UNC, Miami eye signature victory
Show up on both sides: Sam Howell threw for school records of 550 yards and six touchdowns as North Carolina wiped out a 21point deficit in the second half to rally past Wake Forest 59-53, a shootout during which the team’s offense rescued its defense. Then, the defense delivered its best showing against Notre Dame, a game that was tied 17-17 midway through the third quarter. But Howell and Co. were suffocated on offense, registering season lows in rushing yards, passing yards and total offense while failing to score during the second half of the what became a 31-17 loss.
Capitalize on the moment: Mack Brown, in his second season, has revitalized the energy around the program and its perception nationally, while also putting together a turbo-charged run in recruiting. But North Carolina has yet to secure a signature victory on the field, like the opportunity Saturday’s game offers, during his second stint in charge.
Keys for Miami
Get to Howell: Notre Dame displayed a blueprint the Miami defense can follow for slowing down the Tar Heels’ high-powered offense, and it hinged on swarming Howell.
The Fighting Irish dropped him for six sacks and limited him to 211 passing yards. He’s averaging 312.9 passing yards per game on the season, ninth-best in the bowl subdivision and No. 1 in the ACC.
Eyes on the (orange) prize: With star quarterback D’Eriq King shining, Miami could play on its home field in the Orange Bowl this postseason. The Hurricanes must defeat North Carolina and Georgia Tech (on Dec. 19) to have a chance at making that a reality.
Prediction
Miami 37, North Carolina 31: Whether Florida State’s Jordan Travis or Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong or Notre Dame’s Ian Book, elusive quarterbacks have posed big problems for the Tar Heels defense and ultimately proven to be major factors in their three losses this season. Now here’s King, perhaps the ACC’s ultimate dual threat. Look for an entertaining battle between Howell and King in this spotlighted matchup, with the Hurricanes coming up with enough to emerge on top.