A recent nemesis visits Kenan Stadium on Saturday when Georgia Tech is in Chapel Hill looking to beat North Carolina for the fourth consecutive season while also handing the Tar Heels their fourth straight loss this season.

The Yellow Jackets have beaten UNC in embarrassing fashion the last three seasons, including rushing for 246 yards in the fourth quarter last season in Atlanta for a 46-42 victory.

Tech comes in with a 4-2 overall record, including 2-2 in the ACC, and last Saturday handed Duke its first loss of the campaign.

The Tar Heels are 3-3 overall and 0-2 in the ACC.

Here are 5 Keys for UNC to beat Georgia Tech:

When grinding over various numbers looking ahead to this matchup, one thing stood out more than any other number: The Yellow Jackets are 15th in the nation with 33 explosive plays on offense while the Tar Heels are 129th in the nation having allowed 33 explosive plays.

It’s a huge part of what Tech does well and a huge part of what UNC does not do well. Unless the Heels can forced Tech into playing well out of character, this well could be the game’s deciding factor, like it has been in each of UNC’s losses thus far.

With all due respect to Pitt redshirt freshman QB Eli Holstein, Georgia Tech’s Haynes King is the best quarterback the Tar Heels have faced and will face this season, and that includes Thomas Castellanos of Boston College.

First, King can run. He is averaging 4.8 yards on 51 attempts and has scored four rushing TDs. His athletic ability has prevented enough sacks that Tech is second nationally in allowing the fewest sacks on the season. He is a huge part of the Jackets’ ground attack.

In addition, King is highly effective through the air. So far, he’s 125-for-169 (74%) with 1,441 yards, 8 TDs, 1 INT, and an NFL rating of 111.7.

Obviously, knowing his every move is a mandate for the Tar Heels’ defense, and how effective they are in limiting him will be crucial in the game’s outcome.

Mack Brown’s reliance on analytics are understandable, as is knowing his defense was going to surrender points to Pitt so going for it on fourth downs instead of kicking field goals also made some sense. But scoring is also big, and an offense still looking for its identity and in need of confidence must get points when it can.

The Yellow Jackets have the potential to move the ball and score on UNC’s defense just as Pitt’s did, but if the Heels put together lengthy drives or get near the end zone, they need to cash in. Preferably for them, that means crossing the goal line, and if going for it on fourth down, it means punching it over and moving the chains.

But whatever approach the staff deems necessary, the Heels must cash in and score points when they can. Ending possessions inside the opponents’ 10-yard-line without getting points is damaging.

Jacolby Criswell has outstanding arm strength, but he hasn’t proven very accurate on deep balls. He’s 9-for-27 on passes thrown 20 or more yards downfield, and would have much better numbers had he not overthrown most open receivers.

He knows this. Offensive coordinator and QB Coach Chip Lindsey knows this, and they are both keenly aware of what Criswell taking just a little off some of those throws and fitting them into receivers’ arms can change the Tar Heels’ offense.

To win a game in which the Heels may give up an abundance of explosive plays, getting a few from Criswell’s arm will be a key to success for UNC.

We love to talk about human nature here at THI, and when a team has lost three consecutive games and allowed plenty of bad things to happen in doing so, the challenge to stay positive and not allow negativity to pile up becomes increasingly challenging.

The mental game for the Tar Heels, not just at kickoff or even halftime, but when things go south, will play a role in the outcome. It seems trite to some, but this is absolutely an important factor for this team.