UNC football vs. Georgia Tech: Scouting report, score prediction
Now that North Carolina has secured a division title and berth in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, coach Mack Brown is challenging his team to stay focused and continue improving.
“You can either become a great team or you can stand around the next couple of weeks and stay a good team. It's totally up to you and your mindset,” Brown said Monday about his message to the No. 11 Tar Heels (9-1, 6-0), who face Georgia Tech (4-6, 3-4) on in Kenan Stadium on Saturday (5:30 p.m., ACC Network).
UNC clinched the ACC's Coastal Division championship last Saturday with a 36-34 win at Wake Forest, and a spot opposite Atlantic Division winner Clemson in the league title game Dec. 3 in Charlotte. But between now and the clash with Clemson the Tar Heels must close out the regular season with home games against Tech and arch-rival N.C. State (Nov. 25).
Winning those games would put this UNC team in rarified air. They'd become just the fifth squad in school history to win 11 games in a season.
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“Probably the best thing about this team is they’re not near satisfied with how they’re playing,” Brown said.Here's what to know about this year's Georgia Tech-UNC matchup and a score prediction.
QBS DOWN
Georgia Tech's starting quarterback since 2020, Jeff Sims, sat out the last three games due to a foot injury suffered against Virginia on Oct. 20. There was optimism in the Yellow Jacket camp Sims would be recovered enough to return this week against the Tar Heels. But Monday, Tech coach Brent Key announced Sims won't play again this season due to the injury.
"Jeff won't be with the football team, really kind of indefinitely now,'' Key said. "We had meetings with Jeff and meetings with the doctors and the medical professionals and came to the determination that it would be best for Jeff to not be in meetings or not be in practice, but to be in treatment and in rehab right now moving forward.''
Sims' absence could be a blessing for UNC. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing 10 times for 128 yards in two more scores in a 45-22 win last season over the Tar Heels.
Tech will also be missing Sims' backup, Zach Pyron, suffered a broken clavicle in last week's loss against Miami. The Yellow Jackets are expected to turn to Akron transfer Zach Gibson with Clemson transfer Taisun Phommachanh and walk-on Brody Rhodes as the backups. Gibson threw for 2,471 yards and 15 touchdowns in 17 games with the Zips over three seasons.
MILESTONE FOR MACK
Hall of Fame coach Mack Brown could reach another career milestone Saturday when North Carolina plays Georgia Tech.
A victory for UNC would be Brown's 100th as the Tar Heels' head coach. Brown collected 69 of those wins during his first tenure as UNC head coach from 1988 to 1997. Since his return in 2019, the Heels are 30-18 overall, including 9-1 this season.
Brown has 274 career victories overall, which is second among active coaches to Alabama's Nick Saban (277). Those include 158 wins at Texas, 11 at Tulane and six at Appalachian State in addition to the 99 at UNC.
RARE OFFENSIVE AIR
North Carolina's redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Maye is averaging 341.2 yards passing through 10 games to stand second nationally in that category behind Washington's Michael Penix Jr. (364.0).
In addition, Maye leads UNC in rushing with 584 yards (58.4 average). According to UNC's pregame notes, the last two quarterbacks to average more than 300 yards passing and led their team in rushing were Patrick Mahomes (2016) and Johnny Manziel (2013). Manziel was the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner, while Mahomes is regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
DOUBLE TD TROUBLE
Maye's partners-in-crime this season have been the receiver tandem of senior Antoine Green and junior Josh Downs.
The duo has accounted for 104 catches for 1,525 yards and 17 touchdowns through the first 10 UNC games this season, although Green missed the first three with an injury and Downs sat out two.
The 17 touchdown receptions represent the second-highest number for wide receiver teammates in the Power Five conferences. They are only behind Tennessee's Jalin Hyatt and Ramel Keyton (19) and Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka (19).
SCORE PREDICTION
North Carolina 51, Georgia Tech 16: There won't be any slacking off by the ACC Coastal champion Tar Heels, at least not this week. UNC should have an easy time with a Tech squad down to its third-team quarterback, while its QB, Drake Maye, pads his stats for Heisman consideration.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC football score prediction vs. Georgia Tech: Scouting report
