DATE: Saturday, October 14, 2023

WHERE: Kenan Stadium (50,500); Chapel Hill, NC

TIME/TV: 7:30 PM EST/ABC

LIVE AUDIO: 560 WQAM

MIAMI: Official Site | Schedule | Roster | Stats | Twitter

NORTH CAROLINA: Official Site | Schedule | Roster | Stats | Twitter

The No. 12 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels lead the all-time series with the No. 25 ranked Miami Hurricanes, 13-11 (North Carolina vacated wins in 2008 and 2009). The Heels have won the last four matchups with Hurricanes, including six of the last eight.

North Carolina defeated Miami last season 27-24 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Tyler Van Dyke passed for 496 yards, the second most in Miami history, but a late interception would essentially end any chance of a comeback for the Hurricanes.

In week seven, the Hurricanes ranked No. 25 in the Associated Press rankings and dropped out of the Coaches Poll.

Miami is looking to bounce back from a devasting 23-20 loss to Georgia Tech last week. The game was mired in controversy as the Hurricanes elected not to take a knee with the lead, and the Yellow Jackets had zero timeouts.

Don Chaney Jr. was stripped of the football after his elbow was down, but the ACC officials ruled it a fumble, and Georgia Tech took over at its 26-yard line with 26 seconds left. The Yellow Jackets scored a touchdown in four plays and escaped with the victory.

The last two matchups against UNC were three-point margins where Miami could tie or win with a score, but interceptions would end those chances.

Miami (4-1, 0-1 ACC) is seeking its first win over Carolina since 2018 and its first in Chapel Hill since 2017.

Miami is looking for its second top-25 win of the year, following a 48-33 win on Sept. 9 vs. then-No. 23/23 Texas A&M. The win was Cristobal's eighth vs. the Top-25 since 2018 and was UM's first against a T-25 team since a 2021 38-34 road win at #17/#19 Pitt.

Miami leads the ACC in total yards with 505.8 per game and is second in total defense at 268.4 per game. Miami also has the top offensive efficiency mark in the conference (176.9). Miami has the top rushing offense at 211 yards per game and the second-best passing offense at 294.8 in the ACC (second to North Carolina - 325.8).

WR Xavier Restrepo (36 catches, 478 yards), WR Jacolby George (23 catches, 337 yards), and WR Colbie Young (21 catches, 298 yards) account for 1,113 receiving yards this year - 75.5% of Miami's total (1,474). Restrepo ranks No. 2 in the ACC in receptions (36), No. 2 in receiving yards per game (95.60), and had a career-high 12 catches for 123 yards last time out vs. GT.

The Hurricanes rank No. 1 in FBS in rushing defense (58.2 yards allowed per game), No. 12 in the nation in scoring defense (14.6 points per game), and No. 9 in the nation in total defense (268.4 yards per game).

The Hurricanes have allowed only 69 first downs on defense this year - the fifth-fewest in FBS and the fewest in the ACC - and also rank as the top-performing team on fourth down conversion percentage on defense in all of the country (12.5%, tied with Florida for #1).

The Tar Heels are 5-0 for the first time since 1997 and only its second 5-0 start since 1983. After its sixth straight ACC home opener victory over Syracuse last weekend, North Carolina will look for its fifth straight win over the Miami Hurricanes. Entering this week’s matchup, North Carolina boasts a 7-3 record versus the Hurricanes at Kenan Stadium.

North Carolina is 55-22 in 15 seasons under Brown as a ranked team. This is the second straight season UNC has won five games as a ranked opponent. North Carolina has scored 40 or more points in three of its last four games.

Through five games, UNC is averaging 500.0 yards per game, good for 9th in the FBS. Last week versus Syracuse, Drake Maye joined T.J. Yates, Mitch Trubisky, and Sam Howell as the only Tar Heels with three career 400+ yard passing games.

Against the Orange, North Carolina had two 100-yard receivers (Nate McCollum and Kobe Paysour) for the first time this season. Tez Walker made his UNC debut last week, catching six passes for 43 yards. Alijah Huzzie became the first Tar Heel to have interceptions in back-to-back games since 2018.

Stats are as of October 13, 2023

Miami Athletics and North Carolina Athletics contributed to this report

Line: North Carolina - 3

Over/Under: 57

Weather: 65 Degrees with cloudy skies

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