North Carolina Tar Heels at Pitt Panthers Preview
The North Carolina Tar Heels are on the verge of playing the biggest game this season. After a trip up against South Carolina, the Tar Heels have gone on a six game winning streak. That has included their first three conference games to enter this week unbeaten in conference play. They are not alone in this.
The Pitt Panthers have also rebounded from a key injury to James Conner to also post a 6-1 record. Pitt has rallied behind new coach Pat Narduzzi. They possess a similar string of victories, including a survival affair against Syracuse last week. They even have better non-conference loss against ranked Iowa.
Both teams need the game to stay on pace with Duke, who will be playing post Al Golden Miami on Saturday. Pitt will have the luxury of being at home for this joust.
Opponent: Pitt Panthers (6-1, 4-0 ACC) #23
Date: October 29
Time: 7:00 PM
TV: ESPN
Venue: Heinz Field (Pittsburgh, Pa)
The key to this matchup will be the defenses. The Pitt defense will have to collapse the pocket around Marquise Williams to try to derail the schedule of the Tar Heel offense. Of course that will be harder to do if the Tar Heels commit more to running back Elijah Hood. Pittsburgh will be stretched to cover all the weapons the Tar Heels possess, but good defense has been their calling card.
For the Tar Heels, the game centers around running back Qadree Ollison. The Pitt freshman has been filling in for James Conner. His production has been key to utilizing the true threat, Tyler Boyd. Boyd represents a deep threat that the Heels have rarely seen this season. Their pass defense has been statistically strong, but it will be tested here.
In a close game, special teams and turnovers may make the difference. Williams has been susceptible to the odd pick. On the other hand, Ryan Switzer had a great game in his last appearance in Heinz Field and no doubt will wish to impress friends and family once again.
Prediction: 24-20 Pitt