North Carolina (2–1) at UCF (2–0)
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Stadium: Acrisure Bounce House (capacity 44,206) | Read why they call the stadium the Bounce House.
Line: UCF -6½
Moneylines: UNC +205; UCF -255
Over/under: 46½
Forecast: Mostly cloudy, 89° at kickoff (heat index of 94°); 83° (heat index of 87°) by the end of the game. There’s only a 30% chance of a stray shower around 4 p.m. after UCF had weather delays during its first two games.
TV: Fox (the over-the-air network; WRAZ 50 in Triangle)
Eric Collins play-by-play, Spencer Tillman analyst
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (affiliates list; streams on the Varsity Network app)
Jones Angell play-by-play, Joe Jauch analyst and Lee Pace sideline reporter
Good Juju — Carolina true freshman running back Demon “Juju” June ran for 148 yards in Saturday’s win over Richmond. After not playing an offensive down in the opener against TCU, June, with 200 yards, is second in the country in freshman rushing behind Ohio State’s Bo Jackson (217 yards in two games).
Home and rested — UCF (the school prefers to be called that instead of “Central Florida”) beat Jacksonville State 17–10 in its Aug. 28 opener and N.C. A&T 68–7 on Sept. 6, both at home, and had an open date last week.
First meeting — The initial matchup comes after two previously scheduled meetings were canceled: 2018 because of Hurricane Florence and 2020 because of the COVID-19 ACC schedule. UCF will be the 56th power conference opponent in UNC program history. The schools are scheduled to meet at Kenan Stadium in 2027.
Coaching matchup — UNC’s Bill Belichick was the New York Jets’ defensive coordinator when UCF’s Scott Frost was drafted in 1998.
Streak broken up by Nebraska stint — Frost has won 15 consecutive games as UCF head coach (13–0 in 2017 and 2–0 this season), separated by going 16–31 at Nebraska. A win would tie Nick Saban’s 16-game streak at Alabama (2017–18).
Running hot — UCF rushed for seven TDs in the 68–7 win last Saturday over N.C. A&T, one shy of the school record. Jaden Nixon and Jacurri Brown both went over 100 yards. Nixon had a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, runs of 87 and 66 yards and 252 all-purpose yards (first Knight over 250 since 2021).
Defensive walls — Both teams enter with strong defenses — UCF hasn’t allowed a first-half point this season, and UNC hasn’t allowed a touchdown in two straight games for the first time since 2012. The Knights are one of three FBS teams, along with BYU and Texas Tech, that hasn’t given up first-half points through two games.
Heels in Florida — UNC has won its last three regular-season games in Florida (although the Heels lost to Texas A&M in the Orange Bowl at Miami Gardens, Fla., 41–27 after the 2020 season):
• 35–11 on Nov. 4, 2024, at Florida State: Omarion Hampton had 269 total yards and five touchdowns.
• 27–24 on Oct. 8, 2022, at Miami: Heels had two drives of 95 yards or more in the first half.
• 62–26 on Dec. 12, 2020, at No. 9 Miami: Michael Carter ran for 308 yards and two touchdowns, and Javonte Williams rushed for 236 yards and three touchdowns. It was the highest-ranked team UNC had beaten since No. 4 Miami in 2004.
Big 12 drought — Carolina hasn’t beaten a current Big 12 program since a 38–35 victory over Arizona State in 2002, when the Sun Devils were in the Pac-10.
Former Frost player — Frost recruited Carolina linebacker Mikai Gbayor while at Nebraska and coached him in 2021.
Green grass from home? — In the offseason, new “TifTuf Bermudagrass” was installed at the stadium by Carolina Green Corp., a company based in Charlotte.
Depth charts
North Carolina
Central Florida
Statistics
North Carolina
Central Florida
| Month/ date | Score/ time | Opponent | Record/ TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| September | |||
| 1 | L, 48–14 | vs. TCU | 0–1 |
| 6 | W, 20–3 | at Charlotte | 1–1 |
| 13 | W, 41–6 | vs. Richmond | 2–1 |
| 20 | L, 34–9 | at UCF | 2–2 |
| October | |||
| 4 | L, 38–10 | vs. Clemson | 2–3, 0–1 ACC |
| 17 (Fri.) | L, 21–18 | at California | 2–4, 0–2 |
| 25 | L, 17–16, OT | vs. No. 16 Virginia | 2–5, 0–3 |
| 31 (Fri.) | W, 27–10 | at Syracuse | 3–5, 1–3 |
| November | |||
| 8 | W, 20–15 | vs. Stanford | 4–5, 2–3 |
| 15 | L, 28–12 | at Wake Forest | 4–6, 2–4 |
| 22 | L, 32–25 | vs. Duke | 4–7, 2–5 |
| 29 | L, 42–19 | at N.C. State | 4–8, 2–6 |
Photo by Joshua Lawton
tarheeltribune.com 