College football fans everywhere have Nov. 7 – the day that Miami takes on Notre Dame – circled on their calendars.
Mario Cristobal refuses to look ahead, even just a little bit, to this marquee matchup. His full focus is on North Carolina, who the Hurricanes (7-0, 5-0 ACC) will face on Saturday night.
The Tar Heels (4-3, 2-2 ACC) are led by legendary NFL head coach Bill Belichick. UNC struggled in its first season under Belichick, stumbling to a 4-8 record, but has improved in Year 2.
“At the line of scrimmage, they’re beating up everybody they play,” Cristobal said to reporters on Monday. “Anyone that doesn’t recognize that chooses to be blind.”
Here are the three Tar Heels that every Hurricanes fan should know ahead of Saturday’s night game.
WR Jordan Shipp
A do-it-all pass catcher with a well-built, 6-foot-2 frame, Shipp can hurt Miami’s defense in a variety of ways. He’s excellent at catching passes over the middle of the field, and he can make defenders miss by breaking tackles and racking up yards after the catch.
For the season, he has hauled in 41 receptions for 543 yards and two touchdowns.
Additionally, tight end Jelani Thurman, formerly of Ohio State, has emerged as one of the best players at his position in the ACC. He’s caught 33 passes for 391 yards and four touchdowns.
Both players will test a UM secondary that ranks 107th nationally in passing yards allowed per game.
S Greg Smith
6-foot-4 safety Greg Smith is one of the conference’s top defensive backs and a centerpiece of UNC’s defense.
Smith has totaled 41 tackles, four pass breakups and three interceptions. He is a difference-maker as both a tackler and in coverage. He also has a Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of 85.6, which is the highest for any Tar Heel.
Smith’s coverage grade is an extremely impressive 88.8. Expect him to be a part of UNC’s game-plan to slow down superstar Miami receiver Malachi Toney.
DL Xavier Lewis
UM offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson thinks that UNC’s defense, which ranks in the top third in the country in fewest points allowed per game, “starts up front.”
“Their explosive tape isn’t much. They keep the ball in front of them. And so they’re a very disciplined defense, which I mean, I think everybody can assume that by who coaches them, but their d-line is really, really, really elite.”
Defensive lineman Xavier Lewis spearheads this “elite” unit. He’s recorded 39 tackles and seven sacks this year, which ranks second in the ACC. Lewis has also posted a very respectable PFF grade of 75.4.
