No. 12 North Carolina football vs No. 25 Miami, first look: betting odds, players to watch

Miami’s Hurricanes were a half-minute away Saturday from beating Georgia Tech and setting up an enticing game of ACC unbeatens. Take a knee in the “victory formation” and the game would end.

But the Hurricanes didn’t take a knee, and unbeaten North Carolina won’t be facing a 5-0 Miami team this week at Kenan Stadium.

Strange things happen in college football. Add the Miami ending to it.

With Georgia Tech out of timeouts, Miami’s Don Chaney took a handoff up the middle, fought for extra yards, had the ball stripped and fumbled. Tech recovered at its 26 with 26 seconds left, Haynes King soon gunned a 44-yard touchdown pass to Christian Leary with two seconds on the clock and that was that: Georgia Tech 23, Miami 20.

Miami coach Mario Cristobal took the blame, saying he should have said, “Just take a knee.”

Miami tried six laterals on the final kickoff – surely spooking some Duke fans who remember another crazy ending a few years back – but the Canes were stopped at midfield.

So what should the No. 12 Tar Heels (5-0, 2-0 ACC), who ripped Syracuse 40-7, expect this week from the No. 25 Canes? It was a crushing loss for Miami, no way around it, and Cristobal could be hard-pressed to get his guys’ mindset back on task for the road game.

Or not. Good teams recover and the Hurricanes (4-1, 0-1 ACC) were the better team than Georgia Tech in most categories. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke passed for 288 yards and receiver Xavier Restrepo had 12 catches for 144 yards.

But Van Dyke had three passes picked off. The Canes had the big fumble and five turnovers in all.

The Heels took care of their business quite easily against Syracuse. They kept the ball, they scored a lot of points, Drake Maye passed for 442 yards and accounted for four touchdowns and UNC got its job done.

“A big statement win,” Maye called it.

UNC player to watch: Tez Walker

All eyes were on Walker on Saturday as the wide receiver played his first game for the Heels. His story and fight for NCAA eligibility evolved into a national story, and his eagerness and energy was apparent when he was on the field.

“It does wonders for this football team,” Maye said. “It was a great feeling for the team.”

Walker had six catches for 43 yards, Maye targeting him eight times and overthrowing the wideout on what could have been a TD pass that had Kenan rumbling. The two might try again this week.

Key matchup: Pressuring Van Dyke

The Tar Heels can’t allow Miami’s Van Dyke to get comfortable in the pocket or in a passing groove this week. UNC had six quarterback hurries and a sack against Syracuse and did a good job containing Syracuse’s Garrett Shrader.

Van Dyke, like Shrader, is another big guy at 6-4 and 230 pounds. But Van Dyke’s a much better passer, shredding Texas A&M for 374 yards and five TDs in the Canes’ 48-33 win on Sept. 9.

Something Brown will mention again this week: Van Dyke passed for 496 yards and three TDs against the Heels last year in a 27-24 loss.

Betting odds

Some early lines from Vegas have the Tar Heels a 3.0-point favorite and set the over/under 57.5 points.

How to watch

The 7:30 p.m. game will be shown on ABC. Satellite options include DirecTV and Dish Network or stream it on such services as DIRECTV Stream, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, SlingTV and YouTube TV.

North Carolina (5-0, 2-0 ACC) vs Miami (4-1, 0-1)

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill.

TV: ABC.

Series history: UNC has a 15-11 edge in the series, which began in 1946. The Tar Heels have won the last four games, taking a 27-24 road win last year as Maye passed for 309 yards and two scores.