5 Keys To Beating Miami
If North Carolina is going to continue fighting for a Coastal Division championship, it must win the rest of its ACC games and hope Virginia Tech loses twice.
So, needless to say, the Tar Heels’ game Saturday at No. 16 Miami is a must win affair. Lose, and the team will reshape its goals, win and they enter a final stretch of five games, each of which they will be favored, perhaps even heavily favored.
To take care of business, there are many things the Heels must do well and have go their way, but we’ve singled out five things. Here they are:
Run The Ball Effectively – The Hurricanes are very good up front defensively, and because they are so sound and reliable, it allows them to disguise a lot of stuff in the back seven, including myriad of blitz packages. So, if the Heels can run the ball between the tackles first, and on the edge second, they will force the Canes to dial it back some, thus minimizing the degree of complex blitzes the offensive line and Mitch Trubisky must deal with. And that, of course, will benefit the passing game.
Limit Catastrophic Plays – The defense has been a bit better of late keeping down the huge gains by opponents, but the Hurricanes can strike for big plays with their skill guys, which can obviously demoralize a defense. Then, consider one that hasn’t been turning opponents over and spends an inordinate amount of time on the field, that wouldn’t be a recipe for success. That said, if Miami has to dink and dunk its way down the field, it increases the likelihood the Heels will finally get some turnovers, which would be vital in winning Saturday.
Turnovers – To feed off the previous key, Carolina has to start getting some turnovers. The Heels are No. 98 in the nation (among 128 FBS teams) in turnover margin even though they’ve only coughed it up 8 times on the season. That’s because the defense has forced just 5 turnovers, all of which have been fumbles. If the Heels can flip the field a couple of times and give its offense a disparate number of full possessions, they will have an advantage. It’s time to get some takeaways.
Mitch Must Be Masterful – Mitch Trubisky must return to his pre-Hurricane Matthew form where he passed for 400-plus yards in three consecutive games while completing more than 80 percent of his pass attempts. Last week was an aberration, right? We will see, and if it was, the Tar Heels will have a very good chance to win.
Why Not Weiler Again? – If things go well for the Tar Heels it’s conceivable this game may come down to the kickers, and Carolina has a fantastic weapon in Nick Weiler. Miami’s defense is stout, and the Heels may move the ball but stall before getting to the end zone, so it’s not a stretch to anticipate Weiler getting several opportunities, maybe even one very late that could decide the game.