North Carolina has played a tough schedule this season and will encounter its third Atlantic Coast Conference road game when the Tar Heels travel to nearby Duke for Saturday afternoon’s game in Durham, N.C.
“We embrace it,” North Carolina coach Bill Belichick said of the challenging slate. “It’s a great opportunity. We’ve gone up against good teams, and it looks like there’s more on the schedule. Certainly Duke is one of them.”
Duke (4-1, 1-1 ACC) was handed its first loss last week, 28-25 at Georgia Tech. Belichick has pointed out repeatedly that the Blue Devils won last year’s ACC Championship Game.
North Carolina (3-2, 1-1) pulled off its first victory against a Top 25 team in two seasons under Belichick by winning 21-17 at then-No. 25 Pitt last Saturday. The victory came a week after the Tar Heels lost 37-26 at home to then-No. 3 Notre Dame, and North Carolina will host current No. 3 Miami on Oct. 31.
As for this week, North Carolina and Duke will meet for the right to possess the Victory Bell.
“It’s an exciting week here,” Blue Devils coach Manny Diaz said. “One of the top weeks of the year, always. … It doesn’t take much to refocus when it is this game.”
The Tar Heels will try to contain running back Nate Sheppard, who has 743 rushing yards this season and 1,875 in his two-year career at Duke. He also has 17 catches this season and 54 for his career.
“It starts with him,” Belichick said. “If you let Sheppard out, you’re going to pay for it. … He’s a good receiver, very good at breaking tackles, making yards after contact.”
The quarterbacks in Saturday’s matchup rank low in terms of passing efficiency in the ACC. North Carolina’s Billy Edwards Jr. is 12th (140.3), one spot ahead of Duke’s Walker Eget (139.9).
North Carolina defensive backs Kaleb Cost and Tre Miller went out with injuries during the Pitt game, so the Tar Heels could be vulnerable in the secondary on Saturday. North Carolina will look for a boost from defensive lineman Xavier Lewis, who made a career-high 12 tackles against Pitt.
Lewis has 6 1/2 sacks this season.