One of the more under-the-radar college football matchups to watch in Week 2 is UNC-Minnesota.
The first thing to note is that both squads are undefeated.
Both teams have played tough competition in their first two games. UNC won the Border Battle (31-17) against South Carolina in Week 1, then came-from-behind to defeat App State (40-34) in its home opener last weekend.
Minnesota beat Nebraska and new head coach Matt Rhule, public enemy number one among professional football fans in North Carolina, 13-10 in Week 1. The Golden Gophers turned around and won comfortably, 25-6, against Eastern Michigan last weekend.
These two program have an entirely different style of play. Carolina is a high-flying, offensive-minded team that can torch you with a variety of runners, including quarterback Drake Maye. The Tar Heels are a headache for any defense to keep up with – even the strongest units.
Minnesota, on the other hand, is a defensive-minded squad that will make you earn every yard. The Golden Gophers might be the buzzsaw that ends UNC’s pursuit of perfection – they only allow 223.5 total yards per game (eighth-best in the FBS). Minnesota also only allows 92.5 passing yards per game – third-lowest in the country, being one of three teams (Sam Houston State, Air Force) that opponents average less than 100 passing yards against.
Both UNC and Minnesota have a strong ground game, but UNC has the clear-cut advantage at quarterback, even with Maye’s slow start. Let’s take a deeper look into this Week 3 clash, which kicks off at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16 inside Kenan Stadium: