North Carolina visits Pittsburgh on 11/11/2021 at 7:30:00.
North Carolina and Pittsburgh face off in a regular season matchup. Games are on campuses and crowds are full once again! North Carolina sports a record of 5-4 this season. Pittsburgh is 7-2 this season. Enough preamble… Let’s get to the preview…
North Carolina Team Defense Preview
North Carolina has had 112 total defensive drives this season and they yield 5.61 plays per drive. There is not much to take away here when it comes to how many plays per drive opponents run , but they are a team that falls in the average window when it comes to plays per drive. North Carolina has had a generally average defense. Nothing too special about it, but they are capable of rising up when needed. North Carolina opponents passes the football 46.82% of the time.Opponents typically have had some form of run/pass balance against them.
North Carolina is not doing anything particularly special as far as their ability to create negative yardage plays on the ground. How effective are opposing offensive lines given what we know about their ability to force negative yardage rushing plays? North Carolina can take credit for holding the offensive line of their opponent to 3.07 yards per carry. Generally speaking, this is an average defense when it comes to how offensive lines control or fail to control them on the ground. This is also a team that is allowing running backs and quarterbacks to get to the second-level in an average fashion. Long breakout runs against this Defense are far too common. This is a very porous rushing defense that is incapable of preventing a situation where their safeties chase down a running back or quarterback.
This is not a disruptive Defense and they get pushed over way too easily. Perhaps they are too vanilla with playcalling. Their front seven is simply unable to make an impact, something must change or else the problems will repeat. North Carolina has had shown themselves to be better at stopping the pass than the run this season .
North Carolina Team Offense Preview
North Carolina has had 111 drives in non-garbage time minutes and they average 5.68 plays per drive. There is not much to take away here when it comes to how many plays per drive they run , but they are a team that falls in the average window when it comes to plays per drive. North Carolina has had shown a capability to be explosive on first and second down to avoid third downs and has had converted well (relatively) on 3rd and 4th Down situations. North Carolina passes the football 47.94% of the time.Relatively speaking, this is a team that favors run/pass balance.
North Carolina is not doing anything particularly special as far as their ability to avoid negative yardage plays on the ground. How effective is the offensive line given what we know about their ability to prevent negative yards on rushing plays? More than you think, thanks to the Adjusted Line Yards metric. North Carolina can take credit for 3.49 yards per carry. This is an elite offensive line when it comes to generating a push for the running game. They know how to create creases for running backs to break loose. Playing 7 in a box is not enough for opposing defenses, this is a great O-Line. The offensive line and running back corps deserve a lot of credit for gashing defenses with their running game like the way they have this season . Featuring an explosive running game… they are capable of breaking big yardage runs on First and Second Down. This puts a lot of pressure on Linebackers and Safeties.
Defenses have had average success disrupting the flow of the North Carolina Offense. Front sevens of opposing defenses are causing a lot of problems. North Carolina is a better running team than passing team this season .
Pittsburgh Team Defense Preview
Pittsburgh has had 120 defensive drives in non-garbage time minutes and they yield 4.64 plays per drive. Relatively speaking, Pittsburgh are not a team that allows many plays per drive. The defense either gives up big plays quickly or induces a lot of three-and-outs, we shall find out more. Third and long situations are common against this season ‘s defense. This is a defense that forces opponents to commit penalties, have compromised offensive line play, and fail to convert on crunch possessions. Passing plays are 54.40% of their opponents’ play calls.They are a team that faces a lot of Air Raid Offenses.
Pittsburgh is not doing anything particularly special as far as their ability to create negative yardage plays on the ground. Opponent rushing yards attributed to their offensive line this season comes out to 2.7 yards per carry. Opponent offensive lines have had been simply unable to support their running games against their defense. When it comes to getting to that second level, running backs are getting stopped. This defense does not allow themselves to be gashed. Opponents have had shown a relatively average level of explosiveness in the running game, maybe there will be a breakout rushing play against them.
Pittsburgh have had made the turnover belt, chain, pads, lunch pail or whatever gimmick they use change hands a lot. This is a Defense that causes pure aggravation. Pittsburgh should have a sign ready for opponents near the Visitor Locker Room that says “Welcome to Hell”, their front seven is deep and they cause a lot of problems. Pittsburgh has had shown themselves to be better at stopping the pass than the run this season .
Pittsburgh Team Offense Preview
Pittsburgh has had 115 drives in non-garbage time minutes and they average 5.7 plays per drive. There is not much to take away here when it comes to how many plays per drive they run , but they are a team that falls in the average window when it comes to plays per drive. Pittsburgh has had shown a capability to be explosive on first and second down to avoid third downs and has had converted well (relatively) on 3rd and 4th Down situations. Pittsburgh passes the football 52.74% of the time.Pittsburgh passes more than other teams.
Pittsburgh is not doing anything particularly special as far as their ability to avoid negative yardage plays on the ground. Based on the Adjusted Line Yards metric, which measures the amount of credit that should be ascribed to the offensive line for a rushing play, they average 3.16 yards per carry. Generally speaking, this is an average offensive line as far as their ability to set up the running game. This is also a team that is getting to the second-level in an average fashion. Offensive line and running backs are average in this regard. The breakout rushing plays are simply not happening, it is a massive reach to expect this season ‘s team to bust out big rushing plays.
Defenses have had trouble making big, disruptive plays against Pittsburgh this season. They have had done a relatively good job done by this Offensive Line to prevent opposing front sevens from causing problems consistently. Pittsburgh is a better running team than passing team this season .
The North Carolina Roster
The Players to Watch for North Carolina
Sam Howell QB 6’1″ 220 Junior
Sam Howell put up 2390 yards, tossed 20 touchdowns, and he threw 7 interceptions this season. He was considered one of the gunslingers of College Football this season. His average completed pass was 9.0 yards. He was considered one of the most mobile Quarterbacks in the country this season, designed runs and zone read looks are common. His average rush was 5.1 yards.
Ty Chandler RB 6’0″ 210 Senior
Ty Chandler had 884 rushing yards on 143 carries. Was he able to get to the end zone on the ground? He had 13 rushing touchdowns. He is considered one of the workhorse running backs of College Football returning this season. His average rush was 6.2 yards. He was relied upon as a receiver in their offense this season. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 6.2 yards.
Josh Downs WR 5’10” 180 Sophomore
Josh Downs picked up 1014 yards through the air. He caught the ball 74 times this season. He reached the end zone 8 times. He is a go-to in the passing game. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 13.7 yards.
Myles Murphy DL 6’3″ 305 Sophomore
The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for North Carolina, Myles Murphy, had 23 tackles this season.Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 8 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 4 sacks this season.
Cam’Ron Kelly DB 6’1″ 210 Junior
The leading tackler among Defensive Backs for North Carolina, Cam’Ron Kelly, had 44 tackles this season.He was not a factor as far as tackles for loss was concerned this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 4 sacks this season.
The Pittsburgh Roster
The Players to Watch for Pittsburgh
Kenny Pickett QB 6’3″ 220 Senior
Kenny Pickett put up 3178 yards, tossed 29 touchdowns, and he threw 3 interceptions. He was considered one of the gunslingers of College Football this season. His average completed pass was 9.3 yards. He was considered one of the most mobile Quarterbacks in the country this season, designed runs and zone read looks are common. His average rush was 3.2 yards.
Israel Abanikanda RB 5’11” 210 Sophomore
Israel Abanikanda had 498 rushing yards on 94 carries. Was he able to get to the end zone on the ground? He had 5 rushing touchdowns. He is considered one of the workhorse running backs of College Football returning this season. His average rush was 5.3 yards. He is a consistent option in the passing game considering that he is a running back. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 5.3 yards.
Jordan Addison WR 6’0″ 175 Sophomore
Jordan Addison picked up 963 yards through the air. He caught the ball 53 times this season. He reached the end zone 11 times. He is a go-to in the passing game. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 18.2 yards.
Habakkuk Baldonado DL 6’5″ 260 Junior
The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for Pittsburgh, Habakkuk Baldonado, had 25 tackles this season.Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 10 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 6 sacks this season.
Brandon Hill DB 5’11” 195 Sophomore
The leading tackler among Defensive Backs for Pittsburgh, Brandon Hill, had 47 tackles this season.He was effective at tackling receivers on screens with 1 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 1 sacks this season.
North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh Prediction, Picks, and Odds
Prediction: North Carolina 22 Pittsburgh 28
Spread Pick: No Action
Moneyline Pick: Pittsburgh -225 WagerWeb
Under Pick: Under 75.0 -110 Bovada Get $250 by signing up now.