6:30 p.m., CW Network

North Carolina Tar Heels (6-0, 3-0 ACC)

Head Coach: Mack Brown

Conference: ACC

Last Game: 41-31 win over Miami

Fresh off of a bye week and their first win of the season, the Virginia Cavaliers storm into Chapel Hill on Saturday to start the second half of the season. The South’s Oldest Rivalry, as some of the pundits call it, will feature the Wahoos and the Tar Heels for the 128th time when they tangle at at Kenan Stadium tomorrow night.

The 2023 installment of this rivalry finds Carolina in top form, one of the few undefeated teams left in FBS football and ranked No. 10 in Associated Press Top 25. UVa, on the other hand, heads to Carolina with a 1-5 record and has yet to play a complete ballgame against a FBS opponent. However, Saturday provides an opportunity for this UVa football team to take another step forward in the second year of the Tony Elliott era.

Brown brings UNC into this matchup with not only a top-10 ranking but a Heisman candidate at quarterback. This is undoubtedly the best UNC team of Brown’s second stanza as head coach in Chapel Hill. The offense is balanced, the defense is much improved, and the Heels have talent across both sides of the ball, led by All-Everything signal caller Drake Maye. This offense is once again very dynamic and will be the best UVa will see this season.

Carolina is scoring 37 points per game and averaging 501 yards per contest, including 317 through the air. Standing at 6-foot-4, and weighing 230 pounds, Maye has thrown for 1,902 yards and 12 touchdowns at a 69 percent completion rate. OC Chip Lindsey runs an up-tempo spread attack that stretches defenses and forces the opposition to defend the entire width of the field. Not only does UNC have an NFL caliber quarterback, but Omarion Hampton is a premier running back. The 6-foot, 220-pound sophomore from Clayton (NC) has tallied 658 yards rushing and eight touchdowns in six games this season.

In the pass game, the Tar Heels feature six receivers who have at least 10 catches this season. Nate McCollum (5-foot-8, 185 pounds) leads the way with 31 catches this season. However, the offense has taken a step forward with the addition of Kent State transfer Tez Walker. The 6-foot-3, 200 pounder has scored three touchdowns in two games and hauled in 12 receptions. The already-potent UNC offense now has a physical force on the outside as he fits in nicely for Kobe Paysour, another Carolina receiver, who is out for the season with a lower-body injury. North Carolina also involves thei tight ends, as both Bryson Nesbit (6-foot-5, 235 pounds) and John Copenhaver (6-foot-3, 240) have scored multiple touchdowns this season.

Defense has been Carolina’s bugaboo for years, but this year’s unit has righted the ship in that department. DC Gene Chizik took over a group last season that simply was not a good unit. This year, however, UNC has improved in all metrics. As a team, the Heels rank 54th in total defense in FBS, a vast improvement from last year’s bottom-tier performance. They return a lot of veteran talent, specifically in the linebacker room with leading tacklers Cedric Gray (6-foot-3, 235 pounds) and Power Echols (6-foot, 225). These All-ACC performers from last season are very stout players. Along the defensive line, Kaimon Rucker (6-foot-2, 265 pounds) plays the “Jack” position and leads the Heels with 6.5 sacks and 10 TFLs. UNC will bring a lot of pressures, stunts, and twists with the defensive line. Also, look for some 3-, 4-, or even 5-man fronts with this very talented group. In the secondary, Carolina will play a lot of man coverage which has led to nine interceptions as a team. Junior DB Alijah Huzzie (5-foot-10, 200 pounds) leads the team with three interceptions this season.

1. Virginia needs to sustain drives and run the ball successfully.

OC Des Kitchens needs to shorten the game and allow for this team to have a chance. It will be tough sledding for sure, but the UVa offense needs to be clean and efficient to give the Wahoos an opportunity to put points on the board. The UNC defense is opportunistic and will pin their ears back if given the opportunity. Kobe Pace and Perris Jones also need to have an impact on this game for the Cavaliers to stay in the hunt.

2. Find a way to battle through the injuries on D.

DC John Rudzinski has been dealt a bad hand this year with injuries in key spots at all three levels of his unit. While the schedule does UVa no favors, several young players are getting on-the-job training and flourishing in the moment. First-year linebacker Kam Robinson is one of the ACC’s best freshmen and is a star in the making. UVa’s best bet is to continue its youth movement, specifically on the defensive end. There is young talent that needs to play and get game reps against quality competition.

3. Prove they’re able to sustain momentum.

Elliott said this week that his football team still has bowl aspirations. At 1-5, those aspirations may seem more like pipe dreams, but mathematically, the Wahoos are still in the running for postseason play. This program needs to prove it – show the fanbase that they are serious about competing for a bowl berth but more realistically, getting better. I think all would agree that UVa needs to play a better brand of football in all phases. Win or lose, especially against a Top-10 program, the Cavaliers need to stack solid performances.

North Carolina is unbeaten and one of the best team’s in the country, so it’s no surprise that the Hells will be the best program that the Cavaliers have faced in the 2023 season. They have a legit Heisman candidate, an explosive, yet balanced offense, and a very stout defense. They are better than UVa in all phases of the game.

However, when UNC and Virginia play, the games are never as cut and dry as it seems. We expect UNC to move the ball and score, but we think the Wahoos will be able to put some points on the board as well. The offense has made strides throughout the last few weeks and coming off a bye week, UVa may be able to string together some success offensively.

Nonetheless, Carolina is a juggernaut and is likely to win this game comfortably and give Virginia another defeat in the South’s Oldest Rivalry.