Miami Football looks to solidify NY6 berth against North Carolina

Miami football will take on North Carolina Saturday as the Hurricanes continue their push for a New Year’s Six Bowl game.

The ACC over the past six seasons has been dominated by the Clemson Tigers. Two teams that were expected to make a case to face the Tigers were Miami football and North Carolina.

A wrench got thrown into their plans late, when Notre Dame decided to join the conference for the season. Now, with both teams out of the ACC Championship game, they are hoping to jockey for higher ranked bowl games.

For Miami football, all of the buzz in the off-season was behind two very talented transfers on both sides of the ball. On the defensive end, it was DE Quincy Roche, who had the best PFF grade, among returning DE’s from 2019.

He has been a nice addition onto the line, with 41 tackles, 14 for loss, and four sacks. Although he hasn’t gotten to the quarterback as many times (13 sacks in 2019), Roche has done his fair share of work in Coral Gables.

Offensively, the headlined superstar was Houston Quarterback D’Eriq King. King has always been efficient passing the football, as he had just 10 interceptions in his 34 games played. He’s passed for 2,331 yards and 20 touchdowns, to just four interceptions in this season. The dual threat has also rushed for 467 yards and four touchdowns.

The Hurricanes have a solid duo in the backfield with junior Cam’ron Harris and freshman Donald Chaney Jr. leading the way. There isn’t a true star out of the playmakers, but King has a plethora of targets to throw to. Seven players have caught 11 or more passes on the season and no one has more than 45.

The Hurricanes have six players who have hit the century mark in receiving yards, led by senior Mike Harley. Harley has 653 yards and five touchdowns on the season.

For North Carolina, the expectations were as high as they have been in a very long time. QB Sam Howell was getting a lot of attention and the offense brought back a majority of their playmakers from a season ago. However, the Tar Heels sit 6-3 on the season, with what is more than likely going to be a mid-tier bowl game.

Offense has not been an issue for the North Carolina football team, as it averages 41.1 points per game and rank 12th in the nation in that category. Although Howell’s numbers decreased from last year, the Sophomore still handled himself relatively well. He has passed for 3,129 yards and 26 touchdowns to just six interceptions.

The biggest surprise to this team is the one-two punch in the backfield. Javonte Williams and Michael Carter combine for 1,841 yards and 23 touchdowns on the season. Both backs are extremely efficient as they average 6.9 yards per carry. Dyami Brown is the biggest threat on the outside, with over 900 yards and eight touchdowns on the 2020 campaign.

The Tar Heels struggle more on the defensive end, ranking average in points given up. They give up 28.6 points per contest, good for 63rd in the nation. They do not force many turnovers as they average a little over one a game. They are a decent run stopping team and are lead by converted quarterback, now linebacker Chazz Surratt.

Here’s how to watch the matchup between the Hurricanes and Tar Heels.

Date: December, 12th

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

TV: ABC

Venue: Hard Rock Stadium

Stream: ESPN+

Betting Odds: Miami (-3.5) , According to DraftKings

Keys to a victory:

This will be a true test of strengths vs. strengths colliding in the trenches. North Carolina’s run game has been excellent all season long. The duo of Jaelan Phillips and Quincy Roche has been dynamic, each recording 14 tackles for loss. Who controls the ground game will be critical, especially for North Carolina, as they are coming in as the underdog.

More so Williams has showed that he can be the power back, while also having some speed. He had four touchdowns in the first half once already on the season. If Miami football can’t limit them, Hurricane fans might be seeing what the Blue Devils wish they didn’t.

Both offenses are dynamic and can win in different ways. The way for North Carolina football to contain Miami is to steal possessions. North Carolina doesn’t force many takeaways, only 12 on the season. Miami doesn’t let other teams take it away easily, with just nine turnovers on the season.

Only one player for North Carolina has more than one and should be highly regarded as a key to victory for the Tar Heels. Winning the turnover battle and keeping the ball out of D’Eriq King’s hands as much as possible is a key ingredient in beating Miami.

Miami had three turnovers and did not win time of possession in their loss to Clemson early in the season. If North Carolina does those things two well, there’s a solid chance the Tar Heels pull off the upset.

Prediction:

Both of these teams were expected to compete at a high level this season. Although North Carolina football did not meet preseason expectations, there are some positives to take away from the season.

Apart from Clemson, Miami’s front seven is the toughest they’ve played all season. Add on the amount of playmakers that can beat others vertically, Miami has the edge in both categories. In a close affair, Miami wins and could very well stay in Florida in January for the Orange Bowl.