North Carolina’s Halloween night showdown with Miami (FL) is set for the kind of stage college football loves: Kenan Stadium, a 7:30 p.m. kickoff, and a national TV audience on ABC.
The Tar Heels will try to slow down the top-ranked Hurricanes on Saturday in Chapel Hill, with UNC coming in at 4-3 overall and 2-2 in ACC play. Miami arrives unbeaten at 7-0 and 5-0 in the league, and the Hurricanes have been rolling through opponents with very little resistance.
For UNC, this is a chance to measure itself against the best. The Tar Heels have already stacked up wins over TCU, then-ranked Pitt and rival Duke, along with a blowout over ETSU. They’ve also let a couple of games slip away late, which is why the record feels a little harsher than the performances at times.
Miami’s offense has been driven by Duke transfer Darian Mensah, who has thrown for 2,151 yards and 22 touchdowns, both top-10 marks among his peers. Malachi Toney has been just as dangerous, piling up 66 catches for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, the Hurricanes bring a defense that can make life miserable, with names like Marquise Lightfoot and JJ Dunnigan standing out.
UNC quarterback Billy Edwards has given the Tar Heels a steadier hand lately, avoiding turnovers in each of the past two weeks and building a strong connection with WR1 Jordan Shipp. North Carolina also showed some signs of life in the run game against Syracuse, even if the defense did the opposite.
If you’re looking for the broadcast details, here’s the full setup for UNC-Miami:
TV Channel: ABC
Time: 7:30 p.m.
ET
Radio: SiriusXM (Channels 85 for the Miami broadcast and 236 for the UNC broadcast)
The game can also be streamed live.
This will be the first time in seven seasons North Carolina faces a top-ranked team. The Tar Heels are 0-11 in their previous attempts, including a close call against Clemson in 2019 that came down to another 2-point conversion.
UNC has won five straight against Miami, but this version of the Hurricanes is a different challenge. The Tar Heels have enough offense to hang around early, but they’ll need a near-perfect night to keep pace for four quarters.
The prediction here leans Miami, 41, UNC 23, with the over/under listed at 53.5.
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