UNC looks to get back on track vs. UVA
by Sharon Thorsland
It’s been a rough stretch for North Carolina. The Tar Heels have dropped four straight games to fall to 3-4 on the season. But they had a bye last week to lick their wounds and get ready for another edition of the South’s oldest rivalry – UNC versus Virginia. The Cavaliers are having their own issues right now, they’re coming off back to back losses to Louisville and Clemson that dropped them to 4-3 on the season, 2-2 in the ACC. Kick-off is set for noon in Charlottesville.
Virginia has an excellent quarterback in Anthony Colandrea. The sophomore has passed for 1,649 yards and 11 touchdowns with four interceptions, none in the past four games, and he’s picked up another 235 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. The Cavaliers lost star receiver Malik Washington to the NFL, but Malachi Fields has stepped up. He leads the team with 40 catches for 606 yards and has four touchdowns. Tight end Tyler Neville has 22 grabs, two of them touchdowns, and junior receiver Trell Harris is a play maker, he’s averaging over 15 yards a catch with two touchdowns.
The Wahoos are averaging nearly 160 rushing yards per game, and they have a 1-2 punch at running back in Clemson transfer Kobe Pace and sophomore Xavier Brown. They each have rushed for 366 yards on the season, and Pace has two touchdowns. Brown has big play ability and is averaging 7.2 yards per carry, he’s also got a 46-yard touchdown reception. The pair, plus Colandrea, will put plenty of pressure on UNC’s porous defense, which has allowed over 259 rushing yards a contest over their last four games.
After ranking dead last in the ACC in scoring defense and rush defense last season, Virginia has made some strides but the Cavaliers are still giving up nearly 384 total yards per game, that’s 91st in the nation. They’re having trouble getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks with zero sacks last week and just 12 on the season, and they’re one of the worst team in the country in passing defense, allowing over 272 yards per game through the air. But they’ve got some studs at safety in Jonas Sanker and Antonio Clary, they rank 1-2 in tackles, and Sanker has a fumble returned for a touchdown. Middle linebacker Kam Robinson is all over the field, with a team-high three sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery. The Cavaliers are best against the run, they allow just 133 rushing yards per game, that’s 54th in the country. Look for the Tar Heels to give them a steady dose of Omarion Hampton, who picks up nearly 129 yards per game on the ground, that’s fifth in the nation.
Both of these teams are struggling right now and have issues on both sides of the ball. UNC has more talent on paper, but Virginia has won five of the last seven games in this series, including last season’s four point win in Chapel Hill. But anything can happen in this rivalry, which first started way back in 1892. I say Hampton runs wild over the Cavaliers and UNC gets back in the win column. Go Tar Heels!