Everything You Need to Know Ahead of Stanford vs. North Carolina

Coming off of their first home loss of the season to Pittsburgh last week, the Stanford Cardinal (3-6, 2-4 ACC) will hit the road one final time for what could be considered their most highly anticipated matchup of the season—a game against the Bill Belichick led North Carolina Tar Heels.

Needing a win to surpass the 3-9 record they've held the previous four seasons, as well as keep themselves alive for a bowl game appearance, the Cardinal will go into Chapel Hill locked in and ready to go.

The final road game of the season, the Cardinal will face a North Carolina team that had high expectations coming into the season but has failed to even come close to what some expected. The Tar Heels only have one Power Four win all season long and will surely look to defend their home turf as they search for that signature win in Bill Belichick's first season.

Listed as the underdogs and still without a road win, the Cardinal are ready to change the narrative and leave an opponent's stadium with a victory for the first time all year.

Here is everything you need to know about Stanford's upcoming matchup against North Carolina.

Game Information

When: Saturday, Nov. 8, 1:30 p.m. (PT)

Where: Kenan Memorial Stadium

How to Watch: The CW

Spread: North Carolina (-7.5)

Moneyline: North Carolina (-299), Stanford (+241)

Total: O/U 42.5

*Betting odds provided by Fox Sports and are used here as a reference point, not betting advice*

Players to Watch - Stanford

QB Elijah Brown

At the start of the season, the Cardinal named sixth year veteran Ben Gulbranson as the starting quarterback, surprising many considering Brown was the heavy favorite to win the job this year. And for a majority of the season, Brown stayed in the backup role, making three appearances in relief of Gulbranson.

But with Gulbranson struggling, as well as dealing with an injury, the Cardinal made a change early this week and named Brown the starting quarterback moving forward, allowing him the chance to finally show what he can do.

And against a UNC team that has been inconsistent this season, beating only one Power Four program, this is the game for him to go off and give Stanford confidence that he can be the guy to lead the program into the future.

The Tar Heels' defense has talent, but they have been known to falter late in games. If Brown can take full advantage of UNC's defensive woes, then he could lead the Cardinal to victory.

So far this season, Brown has 218 passing yards and a touchdown pass, getting his most action last week against Pittsburgh when he completed 10 out of his 14 pass attempts for 108 yards and a passing touchdown. Still only a redshirt freshman, Brown has three years of eligibility left. With the Cardinal building for the future, proving his worth will be vital.

DL Clay Patterson

A former Ivy League standout at Yale, Patterson transferred to Stanford as a graduate student prior to last season, and has become an integral part of the defense. Enjoying a breakout campaign, Patterson has been the heart and soul of the Cardinal defensive line all season long and even with Stanford's defense struggling at times this season, Patterson has been a constant bright spot.

So far this season, Patterson has 23 tackles (12 solo), 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble, with his best game coming in week zero against Hawaii where he forced a fumble after a sack that resulted in a Stanford touchdown. Stanford lost several key members from its defensive line after last season but with Patterson playing at a high level, the team has been able to navigate those losses.

The Tar Heels will force Patterson to play very physical and stout, with their run game known for causing havoc for opponents. An aggressive player with a high motor, expect Patterson to be all over the field this weekend as he looks to help stop UNC's offensive attack.

EDGE/LB Tevarua Tafiti

When superstar pass rusher David Bailey transferred to Texas Tech ahead of this season, a huge void at edge rusher was left to fill for the Cardinal. After all, Bailey led Stanford in sacks the previous two seasons and was the clear-cut star on the defensive line. But after Bailey left, all eyes turned to Tafiti, who was next in line to fill the massive void left from Bailey transferring.

But so far, Tafiti has not only been underwhelming, but he has not really been much of a factor for Stanford this season. Through six games that he has played, Tafiti has 22 tackles (11 solo) with only one sack that came in week two against BYU.

Since then, Tafiti has struggled to get to the quarterback, with opponents doing a good job of containing his speed and agility off the edge. But against North Carolina, Tafiti will need to play his best game in order to stop UNC quarterback Gio Lopez from going off.

North Carolina's offense is by no means the best one that Stanford will face this season, which is all the more reason why Tafiti needs to have a good game. It all starts up front, and if Stanford can win the battles in the trenches, it could be a long game for the Tar Heels. For that to happen, it will all start with Tafiti trying to get off of a block and getting to the quarterback.

Players to Watch - North Carolina

QB Gio Lopez

A former standout at South Alabama, Lopez was one of the first big transfers that Bill Belichick was able to bring in when taking over the UNC program, giving the Tar Heels a talented quarterback in their first year under the six-time Super Bowl champion.

And immediately upon joining the Tar Heels, Lopez was named the starting quarterback for the Tar Heels, but has struggled to find the form he was in at South Alabama.

In seven starts this season, Lopez has a 63.1% completion with 1,021 yards and six touchdowns, but has thrown five interceptions, including two interception games against UCF and Virginia. But still only a redshirt sophomore and in his first season in the Power Four, Lopez is someone who will keep getting better and could look to really improve UNC's fortunes next season.

Stanford will have its work cut out for them when it goes up against Lopez, but a good game defensively from the Cardinal could cause Lopez to struggle. If that happens, it will be hard to envision a world where UNC pulls off the win.

RB Demon June

Offensively UNC has been very underwhelming, but the one area that they have been very good in is the run game. The workhorse for the Tar Heels this season, June's hard running style has been very vital for the team all year long and is a big reason why they even have three wins.

Carrying the ball 64 times for 416 yards and a pair of touchdowns while averaging 6.5 yards per carry, June has been dominant. Even though he is a freshman, he has played like someone who has been around for a while. June is still getting better and has the potential to evolve into one of the nation's best running backs.

That is why for Stanford's defense, keeping him at bay is crucial. If June has a good game, like the last two running backs that the Cardinal have faced have done, then it will be a long day at the office for Stanford. But if the Cardinal contain him and force UNC's offense to be one-dimensional, then an upset could be brewing in Chapel Hill.

LB Andrew Simpson

North Carolina's defense has been very inconsistent this season, but if it weren't for Simpson, who knows where UNC's defense would rank. A physical player with a high motor, Simpson flies around the field to make plays and always has his head on a swivel when it comes to knowing where the ball is.

A four-year standout at Boise State, including last season when the Broncos made the College Football Playoff, the senior out of Norwalk, California knows a thing or two about playing in big games.

So far this season, Simpson has 38 total tackles, two sacks and an interception and has played multiple roles very well. For Stanford, keeping him from being a factor in the game will be key, meaning that blocking will be vital.

Stanford has faced very good teams this season with good defenses and while the Tar Heels are another good test, they are not expected to cause the same issues that teams like Miami, Virginia or SMU have caused. But combating a guy like Simpson is a huge priority if the Cardinal want to see their offense hum.

By the Numbers

2016 - Last time Stanford and North Carolina Faced Each Other

The most recent matchup between the Tar Heels and the Cardinal happened in the 2016 Sun Bowl, where No. 16 ranked Stanford beat the Tar Heels 25-23 after North Carolina quarterback, Mitch Trubisky, failed to convert on a two-point conversion with under 30 seconds to go in the game.

Stanford running back Bryce Love ran for 119 yards, with a 49 yard touchdown catch, while defensive lineman Solomon Thomas earned the game's MVP after sacking Trubisky on that two-point attempt.

1997 - Year both programs played each other for the first time

The first time that Stanford and UNC met occurred in the 1997 season, where for the first and only time, Stanford traveled to Chapel Hill. During that matchup, Stanford was ranked No. 17 while UNC was ranked No. 7. Ultimately, thanks to two fourth quarter TDs from North Carolina, the Tar Heels pulled away for the win and snapped Stanford's six-game win streak.

4 - Number of matchups between Frank Reich and Bill Belichick

Both former NFL coaches, this weekend will mark the fourth time in their careers that Frank Reich and Bill Belichick will square off. Reich is 1-2 against Belichick as a head coach, with their 2022 meeting being Reich's final game as the Indianapolis Colts head coach before getting fired.

However, Reich's biggest win against Belichick came in Super Bowl LII as the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Score Prediction

Stanford 20, North Carolina 17

North Carolina and Stanford has all the makings to be a good game. Both teams are in the midst of a rebuild, and while the Tar Heels are more in win-now mode than Stanford, they are still a couple of years away from truly competing in the ACC. Even with arguably the greatest coach of all time at the helm, it is hard to see a world where the Tar Heels accomplish anything this season.

And even though Stanford has yet to win a road game, this particular game is very winnable for the Cardinal. After all, the Cardinal cannot afford any more losses if they want to keep their hopes for a bowl game alive.

The crowd in Chapel Hill will be loud, but after the tough games that Stanford has played over the past couple of weeks, a game against UNC is more manageable. Aside from a win over Syracuse last week, a team that is down their starting quarterback, UNC has not earned that signature win yet and is a team that is leaving a lot to be desired.

Offensively, the Tar Heels have talent, but they have struggled in the passing game and have looked out of sync whenever the games get tight.

Defensively, the Tar Heels have been very, very underwhelming and have been known to fall apart late in games. With a new quarterback, it is still unknown how good Stanford's offense will be, but it is assumed that the energy and confidence will be different.

Stanford has looked very promising at times this season and given how hungry they have looked in a lot of these games, expect to see them come out firing on Saturday and pull off an upset over a UNC team that has a lot of work to do.