Go with the Tar Heels -6 at halftime.
