University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Matchup Preview: Pitt vs. North Carolina
11/8/2017 5:00:00 PM | Football
The Pitt football team has a chance to win a third straight ACC Coastal contest when the Panthers welcome North Carolina to Heinz Field for ESPN's Thursday Night game.
Here is a matchup preview of tomorrow night's 7:30 p.m. kickoff:
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina is the only team in the ACC Coastal Division that Pitt has yet to beat over the past four seasons, but the Panthers and Tar Heels have mostly played close contests in their series history.
UNC leads the all-time series 8-3 with a 4-0 mark in ACC play, but six straight Pitt-UNC games have been decided by single digits, including last year's 37-36 heartbreaker in Chapel Hill.
This season's North Carolina team enters Thursday night with a 1-8 overall record and a winless 0-6 mark in ACC play as the Tar Heels have struggled to cope with a combination of injuries and youth.
However, like the Panthers, UNC is coming off a bye week in which they had time to heal up after pushing undefeated Miami to the wire in a 24-19 decision on Oct. 28.
BREAKING DOWN THE MATCHUP
The Coaches
Thursday's sideline matchup features Pitt's Pat Narduzzi against North Carolina's Larry Fedora. In his third season at Pitt, Narduzzi enters the contest with a 20-15 record, highlighted by a 13-8 record in ACC play. Meanwhile, Fedora is 41-33 in nearly six full seasons at North Carolina; he also spent four successful seasons at Southern Mississippi and owns a 75-52 overall record.
When Pitt Has the Ball
Junior rusher Darrin Hall and the Pitt offensive line have sparked the team's two-game winning streak. Hall will seek his third consecutive 100-yard rushing performance after tallying 254 rushing yards at Duke on Oct. 21 and another 111 yards on the ground against Virginia on Oct. 28.
The Pitt passing game will again be quarterbacked by Ben DiNucci, who has protected the ball and made good decisions in leading the Panthers' attack since Max Browne suffered a season-ending injury. In the absence of senior tight end Matt Flanagan, sophomore Chris Clark could play a big role in the Pitt passing attack.
North Carolina's defense is led by veteran linebackers Cole Holcomb and Cayson Collins, who pace the Tar Heels with 83 and 74 total tackles, respectively. M.J. Stewart is one of the better cornerbacks in the ACC, while defensive end Malik Carney leads UNC with 9.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks this season.
When North Carolina Has the Ball
The big unknown heading into Thursday's primetime nationally televised tilt is who will start at quarterback for the Tar Heels. Chazz Surratt has started seven games with Brandon Harris opening the other two at QB for UNC, but Nathan Elliott received the majority of reps in the Miami game.
Regardless of who calls the signals for the visitors, Pitt will need to be cognizant of North Carolina's two explosive tailbacks, Jordan Brown and Michael Carter, along with talented wide receiver Anthony Ratliff-Williams.
For the Pitt defense, senior cornerback Avonte Maddox could return, which would give a further boost to a Panthers' secondary that has continued to improve this season. Dane Jackson, Phillipie Motley, Damar Hamlin and Jordan Whitehead starred in shutting down Virginia's prolific passing attack at Heinz Field in Pitt's last game.
Special Teams
Pitt's special teams continue to feature returning All-America return man Quadree Henderson, whose seven career kick return TDs sit just two shy of the NCAA record. Henderson owns punt return TDs of 75 and 80 yards this season, giving him the Pitt school record with three career scores via punt return.
In the kicking game, the Panthers feature senior All-ACC candidate Ryan Winslow, who continues to average 44.0 yards per punt during a fantastic final campaign, while redshirt freshman placekicker Alex Kessman owns a perfect mark on extra points (25-for-25) and has booted nine total field goals with two from 50 yards or more.
North Carolina uses star players M.J. Stewart on punt returns and Anthony Ratliff-Williams on kick returns to maximize what the Tar Heels are capable of on special teams. Sophomore punter Tom Sheldon is one of Winslow's rivals for All-ACC honors at the position, while placekicker Freeman Jones has been consistent inside of 40 yards.
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Here is a matchup preview of tomorrow night's 7:30 p.m. kickoff:
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina is the only team in the ACC Coastal Division that Pitt has yet to beat over the past four seasons, but the Panthers and Tar Heels have mostly played close contests in their series history.
UNC leads the all-time series 8-3 with a 4-0 mark in ACC play, but six straight Pitt-UNC games have been decided by single digits, including last year's 37-36 heartbreaker in Chapel Hill.
This season's North Carolina team enters Thursday night with a 1-8 overall record and a winless 0-6 mark in ACC play as the Tar Heels have struggled to cope with a combination of injuries and youth.
However, like the Panthers, UNC is coming off a bye week in which they had time to heal up after pushing undefeated Miami to the wire in a 24-19 decision on Oct. 28.
BREAKING DOWN THE MATCHUP
The Coaches
Thursday's sideline matchup features Pitt's Pat Narduzzi against North Carolina's Larry Fedora. In his third season at Pitt, Narduzzi enters the contest with a 20-15 record, highlighted by a 13-8 record in ACC play. Meanwhile, Fedora is 41-33 in nearly six full seasons at North Carolina; he also spent four successful seasons at Southern Mississippi and owns a 75-52 overall record.
When Pitt Has the Ball
Junior rusher Darrin Hall and the Pitt offensive line have sparked the team's two-game winning streak. Hall will seek his third consecutive 100-yard rushing performance after tallying 254 rushing yards at Duke on Oct. 21 and another 111 yards on the ground against Virginia on Oct. 28.
The Pitt passing game will again be quarterbacked by Ben DiNucci, who has protected the ball and made good decisions in leading the Panthers' attack since Max Browne suffered a season-ending injury. In the absence of senior tight end Matt Flanagan, sophomore Chris Clark could play a big role in the Pitt passing attack.
North Carolina's defense is led by veteran linebackers Cole Holcomb and Cayson Collins, who pace the Tar Heels with 83 and 74 total tackles, respectively. M.J. Stewart is one of the better cornerbacks in the ACC, while defensive end Malik Carney leads UNC with 9.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks this season.
When North Carolina Has the Ball
The big unknown heading into Thursday's primetime nationally televised tilt is who will start at quarterback for the Tar Heels. Chazz Surratt has started seven games with Brandon Harris opening the other two at QB for UNC, but Nathan Elliott received the majority of reps in the Miami game.
Regardless of who calls the signals for the visitors, Pitt will need to be cognizant of North Carolina's two explosive tailbacks, Jordan Brown and Michael Carter, along with talented wide receiver Anthony Ratliff-Williams.
For the Pitt defense, senior cornerback Avonte Maddox could return, which would give a further boost to a Panthers' secondary that has continued to improve this season. Dane Jackson, Phillipie Motley, Damar Hamlin and Jordan Whitehead starred in shutting down Virginia's prolific passing attack at Heinz Field in Pitt's last game.
Special Teams
Pitt's special teams continue to feature returning All-America return man Quadree Henderson, whose seven career kick return TDs sit just two shy of the NCAA record. Henderson owns punt return TDs of 75 and 80 yards this season, giving him the Pitt school record with three career scores via punt return.
In the kicking game, the Panthers feature senior All-ACC candidate Ryan Winslow, who continues to average 44.0 yards per punt during a fantastic final campaign, while redshirt freshman placekicker Alex Kessman owns a perfect mark on extra points (25-for-25) and has booted nine total field goals with two from 50 yards or more.
North Carolina uses star players M.J. Stewart on punt returns and Anthony Ratliff-Williams on kick returns to maximize what the Tar Heels are capable of on special teams. Sophomore punter Tom Sheldon is one of Winslow's rivals for All-ACC honors at the position, while placekicker Freeman Jones has been consistent inside of 40 yards.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
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