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Duke vs North Carolina preview, predictions, betting odds, live stream info

By Cody Williams

Oct 3, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Marquise Williams (12) celebrates with fans after their win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium. North Carolina won 38-31. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Marquise Williams (12) celebrates with fans after their win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium. North Carolina won 38-31. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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Duke Blue Devils vs. North Carolina Tar Heels

In an ACC rivalry matchup where the big stakes are normally reserved for basketball, the Duke Blue Devils will travel down Tobacco Road on Saturday to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in Kenan Stadium. Marquise Williams and Elijah Hood will be looking to continue what has been a seven-game winning streak for Larry Fedora’s Tar Heels and keep their undefeated conference record intact. David Cutcliffe’s Blue Devils on the other hand will be led by Thomas Sirk as they are looking to regain traction in ACC Coastal race after a controversial loss to the Miami Hurricanes just last week.

Details for Saturday’s game are below:

Date: Saturday, November 7
Start Time: Noon ET
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Stadium: Kenan Stadium
TV Info: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: Here
Ticket information: For North Carolina Tar Heels ticket info click here. For Duke Blue Devils ticket info click here.

Keys to Victory

Quarterback Thomas Sirk is the heart of the Duke offense and he’s going to be vital to the success of the Blue Devils come Saturday. While Sirk has been solid in terms of throwing the football this season, he’s going to have a tough time doing so against the Tar Heels’ fourth-ranked pass defense. Contrarily, how successful Sirk, Shaquille Powell, and Shaun Wilson are in attacking the UNC run defense is going to be huge for Duke. The Tar Heels have been far worse against the run this season than the pass and the Blue Devils have to use their dynamic rushing attack to take advantage of that.

For the Heels, finding a way to stop that rushing attack is obviously going to play into their success on Saturday. However, their biggest key in this game is going to be limiting their turnovers. Marquise Williams has proven to be a dynamic playmaker at quarterback for UNC through the air and with his legs, but he’s also been inconsistent and prone to turnovers this season and over his college career. The Duke defense has been stout to this point in the year and the Tar Heels may not be able to move the ball at will. The key for North Carolina will be to not end possessions prematurely by giving the ball away.

Betting Odds

Point Spread: North Carolina Tar Heels -7.5
Moneyline: North Carolina Tar Heels -300, Duke Blue Devils +250
O/U: 58

Prediction

This game is obviously going to be a dogfight given the rivalry between these two schools, even if it’s not one that usually carries a ton of weight on the gridiron. The idea of this being a close game is only intensified by the fact that these two teams are actually pretty evenly matched. However, I think the Tar Heels are riding a crazy wave of momentum right now and think that carries them past their rivals in this game.

Final Score: Duke Blue Devils: 28, North Carolina Tar Heels: 31

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