North Carolina Tar Heels at Miami Hurricanes Preview

The North Carolina Tar Heels have put their all into their last three games against Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, and Virginia and came away with wins in two of those to reestablish themselves as a threat in the Coastal. Now all that work has led to this, a showdown with Miami. The Hurricanes are another Coastal Division team that is sitting at 2-2 and looking to drag itself on top of the rest of the division. Both teams need a win, and Miami could become bowl eligible with a victory.

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The North Carolina turnaround has largely been in the hands of Marquise Williams, who was finally given full rein on the offense three weeks ago. Williams has been able to work with the shortcomings of the oft-injured linemen in front of him and currently leads the team in rushing. This model will be tested against the speedy defenders of Miami. This game will look more like the Virginia game and less like the Georgia Tech game.

Date: November 1
Time: 12:30 PM
TV: ACC Network
Venue: Sun Life Stadium (Miami, FL)

Last Time: 2013

A Tar Heel team in search of a turnaround faced Miami at home last year and pushed the Hurricanes to the very limit. Miami was without Duke Johnson, but got a big game from Dallas Crawford to propel them to victory. That victory was only secured when the Hurricanes ran it into the end zone with 16 seconds to go. Tar Heels tight end Eric Ebron was the biggest nuisance the Miami defense faced with a yard short of 200 yards receiving.

Oct 11, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Al Golden reacts to an interception by Hurricanes defensive back Ladarius Gunter (37) in the first quarter of a game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

Opponent: Miami Hurricanes (5-3)

This time around, the Hurricanes are bringing Duke Johnson to the party. Johnson has already rushed for 1000 yards on the season and he will see the ball a lot with the tackling reputation of the Tar Heel defense well known. Miami will then try to set up some passing for freshman Brad Kaaya, who is enjoying a fine season. The Tar Heel front six needs to play like it did at the end of the Virginia game and shut Johnson down if it wants to let its own offense control game tempo.

Oct 23, 2014; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Miami Hurricanes running back Duke Johnson (8) runs as Virginia Tech Hokies cornerback Kendall Fuller (11) defends in the third quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

On defense, the trick will be dealing with the athleticism of the Hurricanes. That would suggest higher use of power run plays. That could look like the read-option runs up the middle that Rich Rodriguez used to run at West Virginia. Regardless of what they do, the Tar Heel offense will need to put points on the board every time. There is no guarantee that the Tar Heel defense can get the key stop. Remember, cornerback Dez Lawrence leads the team in tackles.