Syracuse Orange v. UNC Tar Heels Prediction & Preview (10/7/23)
Syracuse (4-1, 0-1 ACC) faces another stiff challenge when it heads south to face off against North Carolina.
Opponent: North Carolina Tar Heels (4-0, 1-0)
Date & Time: Saturday, Oct. 7, 3:30 p.m.
Location: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC
TV: ESPN
PREDICTION (The Juice's Season Record: 5-0)
We have seen this scenario play out before.
Syracuse has an unbeaten streak to start the season (4-0 in 2023), then loses a tough game to Clemson and goes into a tailspin (five straight ACC defeats in '22). This week, that not so pleasant memory is somewhere on the minds of everyone surrounding the program, with a couple of tall obstacles on the schedule next up before an open week.
The league office (and ESPN) certainly did not do SU any favors scheduling Clemson, North Carolina and Florida State right off the bat this year, especially with two of those games on the road, where Dino Babers-coached teams sport an unbalanced 6-23 record away from the Dome in conference play over his eight seasons.
The aforementioned three teams topped the media preseason poll, and join the likes of Miami, Louisville, Duke, and SU thinking conference title game which now pits the top two teams in the final standings.
The 'Cuse has a chance to bounce back strong against a quality opponent, but has little chance if there's no reduction in penalties and turnovers. The Orange have committed 40 penalties over five games accounting for 394 yards, 9th worst among the 132 FBS schools. The eight penalties per game is also among the most by any team (117th), and for comparison sake North Carolina commits half as many penalties (4) per game.
What the Tar Heels also do well is score. Although the season stats for offensive yardage are similar to Syracuse (464-462 ypg), UNC has scored 30 or more points in each game (averaging 36 ppg aided by a two OT win over Appalachian State). Quarterback Drake Maye's numbers are not as flashy or on pace so far this year (5 TDs / 4 INTs) as last season (38 TDs / 7 INTs), but he will no doubt be flinging the ball all over Kenan Stadium to test the SU linebackers and secondary.
North Carolina was off last weekend. In his second stint as head coach at UNC since 2019, Mack Brown's record is 2-5 after open weeks, but the Heels blitzed Pitt 42-21 following a bye week last season, and beat the Panthers 42-24 on September 23 to stay unbeaten.
Syracuse will turn in a gutsy effort offensively led by Garrett Shrader, a respectable defensive performance, and even a special teams play or two with fewer self-inflicted errors. But Maye has the ball last and in a tie game not decided until the closing seconds, UNC’s Noah Burnette boots a 48-yard field goal to lift the Tar Heels over the Orange 37-34.
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