Virginia Cavaliers vs North Carolina Tar Heels Football Preview

Two teams with 2-0 records and two very choppy performances in week two of the college football season will need to iron out their rough edges in week three.

The Bryn Renner era in Chapel Hill is off to a somewhat encouraging start, but the turnover bug is something that will linger with Carolina’s new signal caller until it gets addressed.   Any fears that quarterback play for North Carolina would suffer a severe drop-off after the graduation of TJ Yates should be alleviated.   Renner is 42 of 49 as a passer for 550 yards – that’s quite encouraging.   However, the one big deficiency in Renner’s stat line is the four interceptions, including three against Rutgers last week. Renner attempted only two passes last year, but was 22-of-23 in his first game as a starter against James Madison.   Last week against Rutgers, he led the Heels to a tight 24-22 victory by posting a 20-for-26 stat line for 273 yards.   His favorite target is Dwight Jones, who has 15 receptions for 251 yards and three scores after only two games.   A pair of running backs share carries, with freshman Giovani Bernard leading the team with 145 yards on 225 carries and 4 TDs, while Ryan Houston has 22 carries for 92 yards.

Renner and company will face a Virginia defense that has been shaky.   After holding William and Mary – a decent FCS team that beat Virginia in 2009 – to three points in a 41-3 blowout, the Cavaliers needed a miracle finish to beat an Indiana team that was coming off a loss to Ball State.   The 34-31 victory was only possible due to 10 points scored in the last 32 seconds of the first half and 10 more scored in the last 1:36 of the game.   While Indiana didn’t exactly bomb away on Virginia’s defense, giving up 31 points to a poor Indiana team cannot be a good sign for the Hoos, considering the offensive production UNC has been delivering.

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