UNC vs Georgia Tech: Keys to the Game

North Carolina will look for their seventh consecutive win on Saturday night in Kenan Stadium.

Brett Davis/USA Today Sports

A thrilling victory over Wake Forest last Saturday gave North Carolina a 9-1 record and clinched their trip to Charlotte for the ACC Championship Game.

Now, the Tar Heels will return to Chapel Hill for a two-game homestand to close out the regular season, beginning with a matchup against Georgia Tech.

Entering Saturday's contest, the Yellow Jackets will be without their top two quarterbacks in Jeff Sims and Zach Pyron, who are both out for the season.

Akron transfer Zach Gibson will be under center, appearing in his fifth game of the season. Gibson has completed 25-of-51 passes on the year for 224 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

For North Carolina, this game is a chance to flex their muscles and earn a convincing win after multiple close calls in recent weeks. They are currently a 21-point favorite and should be able to turn in an impressive performance and a multi-score victory.

With a top-15 College Football Playoff ranking hanging in the balance, you can expect the Tar Heels to keep their foot on the gas and hopefully cruise to a win.

Win the Line of Scrimmage

With the season-ending injuries to defensive linemen Ray Vohasek and Desmond Evans, North Carolina has struggled to get pressure on the quarterback and either record sacks or hurries.

Quarterback Zach Gibson has not seen much success during his fourth season in the collegiate ranks and forcing him to make quick decisions should further magnify that.

Georgia Tech ranks among the worst offensive lines in the ACC and is tied for last in the conference and 124th in all of college football, giving up 8.4 tackles-for-loss per game.

Whether it is in the run game or pressuring Gibson, winning the line of scrimmage will either force the Yellow Jacket offense to be hurried or put them in constant long passing downs.

Turnover Margin

Generally speaking, the North Carolina offense has been good about limiting turnovers and have only turned the ball over in five of their ten games. With just nine turnovers on the season, there is reason to be confident in their ability to take care of the football.

However, Georgia Tech ranks fifth in all of college football with 22 forced turnovers. Averaging over two takeaways per game, the Yellow Jackets can hang around and make it a close game if they continue this trend.

Being afraid to force turnovers and playing safe is a recipe for disaster for any football team. Playing smart football however, is the best bet for the Tar Heels.

Taking shots and looking to make the big play is part of the offense, but preventing forced throws and not doing too much when nothing is available will help them tremendously in preventing turnovers.

With an anemic offense as the season winds down, Georgia Tech will look to force turnovers to gain positive field position and prevent a high scoring game.

Limit Nate McCollum

A quarterback that has not seen success under center coupled with a need to put up points on the board makes receiver Nate McCollum a prime candidate to rely on.

The sophomore wideout has 54 receptions on the year, close to triple the second closest Yellow Jacket (20) and leads the team in receiving yards with 590.

Shutting down McCollum will certainly increase North Carolina's already high chances of winning the Coastal clash. Georgia Tech will likely be forced to throw playing from behind and eliminating the best receiver on the roster will put even more on the shoulders of a struggling quarterback in Gibson.