Miami vs. North Carolina: Previewing the Tar Heels

Since 2018, Miami has had eight off weeks. The Hurricanes followed seven of those eight weeks up with a game.

Their record over the last four years following byes? 1-6, and North Carolina has beaten the Canes two of those six times.

UNC is more than capable of doing the same to Miami for the third time, unless Miami’s defense is up to the test. Here’s a preview of the Tar Heels.

Offense

This UNC offense has a nice balance between the run and the pass, but it’s definitely anchored by its passing game. Freshman quarterback Drake Maye can flat-out sling the football as he’s done all year, and that could be the game-breaker for Miami, especially considering his consistency in throwing the deep ball.

Maye is connecting on 62% of his deep passes (20 yards or more) with seven touchdowns. It’s a testament to the offense that head coach Mack Brown has implemented, but it’s also a testament to the connection between Maye and his wideouts. Antoine Green is starting to become arguably the best big-play guy in the offense, averaging just under 30 yards per catch, but Josh Downs is still the most talented wideout on the roster.

There’s a big difference in the offensive line for UNC, which Miami could take advantage of. According to Pro Football Focus, from left tackle to right tackle, the pass-blocking grades for UNC’s offensive line goes:

Asim Richards 81.4

Ed Montilus 42.1

Corey Gaynor 75.5

William Barnes 69.5

Spencer Rolland 60.4

The pass-blocking grades certainly show where the line has the most success and where they struggle. Miami will likely have more success in the interior, but it will be a fun battle to watch whoever lines up against Gaynor, who transferred from Miami to UNC in 2021.

Now, the big difference comes in the run game. Going left to right again for the same players, their grades are as follows:

Asim Richards 55.3

Ed Montilus 54.6

Corey Gaynor 60.3

William Barnes 55.2

Spencer Rolland 57.9

Now, there needs to be respect for the Tar Heels' run game. Freshman tailback Omarion Hampton and Maye are essentially the main work-horses for UNC in the run game with 108 combined carries for 548 yards and eight touchdowns. The rest of the team has 390 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Defense

The Tar Heels are relatively in the same boat as Miami in regards to getting to the quarterback. The Heels have nine sacks on the year, but they’ve been effective in pass rushing. Noah Taylor, the Virginia transfer, leads the team in sacks with 2.5 and he’s a guy that lives off his speed off the edge.

Up front, it’s clear that Miami has the edge in terms of talent and playmakers. However, UNC has plenty of guys that can disrupt plays including Cedrick Gray. Gray has a knack for getting to the football as he was the ACC’s fourth-leading tackler last year and leads the team currently with 55 total tackles, which is tied for sixth in the nation.

The Tar Heels rank No. 102 in pass defense, which is eight spots lower than the Hurricanes sit (94). The Hurricanes could truly blow the game open in the passing game, but that’s contingent upon offensive coordinator Josh Gattis’ playcalling and Tyler Van Dyke’s confidence and comfortability.

The Tar Heels do have some playmakers in the back end such as safety Cam’Ron Kelly and cornerbacks Storm Duck and Tony Grimes. The issue is, as a collective, they haven’t played good defense in the secondary and have been a large reason why UNC is allowing 33.6 points per game.

Special Teams

In the return game, UNC has yet to really make a large impact with their returners. The kick and punt game, however, is pretty consistent. Ben Kiernan is averaging 48.5 yards per punt while Noah Burnette is four-of-five on field goals while hitting 100% of his extra point attempts.

Overall Thoughts

UNC will make its mark on Miami with its offense, not so much with its defense. That poses as a positive for the Canes, but Miami will have to execute offensively to truly have a chance in the game.

Miami’s defense has been subject to giving up big plays and allowing yards in the passing game, which doesn't bode well with this matchup in mind. UNC could turn this game into a shootout, but that’s only if Miami can keep up.

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