Everything You Need To Know: North Carolina

By: Kris Wright |
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Taquan Mizzell will try to help UVa end its losing streak on the road. ~ Ashley Thornton/aft photography

Virginia and North Carolina renew one of the country’s longest-running rivalries Saturday in Chapel Hill. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and the game is televised on regional networks.

The two teams have faced each other 119 times previously, but rarely has a player flipped sides in the rivalry. That’s why T.J. Thorpe has been a significant storyline in the week before the game. Thorpe graduated from North Carolina after the fall semester in 2014 and ended up transferring to UVa as a graduate student in time for spring practice.

So far this season, Thorpe has 8 receptions for 176 yards and 1 touchdown. That scoring catch came against Boise State on what was his first career reception, a 75-yard sideline dancing sprint that ended up as one of the few highlights in that game. At UNC, he recorded 42 career receptions for 574 yards and 5 touchdowns . That included the game-winning catch from 16 yards against UVa last season.

Despite the unique situation, Thorpe himself downplayed any revenge factor and both coaches think player familiarity is the only piece of the puzzle that might translate to the field.

“I think all of our guys know him,” Carolina coach Larry Fedora said. “They’ve played against him daily in practice, our defense. They understand what his skill set is. He’s a quality, quality receiver. He’s a good player. He can beat you deep, beat you underneath, he can be physical. Our guys know him. So hopefully that helps.”

“T.J. has done an excellent job for us in being a teammate here and a leader for this program, and obviously he still has a lot of friends on Carolina’s team,” Virginia coach Mike London said. “They’ve talked, they know each other, and the only insight perhaps is he knows the defensive guys from the standpoint of athleticism. He doesn’t know Coach [Gene] Chizik and what they’re doing defensively.”

Essentials

Game Nuggets

  • This is the 120th meeting between UVa and UNC in the South’s Oldest Rivalry. The Hoos have faced the Tar Heels more than any other opponent. Carolina leads the all-time series 61-54-4.
  • This is tied for the second most played rivalry in college football with Kansas-Missouri and Miami of Ohio-Cincinnati. Only Minnesota-Wisconsin has been played more often with 124 games between that duo.
  • Virginia has won just 12 times with 3 ties in Chapel Hill.
  • North Carolina is the only unranked Power 5 conference team in the country with just one loss.
  • UVa receiver T.J. Thorpe is a 2014 graduate of North Carolina. He transferred to Virginia as a graduate student in the spring.

Spotlight On Elijah Hood

Earlier this week, TheSabre.com profiled North Carolina’s explosive offense behind quarterback Marquise Williams and he again will be a test for Jon Tenuta’s defense. So will running back Elijah Hood, though.

The UNC sophomore has emerged as a stout option for a high-scoring offense that averages 40.5 points per game. Hood has 79 carries for 545 yards and 6 touchdowns on the year. Impressively, he’s lost only 6 yards on carries all season long so he’s getting to or beyond the line of scrimmage on nearly every carry and he averages 6.9 yards per carry. Hood has 7 catches for 49 yards too.

The last opponent to have such a dynamic duo of runners at quarterback and running back was Notre Dame and the Hoos had major issues in that game. Running back C.J. Prosise rolled up 155 yards and 1 touchdown on 17 carries. Before getting injured quarterback, Malik Zaire posted 10 carries for 87 yards.

“Yes, Elijah is an excellent running back,” London said. “He’s got close to 80 carries, and I’ll tell you what, it’s about seven yards a carry, per carry, so that’s an outstanding statistic. And when you look at him, he also catches the football. But it leads to the dynamic of having a very accomplished runner, a running back in there, and then a quarterback that’s also accomplished in running the ball, as well. It causes issues for defenses to make sure that you have all your gaps and assignments taken care of because as I said, he’s demonstrated that he can be a game breaker, a guy that can get big yards, and he’s an explosive runner. He is a very good football player.”

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Daniel Hamm could see more action this week against a UNC defense that ranks 114th nationally against the run. ~ Ashley Thornton/aft photography

Matchups To Watch

North Carolina right guard Landon Turner and the offensive line vs. Virginia defensive tackle David Dean and the defensive line. One reason the Tar Heels are so explosive on offense is the play of an experienced offensive line (tired of hearing that about opponents almost every week?) that features four players with at least 19 starts. The leader of the group is right guard Landon Turner, who has started 34 times. Turner earned preseason All-America recognition from numerous outlets and returns to UNC after a third-team All-ACC seasons in 2014. David Dean, meanwhile, is coming off a career-high 9 tackles against Syracuse. The unit as a whole can hold its own with Dean, Wilkins, Mike Moore, and Kwontie Moore in together. Still, Carolina’s offense has been more consistent than Virginia’s defense in 2015 and one reason is the play in the trenches.

Virginia running backs Daniel Hamm and Jordan Ellis vs. North Carolina linebacker Jeff Schoettmer. With Albert Reid questionable as the back-up for Taquan Mizzell, Hamm and Ellis might see expanded roles this weekend. North Carolina’s run defense has struggled by allowing 213.8 yards per game and that ranks 114th nationally. After seeing really tough fronts against UCLA, Boise State, and the like, this is the first week where UVa really could try to build the running game. Hamm and Ellis will see Schoettmer at the second level but if they can win that battle at times, it could mean big chunk plays for the Hoos.

North Carolina receiver Mack Hollins vs. Virginia cornerback Maurice Canady. You can’t have weekly matchups without talking about an opposing receiver against the UVa secondary. UVa’s defense has allowed 10 scoring plays of 24 yards or more this season and 8 of those have come through the air. Receivers have caused the most problems as they beat one-on-one coverage to the outside often enough to rip off big plays. Enter North Carolina, which has an offense that thrives on those types of big plays. The Hoos know that first hand when it comes to Mack Hollins, who hauled in touchdown passes from 57 and 63 yards last season. He leads the Heels in touchdown catches this season with 5 and he’ll be dangerous again in this one. He’s not alone, though. Ryan Switzer, Quinshad Davis, and Bug Howard are proven playmakers too so chances are that at least one receiver is in line for a big day.

Virginia receiver Keeon Johnson vs. North Carolina cornerbacks Des Lawrence and Brian Walker. As noted above, North Carolina’s run defense isn’t strong. The pass defense, on the other hand, is rock solid. The Tar Heels are ranked No. 3 nationally by allowing 135.5 yards per game. Opponents have completed just 51.4% of their passes against the D. You can bet UNC saw the Boise State film where bracketing T.J. Thorpe and Canaan Severin caused all kinds of issues for the UVa offense so if the Hoos are going to move it through the air, they’ll likely need to rely a little more heavily on someone like Johnson. He’s a sure-handed and big target and could have the more favorable matchups in man or less attention in zone. With only 7 catches on the year, a surprise with Johnson featured heavily in the game plan could be what catches a strong passing defense off guard.

Kris’ Keys

1. Limit big plays. North Carolina’s high octane offense scores a lot of points and it relies heavily on explosive plays to get that done. On the season, the Tar Heels have posted 40 plays of 20 yards or more – that’s 10.5% of their total plays on the year! Last season, UNC scored 3 touchdowns on plays of 50 yards or more to beat UVa. Make Carolina put long drives together if you want a shot at an upset.

2. Sustain drives. In last week’s win against Syracuse, Virginia’s offense dominated the second half and wore down the Orange defense. That came on the strength of two lengthy drives of 19 and 15 plays, respectively. That 19-play touchdown drive is the second longest scoring drive by plays in program history. One way to slow down North Carolina’s offense, of course, is to play keep away by grinding out long drives this week.

3. Don’t get beat on special teams. Since 2012, North Carolina leads the ACC with 19 non-offensive touchdowns and 11 of those have come on special teams. Ryan Switzer is a dangerous man on punt returns as he has 6 touchdowns with that unit, including one this season. He averages 16.8 yards per return. T.J. Logan has 2 kickoff returns for touchdown in his career as well. Oh yeah, UNC coach Larry Fedora regularly has victimized UVa special teams with fakes and onside kicks too. So, you know, be alert.

The Pick

Virginia can win if … it avoids slow starts each half. UVa has scored just 37 points in the first and third quarters combined this season with 20 in the opening quarter and 17 right after intermission. North Carolina is going to score some points so UVa can’t afford to have sluggish quarters if it wants to pull off an upset. The bad news: UNC has allowed just 42 points in those two quarters this season, while piling up 101 points of its own.

Virginia can lose if … its field position woes continue. The Cavaliers have had an average starting field position of their own 22-yard line, while opponents have started on average at their own 33 – that’s a minus-11 deficit for the Hoos. UVa has started inside its own 20 on 24 drives this season too. One last fact: Virginia has gone 3-and-out on 35% of its drives (27 of 77). All of these field position type things could spell disaster against a quick-strike Carolina team that is also dangerous in the punt return game.

And the winner is … North Carolina. Virginia hasn’t won on the road since 2012, a string of 12 straight games. With a defense challenged by big plays and an offense that can’t consistently score points, that’s not changing this week against UNC, which will take advantage of both of those things. Plus, Mike London has yet to beat Carolina. Heels 42, Hoos 17. 2015 record to date: 5-1.