CHAPEL HILL — The North Carolina football team is looking to make history on Saturday night at Kenan Stadium against No. 1 Miami.
The Tar Heels have never defeated a team ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press poll. UNC is 0-11 all-time against No. 1, including 0-5 in Chapel Hill.
Miami took a 24-21 lead in the third quarter on a 2-yard run by Mark Fletcher, which came after a defensive pass interference call in the end zone that had Belichick fuming.
North Carolina took a 21-17 lead in the third quarter on quarterback Billy Edwards Jr.’s third touchdown pass of the game. He connected with wide receiver Jordan Shipp on a 16-yard touchdown to cap UNC’s first drive of the third quarter.
Edwards had two touchdown passes, both to tight end Jelani Thurman in the first half.
Miami quarterback Darian Mensah, a Duke transfer, also had two first-half touchdown passes.
UNC (4-3, 2-2 in the ACC) has defeated Miami (7-0, 5-0) in their last five meetings. And UNC beat then-No. 4 Miami on a last-second field goal in Chapel Hill on the day before Halloween in 2004 — still the highest-ranked team the Tar Heels have ever beaten.
The Hurricanes, who reached the College Football Playoff national championship game last year but look even better this year, are led by not one, but two Heisman Trophy hopefuls in Mensah and wide receiver Malachi Toney.
The pair connected on a 2-yard touchdown on the game’s first drive to give Miami a 7-0 lead Saturday night.
North Carolina tied the game on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to Thurman. Miami retook the lead on a 31-yard catch-and-run by running back Mark Fletcher from Mensah midway through the second quarter.
But the Tar Heels tied it up for a second time — on another 8-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to Thurman. Edwards completed 14-of-18 passes for 152 yards in the first half.
Miami’s Jake Weinberg kicked a 25-yard field goal with 22 seconds left in the second quarter to give Miami a 17-14 halftime lead.
Source: www.wral.com
