LINCOLN KEINHOLZ WILL HAVE TO HAVE A GREAT GAME
Louisville has been fortunate this year to have nailed their transfer portal gamble at quarterback with Lincoln Keinholz playing very well for them. They’ll need him to be at his best this weekend. UNC doesn’t have a dominant defense, but they do some things well that UofL handles poorly.
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UNC has quick defensive linemen and linebackers who can play downhill. The Cards struggled a few weeks ago against Syracuse because they could shoot gaps and create negative plays. The Cards will need Keinholz to be at his best as a passer this weekend because the running game could struggle. He will also be facing the best pass rush he’s seen in a few weeks, so his improvement as a pocket passer will be tested.
NORTH CAROLINA WILL START FAST
You may have heard this before, but Bobby Petrino is really good at scripting his first drive of the game. We all saw it for ourselves during his time here, and his skill to cut through a defense to start a game is still there. Wake Forest is the only team Louisville has faced that scores more points in the first quarter. The Cards will need to avoid falling behind as they have in most games this year.
I fully expect Petrino to be more motivated to put up points this weekend. I wouldn’t even be surprised if it becomes part of the commentary and narrative with this game. Things didn’t end well here, and the one thing we all know is that he is an insanely competitive person who may not sleep this week if it means he can get an edge to win this game.
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LOUISVILLE’S PASS RUSH NEEDS TO SHOW UP THIS WEEKEND
The first thing that jumps out at you when you watch UNC play is that Billy Edwards does not handle pressure well. He has been careless with the football when he has pressure in his face and he tends to turtle when he feels pressure when he isn’t careless with the ball. Getting pressure has not been an issue for the Cards this year, but the sacks haven’t always come.
In a perfect world, the Cards would be able to get pressure with four rushers this weekend, but if not, the plan needs to adjust to bringing in an extra rusher. Bobby Petrino will have a plan to pick apart this defense, so they won’t be able to wait until halftime this weekend.
THIS GAME WILL PROBABLY BE A SHOOTOUT
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Louisville had their best defensive game of the season last weekend, and I have no faith that they can repeat that performance. UNC has played better over the last two weeks, but they have not looked good on defense. Put those two things together, and you get yourself a good old-fashioned shootout.
NOTES
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Bobby Petrino sucks.
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Per multiple reports, Vince Marrow is currently the highest-paid general manager in the country now that UNC’s Michael Lombardi has resigned.
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UNC tight end Jelani Thurman was a teammate of Lincoln Keinholz up until this season, when he transferred.
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UNC is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to penalties. They are ranked 5th.
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Greg Smith is essentially the second-best defensive player in the country per PFF. The UNC safety has a grade of 85.2, which is second among players who have played 80% of the maximum plays this year.
