In a matchup this Saturday between the North Carolina football team and No. 16 Miami, a loss by either side would be a near-fatal blow to their hopes of a berth in the ACC title game. Whichever team loses will potentially be two games back in the Coastal Division with little time to recover. That gives Saturday’s game in Miami a playoff atmosphere.
How do they play?
Miami runs a balanced offense with a plethora of weapons. Junior quarterback Brad Kaaya gets a lot of notoriety as an NFL prospect, but Miami’s full stable of running backs should worry the Tar Heels more. Sophomore Mark Walton and junior Joseph Yearby split carries and each averages over six yards per carry.
When the Hurricanes do decide to pass, they often effectively use play action to set up chunk throws. Kaaya only has 82 completions, but those have gone for 1,149 yards, giving him a stellar 9.05 yards per attempt.
In coordinator Manny Diaz's first year, the Hurricanes have proved themselves no slouch on defense either. Miami ranks 10th in the nation in total defense and 11th against the pass. While their schedule has been soft, the Hurricanes held ACC opponents Florida State and Georgia Tech to 20 and 21 points, respectively.
Who stands out?
Walton has broken out in a big way his sophomore season. He already has 23 more yards than he had all of last season on 53 fewer carries. He’s also shown the ability to rip off the big run, with a gain of 80 yards as his longest carry.
With Walton in the backfield, a lot of pressure is taken off the shoulders of Kaaya. Defenses have to honor the run when playing Miami, and it opens the field up for the quarterback. Often, Kaaya finds wide receiver Stacy Coley, who leads the team with 22 receptions and six touchdowns.
