MIAMI – It's a short week for North Carolina and Miami as they meet in front of a national audience on Thursday night in South Florida. Both teams come off victories, with the Hurricanes moving up to No. 16 after their 31-17 triumph over Florida International, while the Tar Heels earned their first victory of the season, outlasting Pittsburgh 38-35 in the school's ACC and home opener.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Miami -18.
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The question of the week in Miami is who will open at quarterback after redshirt freshman N'Kosi Perry replaced embattled senior Malik Rosier Saturday for the third series in a planned move, according to head coach Mark Richt. Rosier, last year's starter who got off to a rocky beginning this season, never got back in and Perry went on to hit 17 of 25 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns in his first extended action to spark a Hurricanes offense that has been inconsistent with Rosier at the helm. "I'm going to continue to watch practice and let everybody know when it's time for them to know," Richt told reporters. "But I'm not telling what's happening." The Tar Heels may have a quarterback quandary of their own with sophomore Chazz Surratt one of seven players returning from a three-game suspension, but head coach Larry Fedora indicated that junior Nathan Elliott will get the nod after his impressive 313-yard, two-touchdown outing against Pittsburgh.
ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA (1-2, 1-0 ACC)
Surratt led the Tar Heels with 1,342 yards passing and 13 touchdowns (eight passing, five rushing) in nine games last season (seven starts) and his return will give Fedora a solid option should Elliott struggle as he did the first two weeks. The offensive line has surrendered just one sack in three games and the unit owned the line of scrimmage against Pittsburgh, playing a major role in the success of Elliott and a ground attack that pounded out a season-high 173 yards, led by Antonio Williams' 114 yards and two touchdowns. Last season, North Carolina outgained Miami 428-415 in a 24-19 loss but Surratt was injured in the first quarter and Elliott came in and threw three interceptions against the Canes' opportunistic defense.
ABOUT MIAMI (3-1, 0-0)
Rosier has had his moments as the Hurricanes' starter since the start of the 2017 season but he is completing just 52.1 percent of his passes this year and 54 percent last year, while Perry is showing far greater accuracy (66.7 percent), a big reason why a switch to the younger, more dynamic Perry appears imminent. True freshman tight end Brevin Jordan is becoming a more integral part of the attack and he is tied for second on the team in receptions (12) and touchdowns (three), with 11 of his catches coming with Perry at quarterback. The Tar Heels' ground game will be challenged by a Miami run defense giving up just 78.8 yards per game, fourth best in the nation, with Gerald Willis III tied for tops in the country in tackles for loss (10) and Jonathan Garvin ranked sixth (8.5).
EXTRA POINTS
1. North Carolina won the last meeting in Miami in 2016, which was also the last time the Hurricanes lost a regular-season game at home (11 straight wins since).
2. The Hurricanes are opening their ACC slate at home for the first time since the 2013 season.
3. This will be North Carolina's 18th Thursday night ESPN football game in school history and they are 9-8, with wins in three of the last five appearances.
PREDICTION: Miami 34, North Carolina 20