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Welcome to the Friday Kickoff, where we’ll take a quick look at Carolina’s matchup and set up the rest of the college football weekend in the ACC and around the nation.

Carolina (2-3) at Georgia Tech (1-3)

Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill

4 p.m., ACC Network (PxP: Wes Durham; Analyst: Roddy Jones; Sideline: Tom Eric Wood)   

Carolina game notes | Georgia Tech game notes | Series History

BetOnline odds: Carolina -10 | O/U: 48.5

Friday Newsstand

From QB to successful LB, "There aren't many people that walk the earth" like UNC's Chazz Surratt

No hamburger-eaters: Mack Brown disappointed with practice; says film will determine who travels to Georgia Tech

Masters of disguise: Tar Heels used deception vs. Clemson to avoid picking a poison

Mack Brown Wednesday update: Surratt working at Wildcat QB, Heck's impact and UNC's struggles in Atlanta

Mack Brown Monday Press Conference: building on the Clemson performance, grief from his grandson and finding consistency

Carolina redshirt tracker: Week 5

Takeaways from UNC's loss to Clemson: Carolina Can, defensive details and we talkin' 'bout practice

What they're saying

Georgia Tech’s got a lot of speed, their quarterback can really run, Geoff’s a motivator. They're going to look at the record of us coming to Atlanta and have hope because we haven’t played good in Atlanta since The Flood; it’s been a long time and we’ve been inconsistent down there. — Mack Brown

The game that we're watching the most is their game against Clemson.

There are some guys up on the defensive line that are twitchy and they can change directions and they're physical, 97 being one of them. 52 does a good job. 89 is a guy that comes in on the second tier and he does a good job. 41 is a lighter guy, but he has great speed and great change of direction. He can be a headache on the edge. They actually played Clemson very hard, I thought, especially early on in the game. So, they're a concern. We've got our hands full up front.

In the secondary, they haven't been challenged as much I think because of the fact that they've been giving up some run plays. If we have an opportunity to challenge them with some of our people, we will. If we're running the ball well, you may see us do that for four quarters. — Phil Longo

In the Footprint

Duke handed Virginia Tech its worst home loss since 1974 last Friday.

Duke handed Virginia Tech its worst home loss since 1974 last Friday.

  • It's a light weekend with only four ACC games scheduled
  • Either Virginia Tech or Miami will be basically eliminated from contention in the Coastal and someone will be 2-3 by Saturday evening. Neither fanbase would be pleased, but Justin Fuente will be in a tough spot unless the Hokies can pull something off.
  • Duke and Pittsburgh have played one wild game after another since 2013, including the Panthers' 54-45 victory last season. Three times in those six meetings, both teams have scored 45 or more points.
  • We'll know a lot more about the Blue Devils after this one. A victory, and they're looking like a real contender in the Coastal. A loss, and the main conclusion will be that Virginia Tech might challenge Georgia Tech for the division's basement.
  • Scott Satterfield is favored to get his first ACC win over Boston College. The Cardinals, who were among college football's worst defenses last season in giving up 44.1 points, have given up just 22.8 in four games this season.

Schedule

Saturday
Boston College (3-2, 1-1) at Louisville (2-2, 0-1), 12:30 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
Virginia Tech (2-2, 0-2) at Miami (2-2, 0-1), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Pittsburgh (3-2, 0-1) at Duke (3-1, 1-0), 8 p.m. (ACC Network)

What it means for Carolina

The loser of the Virginia Tech-Miami game will be a non-factor in the Coastal race. Given the Tar Heels have a win over Miami, either result is probably fine.

The primetime matchup in Durham should be a good one. Coming into the season, both teams were among the opponents that the Tar Heels felt best about beating. An 0-2 hole would be tough for Pittsburgh to overcome, while either team has to like its chances to compete with a victory here.

Around the nation

Freshman QB Bo Nix has the Auburn offense rolling as the 5-0 Tigers head to The Swamp.

Freshman QB Bo Nix has the Auburn offense rolling as the 5-0 Tigers head to The Swamp.

Friday
No. 18 UCF at Cincinnati, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday
Utah State at No. 5 LSU, 12 p.m. (SEC Network)
No. 14 Iowa at No. 19 Michigan, 12 p.m. (FOX)
No. 7 Auburn at No. 10 Florida, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
No. 25 Michigan State at No. 4 Ohio State, 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
California at No. 13 Oregon, 8 p.m. (FOX)

Saturday Nightcap
Ride the wave of your tailgate into these late-night matchups for guaranteed points.

No. 16 Boise State at UNLV, 10:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
Slim pickings for this week's late-night pointsfest, but UNLV ranks 109th nationally in total defense and 119th in scoring defense. It probably won't be close and the Broncos will put up numbers.

Here's a guy

Jah-Maine Martin transferred to A&T after beginning his career at Coastal Carolina.

Jah-Maine Martin transferred to A&T after beginning his career at Coastal Carolina.

RB Jah-Maine Martin, N.C. A&T

Another season, another Aggie running back putting up big numbers.

A&T has been the nation's best HBCU football program in recent seasons, and largely, the Aggies have done it with a string of talented running backs. Tarik Cohen set the standard and Marquell Cartwright kept it rolling.

Now, it's Martin's turn and he's making the best of it with 70 carries for 543 yards — fifth in FCS — and eight touchdowns through four games, including 108 yards and four touchdowns in last week's win over Delaware State.

Martin also had a 299-yard performance in a win over Charleston Southern.