We need to consider the ACC for Saturday afternoon, when two nationally ranked teams are on the field, when the seventeenth North Carolina Tar Heels meet the tenth Miami Hurricanes. North Carolina is 7-3 this season and goes into this matchup after a 49-9 home win over Western Carolina. Miami is 8-1 this season and is entering the competition with a winning streak of five games, defeating Duke 48-0 on the road.
(Late line movements and injury reports were updated on Friday evening.)
Line movements:
At this competition there was a little movement in favor of the visitors. Miami (FL) opened as a four-point favorite in this competition and will be a three-point favorite in most sports bets starting Friday night. 51 percent of the bets on this ATS game starting Friday night support the Hurricanes at home and give away the points in this game.
The sum shot up in this competition during the week. After opening at 63.5 points, that number is 69 or 69.5 points on most sports bets for this competition. 61 percent of total bets are greater than the total.
Game weather: The temperature at the start of this competition is expected to be in the high 70s with partly sunny skies. The forecast for this game has a nearly 40 percent chance of precipitation at kick-off, with the temperature dropping by the end of the game by the mid-1970s. The probability of precipitation drops to almost 20 percent in the second half of the year. The winds from east to southeast are expected to be approximately 12 miles per hour, with gusts being approximately 16 miles per hour.
North Carolina defeats Western Carolina
North Carolina has played nine games this season and only lost one game as a result of the coronavirus. The tar heels are 6-3 in the ACC and this season they score the second highest points per game in the ACC. They also allow the fifth most points in the conference and face an opponent from Miami with the third best goal defense in the ACC.
???? @ Sam7Howell https://t.co/6YOjg04UNk
– Carolina Football (@TarHeelFootball) December 8, 2020
Sophomore quarterback Sam Howell threw for 287 yards with a pair of touchdowns and has thrown for 3,129 yards with 26 touchdowns and five interceptions. His main goals are wideouts Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome with a combined 1533 yards with 13 touchdowns. You face a Hurricanes defense that allows 121 yards at Duke and a seasonal average of 227 yards per game.
The tar heels have a pair of running backs that approach 1000 rushing yards each. Retiring senior Michael Carter rushed for 73 yards and three touchdowns last week and has 937 rushing yards with seven touchdowns. Junior runs back Javonte Williams rushed eight yards with an eight-yard touchdown and 904 yards with 16 touchdowns this season. They face a defense in Miami that allows 139 rushing yards per game and 56 yards last week for Duke.
North Carolina will have its hands full with the Miami crime. You score 34 points per game and reach 445 meters of attack per competition. The Hurricanes throw an average of 272 yards per competition and if there is a fault in the tar heels it is their pass defense that allows nearly 250 yards per game. North Carolina has 30 sacks this season and the Hurricanes allowed 26 sacks this season. So maybe there is an advantage there?
North Carolina Injury Report:
OUT: DL Kedrick Bingley-Jones, WR Beau Corrales, DB Sturmente, OL Triston Miller, OL Ty Murray, DB Javon Terry, DB Bryce Watts, LB Ethan West
Miami Five Game Winning Streak
Miami has suffered from the coronavirus and several players have missed games or been lost for the season due to injury. Nevertheless, the Hurricanes are 8-1 in the season and enter this matchup with a winning streak of five games. Miami scores the fifth highest score in the ACC (34.9) and the third lowest score (21) in the conference.
“Miami acted like a top 10 team.” @Coach_MannyDiaz was proud of the way the whole team looked after business from kick-off to the final whistle against Duke.
Complete episode: https://t.co/bOm1s9HhZv pic.twitter.com/bANP762V4B
– Canes Football (@CanesFootball) December 9, 2020
Senior quarterback D’Eriq King threw for 248 yards with three touchdowns against Duke and has thrown for 2334 yards with 20 touchdowns and four interceptions. Senior wideout Mike Harley is his primary target with 653 yards and five touchdowns, but King has numerous wideouts to throw. They face a tar heels defense that allows 248 yards per game and 116 yards against Western Carolina last week.
Junior runs Cam’Ron Harris leads the team in a hurry, exiting a 96-yard outing with two touchdowns against Duke and running 567 yards with eight touchdowns. King has finished 467 yards with four touchdowns and they face a tar heels defense that allows 155 rushing yards per game and 137 yards to Western Carolina.
The Miami defense has been solid all season, but North Carolina will be a real test for the Hurricanes this week. North Carolina can hit teams with their feet and over the air so they have to flex their defensive muscles and get to the quarterback as North Carolina has allowed 29 sacks this season and that could give Miami an advantage.
Miami (FL) Injury Report:
OUT: CB Al Blades Jr., OL Navaughn Donaldson, OL Kai-Leon Herbert, OL Zalon’Tae Hillery, QB Tate Martell, OL Issiah Walker Jr., S. Avantae Williams
Questionable: DL Jared Harrison-Hunte, TE Larry Hodges, DL Jalar Holley, WR Michael Redding Jr., QB Tyler Van Dyke
