The No. 16 Miami Hurricanes will host the North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN (live streaming via WatchESPN). Miami suffered a season-opening loss to LSU, but then hung 77 points on Savelle and beat their next two unranked opponents. North Carolina is also unranked, and Miami won’t run into another one until Duke a few weeks down the line.
North Carolina vs. Miami 2018 live stream: Time, TV channel, and pick/prediction
Miami is on a winning streak and most believe they’ll down the Tar Heels on Thursday.
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
North Carolina is 1-2 on the season, losing to Cal and ECU to start their season before beating Pitt, 38-35, the last time out. They also had their game against UCF cancelled.
Miami coach Mark Richt isn’t sure who will be starting at quarterback for the Hurricanes, and the position may be a question mark for North Carolina as well.
Below is all you need to watch the game on Thursday.
Time, TV, and streaming info
North Carolina vs. Miami news
- All signs point to N’Kosi Perry starting at quarterback for Miami, but nothing is set in stone quite yet.
- The question remains, though: was his appearance in Miami’s last game just a test?
If this is indeed the next chapter, then the ceiling is extremely high. Perry electrified the offense, a feeling that would only happen surrounding the defense. Perry is also still growing as a player - whereas Malik has plateaued. We witnessed Richt’s realization of this, as previously it was thought that Richt would stick with Malik, regardless of the outcome.
- For the Hurricanes, it will be the Miami Nights jerseys on Thursday.
- The folks at Tar Heel Blog think their team has to run the ball early and often to stand a chance at Miami:
A win will require outstanding execution and perhaps even better discipline. There will need to be key first downs through the air. Most importantly, however, there will have to be a significant time of possession advantage and a win in the turnover battle.
I will be carefully monitoring the number of pure running plays. Anything over 40 means that the Tar Heels are asserting their will, moving the ball, and controlling the clock. Anything less, and the hopes of victory are not high.
- Over at State of the U, they dive into the film for a preview of Thursday’s game, and it’s well worth a read.
North Carolina vs. Miami prediction
In the latest college football S&P+ rankings, Miami has 17.2 points, while North Carolina is at -3.0 points. This would mean that Miami has a 20.2-point advantage on a neutral field. It’s not a neutral field, but a home game for the Hurricanes. This shouldn’t be too tough a game for them.
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