UNC vs Miami football: Odds, top story lines, players to watch in ACC Coastal matchup
Is this the front-runner?
Miami, the preseason favorite to win the ACC’s Coastal Division, hasn’t looked so favorable in losses at Texas A&M and at home to Middle Tennessee State.
North Carolina (4-1, 1-0 ACC) will find out soon enough if the Hurricanes (2-2, 0-0) are still to be considered contenders. The Tar Heels take on the Canes on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
The last trip Carolina made to play Miami, an Orange Bowl berth was on the line and the Heels rolled to a 62-26 win in 2020.
Meanwhile, the Coastal appears to be in full chaos mode after Georgia Tech, interim coach and all, won at Pittsburgh, which was picked second in the preseason. Carolina and Duke are tied atop the division as each won their openers.
The Heels are feeling much more confident after Saturday’s 41-10 win over Virginia Tech that featured their best defensive performance of the season. They’re also taking a 2-0 road record to South Florida.
Miami has had a week off to regroup and surely plans to have a few new wrinkles in store for UNC.
Running struggles
Carolina is still trying to find ways to get its run game going. But Miami may be the defense it can break out against. The Canes had so much trouble in their man-to-man pass coverage in their loss to Middle Tennessee State that they may end up overcompensating when facing the Heels and Drake Maye.
UNC freshman running back Omarion Hampton has been feast or famine. He’s got Carolina’s only two 100-yard rushing games this season, against Florida A&M and Georgia State. But in the remaining three games he’s rushed for 17, 28 and 37 yards.
Sophomore Caleb Hood started against Virginia Tech and totaled seven rushes for 32 yards. But take away his 18-yarder in the first quarter and he was largely ineffective with six rushes for 14 yards.
Miami’s woes
The Hurricanes are presumably still fuming after losing back-to-back games including a historic upset loss. The Canes were favored by 25 points but got beat down by Middle Tennessee State 45-31.
Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke is still getting used to a new offensive system under new head coach Mario Cristobal. He also doesn’t quite have the talent at receiver as he did a year ago and it has shown with Miami’s inability to produce in the red zone during its two losses. Van Dyke was benched in the Middle Tennessee loss and was replaced by Jake Garcia.
Defensively, the Canes were burned time and again by big plays against MTSU. They allowed touchdown passes of 69, 71 and 98 yards while in man-to-man coverage.
Three Miami players to watch
Tyler Van Dyke, QB: Entered the season expecting to be one of the ACC’s best quarterbacks, but hasn’t come close to those expectations. Van Dyke has only thrown four touchdown passes with three interceptions.
Corey Flagg Jr., LB: The unofficial heart of the Canes’ defense. Flagg leads the team in tackles and with 4.5 tackles for losses. He’ll be the player that Maye needs to keep an eye on when he’s making pre-snap reads.
Henry Parrish Jr., RB: Ranks fourth in the ACC averaging 89.8 yards per game. Parrish leads the Canes with 359 yards rushing and has four touchdowns. Miami’s rushing attack is having a similar problem as UNC lately, as it was limited to just 60 yards against MTSU.
Three UNC players to watch
Drake Maye, QB: After scaring UNC fans when he got the wind knocked out of him while trying to leap defenders for a score against Virginia Tech, let’s see if Maye can stay grounded this week against the Canes. Maye leads the ACC in passing touchdowns (19), yards per game (318.8) and passing efficiency (187.6).
Cedric Gray, LB: Despite being thin at linebacker, Gray has excelled with very little rest. He leads the Heels with 55 tackles and also leads the teams with two interceptions. Last season, he made the game-saving interception off a tipped pass against Van Dyke and Miami.
Antoine Green, WR: In just two games back from a shoulder injury, Green is third on the team in receiving yards with 209. He’s the deep threat averaging 29.8 yards per catch and is about to face a Miami secondary that allows an average of 18 yards per catch.
Vegas betting odds
The Hurricanes are a 4-point favorite, according to Caesars Sportsbook.
UNC vs Miami game and TV info
Who: UNC (4-1, 1-0 ACC) vs. Miami (2-2, 0-0)
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
When: 4 p.m., Saturday
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN+
This story was originally published October 3, 2022 at 6:10 AM with the headline "UNC vs Miami football: Odds, top story lines, players to watch in ACC Coastal matchup."