Virginia vs North Carolina NCAA Football Picks & Predictions 11/2/2019

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Kenan Memorial Stadium

Kenan Memorial Stadium is the venue where Sam Howell and the North Carolina Tar Heels will play the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday. The spread on this contest has North Carolina as 2.5-point favorites. The Cavaliers are 3-4-1 ATS and 4-4-0 when betting on the total. The Tar Heels are 4-4-0 when wagering on the over/under and 5-3-0 against the spread.

In their last game, the Virginia Cavaliers faced the Louisville Cardinals and took the defeat by a score of 28-21. Wayne Taulapapa paced the team in rushing for the game. He had a long run of 19 yards and he ran for 2 TD's in the game. He ran for a total of 54 yards via 11 carries which meant he was running for 4.9 yards per tote. Hasise Dubois led the team in receiving yardage with a tally of 93 yards on 7 catches. He earned an average of 13.3 yards per catch for the game. Running the show from under center for the Cavaliers was Bryce Perkins who went 24/41 with 233 yards through the air and tossed 1 touchdown. He walked away with 1 pick during the game. The Cavaliers rushed the ball a total of 26 times and added 78 yards which gave them an average of 3.0 yards per rushing attempt. In the game, they ran 68 plays which added up to 311 yards. For the game, the Cavaliers earned 18 1st downs and they totaled 8 penalties for 70 yards telling us that this team was extremely undisciplined. In terms of defense, Virginia conceded 8 catches on 14 attempts totaling 133 yards, and a completion percentage of 57.1%. On the ground, the Cavaliers conceded 227 yards on 45 carries which gave them an average of 5.0 yards per attempt allowed. For this contest, they gave up 360 yards but didn't add to their total of forced turnovers.

The Cavaliers head into this matchup 5-3 in 2019. For total yardage, they currently sit at 13th in the ACC and 103rd in Division 1 with 2,762 yards. They are in the middle of the pack in regard to scoring in the nation averaging 29.9 points per contest, ranking them 61st in Division 1. As a unit, they have an average of 105.5 yards on the ground per contest which is 14th in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Cavaliers have one of the best defenses in the nation, giving up 20.8 points per contest ranking them 3rd in the ACC. When it comes to yards through the air, the Cavaliers have allowed 1,918 yards. Teams are completing 56.3% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 6.4 yards per attempt. In regard to yards on the ground, Virginia is giving up 115 yards per game which has them at 4th in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 23rd in D-1. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 3.2 yards per carry ranking them 4th in the conference and 16th in the country overall. Overall, they have conceded 920 rushing yards through 8 games.

In their last outing, the North Carolina Tar Heels played the Duke Blue Devils and notched a win by a score of 20-17. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Tar Heels was Sam Howell who went 10/26 with 227 yards passing and added 2 touchdowns. He tossed 2 picks during the game. Javonte Williams led the team in rushing during the game. His longest run of the day went for 40 yards but he wasn't able to rush for a TD on the day. He rushed for 111 yards by way of 22 carries which means he ran for an average of 5.0 yards per carry. Dazz Newsome led the team in receiving yardage with a tally of 103 yards on 4 catches. He averaged 25.8 yards per catch during the game. The Tar Heels ended up rushing 45 times and racked up 205 yards which earned them an average of 4.6 yards per attempt. For the game, they finished with a total of 71 plays which gave them a total of 432 yards. Overall, the Tar Heels earned 22 1st downs and they totaled 4 penalties for 34 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. When it comes to their defensive performance, North Carolina allowed 22 completions on 43 throws totaling 229 yards, and a completion percentage of 51.2%. In the running game, the Tar Heels allowed 100 yards on 37 tries which gave them an average of 2.7 yards per run allowed. For this contest, they conceded a total of 329 yards and forced 3 turnovers.

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The Tar Heels head into this game 4-4. In terms of offensive proficiency, the Tar Heels have one of the average offenses in the nation. North Carolina has built a respectable ground game this year by averaging 166.3 rushing yards per game, ranking them 69th in Division 1. As a team, they have compiled a total of 1,330 rushing yards through 8 contests, so they'll look to the run game to try to keep the opponents off balance so they'll have open receivers. The Tar Heels average 434.3 yards per contest overall putting them 37th in Division 1 and 5th in the ACC. The Tar Heels are allowing 25.8 points per contest ranking them 6th in the conference and 53rd in college football. Their passing defense is one of the middling units in the country. They are allowing 216.4 passing yards per contest. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Tar Heels are ranked 7th in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In terms of points given up, they have allowed 206 points in total. In terms of yards on the ground, they are allowing 164.9 yards per contest ranking them 75th in the country and 10th in the conference. For 2019, they have conceded a total of 1,319 yards on the ground and 12.8 rushing touchdowns.

Who will win tonight's Cavaliers/Tar Heels college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Cavaliers +2.5

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