The Miami Hurricanes travel to Chapel Hill, North Carolina this week for their only road game in a five-game stretch. Miami and North Carolina enter the game heading in opposite directions. UM is 6-0, injury-ravaged North Carolina is 1-7.
North Carolina has defeated the Miami Hurricanes the last two years. won three of the last five and seven of the last 11 in the series. North Carolina holds a 7-6 lead in the 13 years the teams have played in ACC.
UMC has been decimated by injuries and players lost after last season to the NFL. The Tar Heels lost six players to the NFL following the 2016 season. Sixteen more players were lost by the Tar Heels to injury for the season.
Miami enters Saturday’s game after three consecutive late-game victories. The Hurricanes defeated Florida State, Georgia Tech and Syracuse by a combined total of 13 points. After beginning the season 6-0, Miami has moved up to eighth in the National Rankings.
This Saturday’s game is key. The College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Halloween night. Hopefully, they will not be too scary for Miami Hurricanes fans.
Miami’s last trip to Chapel Hill was a dismantling of the Hurricanes by North Carolina. UNC had a 52-7 lead after three quarters on their way to a 59-21 victory. They followed that up by winning at Hard Rock Stadium last season.
This is a game Miami is expected to win and win big. The Hurricanes are favored by nearly three touchdowns. They should be able to get pressure on the Tar Heels quarterbacks.
📈📊📉 heading into Saturday's matchup with the Tar Heels. pic.twitter.com/9bVif8009f
— Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) October 26, 2017
#8/#8 MIAMI HURRICANES (6-0, 4-0 ACC)
HEAD COACH: Mark Richt (Miami, 1982) | CAREER: 160-55 (17th season) | AT MIAMI: 15-4 (second)
NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (1-7, 0-5 ACC)
HEAD COACH: Larry Fedora (Austin College, 1985) | CAREER: 75-51 (10th season) AT NORTH CAROLINA: 41-32 (sixth)
North Carolina Head Coach Larry Fedora is 3-3 against Miami during his six seasons in Chapel Hill.
Mark Richt will only be facing North Carolina for the second time. He didn’t face the Tar Heels while at Georgia. Ironically North Carolina defeated Georgia 34-29 in the 2016 season opener.
While Miami is getting healthy, the Tar Heels have been decimated by injuries this season.
Injuries (Courtesy of Sports Reference):
| Stanton Truitt | Out | Undisclosed | Truitt has yet to play this season for undisclosed reasons and it is unclear as to how long he will need to recover. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antwuan Branch | Out | Undisclosed | Branch suffered an unspecified injury and is expected to miss the rest of the season. |
| Devin Perry | Out | Undisclosed | Perry is expected to miss the rest of the season due to an undisclosed injury. |
| Rontavius Groves | Out | Knee | Groves has a knee injury and is likely to miss the remainder of the season. |
| Andre Smith | Out | Knee | Smith sustained a knee injury and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2017 season. |
| Corey Bell Jr. | Out | Undisclosed | Bell Jr. has an undisclosed injury and is expected to sit out the rest of the season. |
| Noah Turner | Out | Undisclosed | Turner will miss the rest of the 2017 season due to an unlisted injury. |
| William Sweet | Out | Undisclosed | Sweet will sit out the rest of the 2017 campaign due to an undisclosed injury. |
| Luke Elder | Out | Undisclosed | Elder will miss the rest of the season due to an injury. |
| Tyler Pritchett | Out | Undisclosed | Pritchett has been sidelined for unknown reasons and it is unknown when he might return to the field. |
| Carl Tucker | Out | Undisclosed | Tucker is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the 2017 campaign due to an unspecified injury. |
| Jesse Cuccia | Out | Undisclosed | Cuccia will miss the rest of the season with an unspecified ailment. |
| Tyler Powell | Out | Knee | Powell has a right knee injury and is expected to miss the rest of the season. |
| Ben Stobaugh | Out | Undisclosed | Stobaugh has been sidelined for undisclosed reasons and it is unclear when he might return to action. |
| Jacob Schmidt | Out | Undisclosed | Schmidt has an undisclosed injury and will likely be forced to sit out the rest of the season. |
| Thomas Jackson | Out | Knee | Jackson suffered an injury to the meniscus in his knee and will be forced to miss the rest of the season. |
| Austin Proehl | Out | Collarbone | Proehl broke his collarbone and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. |
| Donnie Miles | Questionable | Arm | Miles has missed the last two games with an arm injury and it is unclear if he will be ready to play Saturday against Miami. |
| Chazz Surratt | Probable | Knee | Surratt is expected to suit up against Miami on Saturday despite a knee injury. |
It’s nearly impossible to go through all of the losses North Carolina has suffered this season. Proehl was North Carolina’s leading returning receiver. He had 43 receptions for 597 yards and three touchdowns a year ago.
This season had he had 16 receptions for 270 yards and a touchdown through four games. His loss was damaging to the passing game. Proehl had eight for 120 in the second game of the season against Louisville.
Miami:
| Evidence Njoku | Out | Knee | Njoku has been sidelined by a hyperextended knee and is expected to miss the remainder of the season. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Walton | Out | Ankle | Walton will require season-ending surgery for a right ankle injury. |
| Jamie Gordinier | Out | Knee | Gordinier suffered a season-ending right knee injury. |
| Gerald Willis III | Out | Personal | Willis III will not play during 2017 due to a leave of absence. |
| Robert Burns | Out | Shoulder | Burns has been sidelined by a shoulder injury and it is currently unknown when he will return. |
| Navaughn Donaldson | Questionable | Ankle | Donaldson has sat out the last two games with an ankle injury and it is unclear if he will play Saturday against North Carolina. |
| Dee Delaney | Questionable | Knee | Delaney has missed the last two games due to a knee injury and his status is unclear against UNC on Saturday. |
| Mike Harley | Probable | Ankle | Harley is expected to take part in Saturday’s game against UNC despite an ankle injury. |
| Michael Irvin II | Probable | Personal | Irvinn II is dealing with off-field issues but is likely to be available Saturday against UNC is undetermined. |
Chapel Hill Weather Saturday (Courtesy Google):
Chapel Hill, NC
Saturday
Partly Cloudy
72
°F | °C
Precipitation: 20%
Humidity: 66%
Wind: 8 mph
The weather should not play a part in the game. It’s perfect football weather. The humidity could play a part but its significantly less than it would be in Miami.
This is a key game for the Miami Hurricanes. Experts have speculated about the possibility of Miami looking ahead. The Hurricanes are coming off three straight tough wins. They will face Virginia Tech and Notre Dame the next two weeks.
Next: Miami Hurricanes QB Alum Brad Kaaya Discusses Malik Rosier
Miami needs to be focused on the Tar Heels. A win this week sets up a pair of showdowns that can make or break the Miami Hurricanes seasons.