Virginia @ North Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 25, 2014 ) North Carolina 28, Virginia 27

T.J. Thorpe left an indelible mark on another chapter of the “Oldest Rivalry in the South” with the game-winning touchdown in North Carolina’s one-point win at Virginia last year, extending the Tar Heels’ win streak in the series to five. One day shy of a year later, the senior receiver hopes to be one of the main reasons why the Cavaliers end their recent woes against North Carolina when the ACC Coastal rivals square off in Chapel Hill on Saturday.

Thorpe hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass on a third-and-15 play with 4:05 remaining in the Tar Heels’ 28-27 comeback victory last year – one of 42 catches and five receiving touchdowns he recorded with the Tar Heels before transferring. North Carolina has won five straight since its season-opening loss to South Carolina and improved to 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 1997 following last weekend’s 50-14 rout of Wake Forest. While the Tar Heels are coming off their most lopsided league win since 2000, the Cavaliers needed three overtimes to scratch out a 44-38 home victory over Syracuse. North Carolina and Virginia will meet for the 120th time, which ties Kansas-Missouri and Miami (Ohio)-Cincinnati as the second-most commonly played game in FBS history.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: North Carolina -17.5

ABOUT VIRGINIA (2-4, 1-1 ACC): Taquan Mizzell is the only running back in the country with two 100-yard receiving games and leads the nation at his position with 409 receiving yards. That total is only nine fewer than the conference’s fourth-leading receiver Canaan Severin, who broke out with 11 catches for 153 yards against Notre Dame on Sept. 12 and has caught a TD pass in three of the four games since. Outside linebacker Zach Bradshaw will miss the first half of this contest due to a targeting foul during the first overtime of last week’s win; freshman Eric Gallon replaced him against Syracuse and is expected to start this week.
ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA (5-1, 2-0): Quarterback Marquise Williams (1,127 yards passing, 405 rushing and 14 total touchdowns) leads the nation’s 10th-best scoring offense and is three touchdowns shy of tying Darian Durant’s school-record mark (79). Elijah Hood ranks fifth in the ACC with 545 yards rushing on only 79 carries, placing him 10th nationally in yards per attempt (6.9) among players who have as many carries as he does. Defensive end Junior Gnonkonde recorded two sacks over a span of three plays last week – matching the team total for the season entering the contest – and finished with nine total tackles en route to winning ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

EXTRA POINTS
1. Twenty of North Carolina’s 30 touchdown drives this season have taken two minutes or less. The Tar Heels used eight minutes, 24 seconds to complete their seven touchdown marches last week.
2. Virginia is on pace for only 40 first-quarter points this season, which would be its fewest in 14 years. 3. North Carolina WR Quinshad Davis ranks third in school history with 174 career receptions, three behind Jarwarski Pollock for second place and seven shy of record-holder Hakeem Nicks.

PREDICTION: North Carolina 41, Virginia 24