ACC Play Begins for the Hurricanes With a True Test
Heading into Saturday, it's time the Hurricanes put the Middle Tennessee loss in the rear-view mirror and turn over a new leaf.
Going up against one of the elite offenses in all of college football this season, Miami has a big test with the North Carolina Tar Heels heading down to Hard Rock Stadium this Saturday.
After some controversy sparked in the quarterback room after the temporary benching of Tyler Van Dyke, head coach Mario Cristobal has decided to stick with the veteran to lead this team Saturday evening. Van Dyke will be going head to head with one of the nation's top quarterbacks in Drake Maye, who finds himself atop quarterback statistical rankings.
All eyes will be on Van Dyke this game to regain that momentum that carried him into this season.
Taking a look at the Miami defense, reports confirm that star cornerback Tyrique Stevenson will be active on Saturday as well as Daryl Porter Jr. Given the heavy passing volume of the UNC offense, the defensive back room for Miami will be active throughout the entire game. After giving up too many big plays to Middle Tennessee, Miami will need to keep them to a minimum against UNC.
Miami's offense will likely be pressured to throw the ball more than usual against UNC in order to compete, but that doesn't mean the run game won't play a factor. It will be vital Miami keeps the ball out of Maye and the Carolina offense's hands.
Henry Parrish, Jr. and Jaylan Knighton are both in line to play on Saturday, as they should look to take advantage of a UNC defense that ranks 113th in the country allowing 33.6 PPG and allowing 193 rushing yards per game.
The passing game still needs to find rhythm and consistency, with Elijah Arroyo joining the list of injured pass catchers with Jacolby George and Xavier Restrepo. Senior tight end Will Mallory will look to improve off a lackluster previous game. Expect freshman Jaleel Skinner to see action if Arroyo is sidelined.
When it comes down to it, Miami needs this win more than ever in order to put itself on track toward winning the ACC Coastal. This Tar Heels offense will push the Miami defense to their limits, but capitalizing on the poor defense of UNC can help propel the Canes to a victory.
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You can find Liam on Twitter @theleftyliam where he shares news on University of Miami basketball and football as well as opinions