North Carolina vs Pittsburgh Prediction
The North Carolina Tar Heels will play the Pittsburgh Panthers in an ACC game on Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. North Carolina comes into this game undefeated through three games, while Pittsburgh has lost two games in a row to West Virginia and Cincinnati.
North Carolina Preview
The North Carola Tar Heels are 3-0 this season after they defeated Minnesota by a score of 31-13 last week. North Carolina led 21-10 at the half and was able to pull away for the win in the second half after Minnesota cut the lead to eight. The Tar Heels out gained Minnesota by a total of 519-303 and forced two turnovers in the win. North Carolina defeated South Carolina by a score of 31-17 in Week 1 and Appalachian State by a score of 40-34 in Week 2. The North Carolina offense is scoring 34 points per game with 297 passing yards per game and 197.3 rushing yards per game, while going 65.1% on third downs this season. Drake Maye has thrown for 891 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions, while also rushing for 116 yards and one touchdown this year. Omarion Hampton has rushed for 317 yards and six scores, while J.J. Jones has caught 10 passes for 179 yards. The UNC defense is giving up 21.3 points against per game this season.
Pittsburgh Preview
The Pittsburgh Panthers are 1-2 this season after they lost to West Virginia by a score of 17-6 in their last game. Pittsburgh led this game 3-0 early and was only down 7-6 at the half, but didn’t score any points in the second half. The Panthers only gained 211 total yards and turned the ball over three times in the loss. Pittsburgh defeated Wofford by a score of 45-7 in their first game, but lost to Cincinnati by a score of 27-21 in Week 2. The Pittsburgh offense is scoring 24 points per game with 178 passing yards per game and 143.3 rushing yards per game, while going 41.5% on third down attempts this year. Phil Jurkovec has thrown for 474 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions for the Panthers this season. Daniel Carter has rushed for 103 yards and one touchdown, while Gavin Bartholomew has caught seven passes for 157 yards and one score. The Pitt defense is allowing 17 points against per game this year.
Pittsburgh Panthers Team Facts
- Pittsburgh has won each of its last four games against conference opponents.
- Pittsburgh has failed to cover the spread in each of its last five home games in September.
- Pittsburgh has won the first half in each of its last six home games against conference opponents.
- Seven of Pittsburgh's last eight September games at Acrisure Stadium have gone OVER the total points line.
North Carolina Tar Heels Team Facts
- North Carolina has won five of its last six games in September.
- North Carolina has failed to cover the spread in each of its last three games against conference opponents.
- Four of North Carolina's last five games have gone UNDER the total points line.
Matchup/League Facts
- Pittsburgh ranked T16th among FBS teams for H1 win percentage last season (.692).
- Pittsburgh ranked 18th among FBS teams for Q1 points allowed per game last season (3.8).
- North Carolina was one of only 20 FBS teams to win 3+ games when trailing at HT last season.
- North Carolina ranked 20th among FBS teams for Q2 points per game last season (11.1).
Pick
Pittsburgh limps into this game trying to snap their two game losing streak, but will need to create more offense in this matchup. North Carolina has a very high scoring offensive attack, but their defense will give up points as well. I think this is a great matchup for UNC, as the Pitt offense is not explosive. The North Carolina offense may start slow against a solid Pitt defense, but I expect the Tar Heels to wake up and pull away in the second half.
