3 Reasons Why Miami Will Beat UNC

It’s one of the key matchups of the weekend in College Football. The No. 12 North Carolina Tar Heels will take on the Miami Hurricanes.

Tar Heels are undefeated (5-0) and Hurricanes (4-1). Both teams are very good in yards per game. Miami football is looking to snap a 4-game losing streak to North Carolina. Tar Heels are 3.5 favorites at home, but Miami will have something to say.

Here’s why I believe that Miami football will come out victorious against the Tar Heels.

Redemption

I have to go with this one because I truly believe that Miami football will come out and play with so much anger after messing up last weekend against Georgia Tech. It is one of the worst head coaching decisions we’ve ever seen. Miami should’ve remained undefeated. Now, they have to answer the bell.

This is a very important game for Miami to see if they are a true playoff team. Miami has been the laughingstock all week because of Mario Cristobal. It’s not going to be easy against a dangerous North Carolina team, but they will come prepared and accept the challenge.

Tyler Van Dyke and Henry Parrish

Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has been playing his tail off this season. He is off the charts. He has thrown for 1,330 yards, completing 72.6% of his passes to go along with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. Van Dyke is arguably the best ACC quarterback of the last 5 years or even more. He will rise to the occasion and will lead this Miami football offense.

Running back Henry Parrish needs to have a big game. He leads the Canes with 379 rushing yards with four touchdowns, but he needs to make amends because against Georgia Tech he only had 48 yards on 17 carries. UNC is allowing 117 rushing yards per game. Parrish will have a bounce-back game and punish UNC’s rush defense.

Miami’s Defense Starting with Leonard Taylor

Many players in the Miami Hurricane roster need to step up against UNC and defensive tackle Leonard Taylor is at the top of that list. He wasn’t so impressive against Georgia Tech, but I believe he can get to Drake Maye at some point this Saturday.

Drake Maye is having a Heisman Trophy-caliber season, throwing for 1,629 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions while rushing for 174 yards and four touchdowns. Maye absolutely crushed Syracuse’s defense last week. Leonard Taylor will set the tone for this defense. Drake Maye is a machine when it comes to third-down conversions. So Miami football will have to play a smart game from start to finish.

Miami’s defense is one of the best in the country. Defensive coordinator Lance Guidry has done a good job so far leading and molding this defense. The Hurricanes rank in the Top 20 in defensive scoring.

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. on ABC and is a Primetime game. Can Miami respond to the critics and prove that they are the real deal? We shall see on Saturday night and it’s a must-win game.