ACC Showdown: North Carolina Tar Heels at Miami Hurricanes

It has been a very slow start to the year for the Tar Heels, as they have not gotten too much from their passing game. They have been competitive in two of their three games, and their 38-35 win over Pittsburgh in the last game they played was pretty impressive.

For Miami, the offense has been led by two different QB’s, while the run game has looked sharp. The pass-rush has looked good, helping the Hurricanes to win three games in a row by double digits.

The Miami Hurricanes are -18 in this game over North Carolina.

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North Carolina Tar Heels

Nathan Elliott has completed just 56.7% of his passes this year, throwing only 3 TD passes through three weeks, to go with four INT’s. The team is lucky to have a running back like Antonio Williams, who has posted 257 yards and three TD’s through three games. Anthony Ratliff-Williams has also been a dominant receiver for this team. They’ve got a reliable kicker in Freeman Jones, who is 8-8 on PAT’s, and 6-7 on field goals.

To get it done against Miami, the Tar Heels are going to have to learn on their defense. Malik Carney (2.0 sacks), Jalen Dalton (1.5 sacks), and Jonathan Smith (1.5 sacks) are going to have to put pressure on whichever QB is in Miami’s backfield. If they don’t, they will end up as another victim of a sure-thing double-digit loss. These guys beat Savannah State senseless, with a 77-0 win. If you don’t come to play at all, a game like that is always possible.

Miami Hurricanes

Malik Rosier and N’Kosi Perri have combined to throw 11 TD passes and 4 INT’s through the first four games the team has played. Meanwhile, Travis Horner and Deejay Dallas, have combined to find great success on the ground this year. Jeff Thomas meanwhile is averaging 26 yards per catch and has truly been on another level. They usually finish drives with TD’s, which is why Bubba Baxa has only attempted three field goals in four weeks. He has connected on all 22 of his PAT tries, something which has been vital to their success and monstrous victories.

Like their opponents, putting pressure on the QB leads to a lot of their success. Led by Gerald Willis II (2.0 sacks), Jonathan Garvin (1.5 sacks), and Joe Jackson (1.5 sacks), they have intimidated all quarterbacks they have faced. They have also intercepted four passes, including two from DB Sheldrick Redwine. There are a lot of weapons on both sides of the ball, which make the #16 ranked Miami Hurricanes so dangerous.
Miami improves to 4-1, climbs the rankings a bit

Pick and Prediction

The Hurricanes will take out the Tar Heels pretty handily in this game, and rise a few spots in the rankings.

Malik Rosier will get the fun started with a pair of TD passes on the team’s first two drives, and it’s all uphill from there. Mark Richt will be pleased with his team after tonight’s effort.

Free Pick: Miami Hurricanes -18 over North Carolina Tar Heels

  • Bet on the Miami Hurricanes -18
  • Bet on the North Carolina Tar Heels +18
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