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    • Virginia Football vs. North Carolina Match Preview, Score Prediction
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    Virginia Football vs. North Carolina Match Preview, Score Prediction

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

    Find Virginia vs. North Carolina score updates and live analysis here: Virginia vs. North Carolina live score updates | NCAA football

    Virginia and North Carolina will renew the South’s oldest rivalry for the 129th time on Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers are looking to end a two-game losing streak, while the Tar Heels are hoping to get back in the win column for the first time in more than a month, having lost their last four games. Both teams are desperate for a win, but only one will leave Scott Stadium with a decisive ACC victory on Saturday.

    Read on for a full Virginia vs. North Carolina preview with everything you need to know, including game details and notes, an opponent scouting report, what to look for and a score prediction.

    WHO: Virginia Cavaliers (4-3, 2-2 ACC) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (3-4, 0-3 ACC)

    When: Saturday, October 26 at 12pm ET

    Where: Scott Stadium (61,500) in Charlottesville, Virginia

    How to watch: The CW Network

    How to listen: SiriusXM 138 or 194, SXM App 956 | Virginia Sports Radio Network

    All-time series: North Carolina leads 65-59-4

    Last meeting: Virginia defeated then-No. 10 North Carolina 31-27 on October 21, 2023 in Chapel Hill.

    Read Virginia’s injury report for the North Carolina game here: UVA Football Week 9 Injury Report: James Jackson, Antonio Clary, Ty Furnish

    Below is UVA’s Week 9 depth chart for the UNC game:

    Virginia Cavaliers football depth chart for Week 9 vs. North Carolina.

    Virginia Cavaliers football depth chart for Week 9 vs. North Carolina. / Virginia Athletic

    2023: 8-5, 4-4 ACC
    2024: 3-4, 0-3 ACC

    The post-Drake Maye era of North Carolina football began with a gutsy win at Minnesota, but starting quarterback Max Johnson suffered a season-ending injury, leaving the Heels with even more uncertainty at the most important position on the field brought with it. Things have stabilized somewhat on that front, and Jacolby Criswell is the new starter. Criswell has had a unique college football journey, as he began his career at UNC in 2020 before transferring to Arkansas, where he played eight games over the next three seasons before returning to Chapel Hill.

    Criswell played reasonably well, throwing for 1,367 yards and eight touchdowns with three interceptions, but the engine of UNC’s offense is All-American running back and possible first-round NFL draft pick Omarion Hampton. Hampton is the ACC’s leading rusher and the fourth-leading rusher in the country. He has 901 yards and seven touchdowns and has rushed for at least 100 yards in six of the seven games so far this season. Hampton had a decent but not great game against Virginia last season, rushing for 112 yards on 19 carries.

    Despite having to find a difficult quarterback position, UNC started the year 3-0 and should have started 4-0 if not for a terrible defensive performance against James Madison in which the Tar Heels yielded 611 yards of total offense and suffered mental illness. shocking 70-50 defeat on their home court. That game didn’t mark the start of a spiral for UNC’s defense, which held Duke to 20 points the following week but lost 21-20. But the Heels lacked consistency on defense as they suffered a 34-24 loss to a still-undefeated Pittsburgh team and a 41-34 loss to Georgia Tech, dropping them to 3-4 overall.

    North Carolina ranks near the bottom of the ACC in most defensive categories (14th scoring defense, 15th total defense, 12th pass defense, 15th rushing defense) despite having a number of quality defensive playmakers, including linebacker power Echols , who leads the Heels with 48 total tackles, defensive lineman Jahvaree Ritzie, who leads the team with five sacks, and linebacker Amare Campbell, who leads UNC with 6.0 tackles for loss.

    Omarion Hampton vs. UVA run defense
    After giving up less than 100 rushing yards against Coastal Carolina and Boston College, the Virginia defense has regressed since then, allowing 177 yards on the ground to Louisville and a season-high 194 yards to Clemson last weekend. It’s more important than ever that the Cavaliers get their run defense back on track as they face the ACC’s leading rusher, Omarion Hampton, who has the ability to end the game with a few big runs and, perhaps more importantly is to take advantage of the potential he offers to give his team a decisive advantage in time of possession when the Heels can run the ball at will.

    Time of Possession, Third Down Conversions
    Speaking of time of possession, neither team has been particularly consistent at winning the battle of possession, and both teams are mediocre at converting third downs and getting off the field on defense. Virginia ranks 13th in the ACC in third-down conversions (35.8%) and North Carolina ranks 12th (37.9%), while UVA ranks 12th in opposing third-down conversions ( 38.0%) and UNC placed 8th (33.7%). In a game that could be dominated by offenses, the team that makes the crucial third down stop and leaves the field will likely win the game.

    Dynamic but cautious Anthony Colandrea
    In a game that could very well turn into a shootout, the Cavaliers may need the gunslinger version of Anthony Colandrea to come out in this game, but they also need him to continue protecting the ball. He hasn’t thrown any interceptions in the last four games and that streak has to continue, but Virginia also needs to take a few risks to capitalize on big plays, plays that the Cavaliers didn’t make in the Clemson game until it was too late. Colandrea has shown that he can be smart with the football, but now he has to show that he can be dynamic and careful at the same time.

    With their last win coming on September 14th and their last ACC win coming in November 2023, the Tar Heels were desperate for a win. But the Cavaliers also have to play with a certain amount of desperation. Their last four games (at No. 19 Pitt, at No. 12 Notre Dame, against No. 22 SMU, at Virginia Tech) are brutal and are their best bets to get the two more wins needed to reach the bowl For everyone eligible, this Saturday’s contest will be considered a must-win game. It might take a shootout, but Virginia ekes out a decisive victory, handing North Carolina its fifth straight loss.

    Score Prediction: North Carolina 31, Virginia 37

    UVA Football: Players to watch for Virginia vs. North Carolina

    Virginia Football Bowl predictions for Week 9

    UVA Football Week 9 Injury Report: James Jackson, Antonio Clary, Ty Furnish

    Virginia Football Depth Chart vs. North Carolina | Insights, analysis

    Virginia Football: ACC Football Week 9 Power Rankings

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    Madoc Meredith
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