(Photo: Miami Carolina Club)
Campus Clash
(25) Miami Hurricanes at (12) North Carolina Tar Heels
Miami: I’m sick for them. If you listened to Monday Evening Quarterback yesterday, I’m certain you heard the mini rant we went on about the ending of their game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. In case you didn’t, I’ll gladly speak on what happened. In football when a team is close to winning a game and it’s the fourth quarter, you do a few things. The first is control the clock and run the football and most importantly, don’t turn the football over. When the clock is winding down, you take a knee which is known as victory formation. That’s not what happened the other day. Instead of taking the knee, they decided to snap the ball, run it and would end up fumbling the football and losing it only for Georgia Tech to recover it and capitalize on the turnover to score a touchdown to win the game. Mario Cristobal should be ashamed of himself because as a Head Coach, you make the right call and decision to seal the victory and he did everything but that. I want to say this and I want you to understand where I’m coming from with this. The Miami Hurricanes are in the same boat as the Texas Longhorns and I say this because each time we think they’re close to being relevant, they end up taking a step back or shooting themselves in the foot. Outside of my rant, I love their offense. They average 39 points per game and have a strong Quarterback leading the charge in Tyler Van Dyke. This is also a balanced group offensively. They have 12 touchdowns passing and 11 on the ground. On Saturday, they will look to bounce back against a divisional opponent.
North Carolina: They are such an improved team from a year ago. The last few seasons if I’m being honest because we knew what they would be offensively. It was the high volume passing attack and the offense that could score from anywhere on the field. They always found those ways to get the ball up and down the field and are still doing just that. Drake Maye is the real deal and I think he’ll be a nice Quarterback when he decides to declare his eligibility for the NFL Draft. Why are they so improved you ask? That’s what I’m here for to answer. Prior to the opening game against South Carolina, Mack Brown said he wanted to see more of a balanced attack as an offense and felt they were depending on Drake a little too much to do everything. (Does that ring a bell with a certain NFL team I always mention). This year, I’ve seen the Tar Heels make more of an effort to run that football and be physical in the trenches. Against Syracuse, UNC ran that ball and kept running it until the Orange could stop it but they couldn’t. They finished the game with 202 yards rushing with 48 carries. The biggest question mark with them was their defense and I remember saying prior to the year starting they don’t need to be top of the line great such as the Georgia Bulldogs. I just needed for them to get off the field, communicate with one another and by all means, get the ball back to your defense and they have done just that. With a win on Saturday, they will improve to 6-0. To do that, they will have to take down the Miami Hurricanes.
Miami X-Factor: Jared Harrison-Hunte– This Hurricanes defensive line is one of the best not just in the ACC, but in all of college football and Jared is a contributor to their success. His release from the interior of the line is reminiscent of a pass rusher off the edge because he is so quick and athletic off the snap of the football to get home to the Quarterback. Jared just knows how to burst through lanes and get to the ball-carrier. This entire defense will have their hands full with this Quarterback they’ll be facing.
North Carolina X-Factor: Kaimon Rucker– He’s really grown into a nice role on this Carolina defense. Kaimon is a Senior who’s one of the leaders of this Tar Heels defense. He’s a Linebacker that can also put his hands into the dirt and line up as an EDGE rusher, so there’s some versatility there for sure. This year, he’s been their leader amongst sacks with four and I need for him to deliver against one of the best Quarterbacks in the ACC on Saturday.
Three Things I’m Watching
1. Mental– How will Miami’s mental be following that heartbreaking loss? That’s what I’ll be paying attention to as they enter this game. I always say in this business, you must turn the page quickly and move on or the results from last week will stick with you and the other team will look to further take you down. All the Hurricanes should be focusing on is what’s in front of them which is the Tar Heels.
2. Maye and Van Dyke– I’m liking this Quarterback matchup. Drake has been one of the best Quarterbacks in college football this year and Tyler Van Dyke is one of the best in the ACC. Both of these passers will continuously put their teams in the best position to win football games. Don’t be shocked if this game ends up being a back and forth shootout.
3. Approach– This will be the best defense the Heels will have faced all year long. Miami can stuff the run, clog up the lanes, finish tackles and stop the run. The best way to beat a physical and fast defense such as this is to get rid of the ball quickly and use tempo as often as possible. Don’t give them a chance to set up or get settled at all. I will also be paying close attention to that.
Final Analysis: This should be a fun game to watch. Everyone will be watching to see how the Canes bounce back and on the other side, UNC is looking to remain perfect. This game will come down to who can rush the passer more consistently because if you give either of these guys time to throw, they will pick you apart. The Heels will have a tough time stopping the run because Miami has been one of the best at shutting down ground games. North Carolina also has a strong secondary and they’ll have their hands full against a speedy group of receivers in the Canes. Yes, the Heels have improved on defense, but it can be had. I think this will be close throughout the game, but I see North Carolina prevailing in this one.
Prediction: North Carolina 35, Miami 24
