By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina (4–7, 2–5 ACC) at N.C. State (6–5, 3–3)
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Carter-Finley Stadium
Weather: 36° and cloudy with winds at 14 mph
TV: ACC Network: Chris Cotter play-by-play, Max Browne analyst, Ashley Strehlein sideline reporter
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
Series: UNC leads 68–40–6, including 30–17–4 at N.C. State, but the Wolfpack has won four straight and seven of 9.
Common opponents: Virginia (both at home, UNC lost 38–10; N.C. State won 35–31), Wake Forest (both on road, UNC lost 28–12; N.C. State won 34–24), and Duke (UNC lost at home 32–25); N.C. State lost on road 45–33).
Line: N.C. State -7
UNC vs. the spread: 5–4–1 — covered vs. Charlotte -17½ (20–3 win), Richmond -28½ (41–6 win), California +3½ (21–18 loss ) and Virginia +6½ (17–16 loss) and at Syracuse +2½ (27–10 win); failed to cover against TCU +10½ (48–14 loss), UCF +13½ (34–9 loss), Clemson -14½ (38–10 loss) and Stanford -7½ (20–15 win); push vs. Duke +7 (32–25 loss).
Moneylines: UNC +220 | N.C. State -270
Over/under: 49
Notes
— UNC defensive linemen Melkart Abou Jaoude leads the ACC with 10 sacks, and Tyler Thompson is third with seven. In the last five games, Abou Jaoude has 26 tackles and 8½ sacks.
— Carolina is second in the ACC and 19th in the country in sacks at 2.7 per game.
— UNC hasn’t beaten N.C. State since 2020, and hasn’t won in Raleigh since 2019.
— Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey (top photo) is fifth in the ACC with 2,683 passing yards and 21 touchdown passes.
— N.C. State running back Hollywood Smothers is second in the ACC with 907 rushing yards.
— UNC’s defense is fifth in the ACC, allowing 110 yards per game and has allowed the second-fewest yards in league games at 325.6 yards per game, and is fifth with 214.6 passing yards per game.
— Only four Tar Heels have wins over N.C. State: defensive back Gavin Gibson (in a 16–12 2022 Duke’s Mayo Bowl win for Maryland and a 26–21 2024 Military Bowl win for East Carolina), defensive lineman CJ Mims (2024 Military Bowl with ECU), wide receiver Nathan Leacock (51–20 Duke’s Mayo Classic win with Tennessee) and long snapper Spencer Triplett (was freshman when UNC beat N.C. State 48–21 in 2020).
— Bailey and UNC running back Davion Gause were teammates at Chaminade-Madonna Prep School.
— N.C. State co-defensive coordinator Charlton Warren spent the previous three seasons as co-defensive coordinator/assistant head coach at UNC.
— Carolina went 2–1 the previous two times, in 1933 and 1999, when it played the three in-state ACC schools on consecutive weeks. But this season, the Tar Heels lost the first two, at Wake Forest 28–12 on Nov. 12, and vs. Duke 32–25 on Saturday.
— UNC quarterback Gio Lopez has thrown for more than 200 yards in the last five games, the longest streak of his career.
N.C. State statistics
N.C. State did not submit a depth chart.
| Team | ACC | All |
|---|---|---|
| No. 16 Virginia | 7–1 | 10–2 |
| No. 12 Miami | 6–2 | 10–2 |
| No. 25 SMU | 6–2 | 8–4 |
| No. 24 Georgia Tech | 6–2 | 9–3 |
| Pittsburgh | 6–2 | 8–4 |
| Duke | 6–2 | 7–5 |
| Louisville | 4–4 | 8–4 |
| Wake Forest | 4–4 | 8–4 |
| California | 4–4 | 7–5 |
| Clemson | 4–4 | 7–5 |
| N.C. State | 4–4 | 7–5 |
| Stanford | 3–5 | 4–8 |
| Florida State | 2–6 | 5–7 |
| North Carolina | 2–6 | 4–8 |
| Virginia Tech | 2–6 | 3–9 |
| Syracuse | 1–7 | 3–9 |
| Boston College | 1–7 | 2–10 |
Friday’s result
No. 4 Georgia 16, No. 24 Georgia Tech 9
Saturday’s results
N.C. State 42, North Carolina 19
No. 12 Miami 38, Pittsburgh 7
Louisville 41, Kentucky 0
Clemson 28, South Carolina 14
Boston College 34, Syracuse 12
Duke 49, Wake Forest 32
Florida 40, Florida State 21
No. 16 Virginia 27, Virginia Tech 7
California 38, No. 25 SMU 35
No. 9 Notre Dame 49, Stanford 20
Saturday’s ACC championship game
No. 16 Virginia vs. Duke in Charlotte, 8 p.m., ABC
| 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 via gopack.com
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