Week 5: North Carolina at Miami

North Carolina coach Butch Davis got a win against Miami last season in his first game against his former team. This time, it won’t be as easy. The Tar Heels enter this game fresh off a deflating 20-17 defeat against Virginia Tech, and they do without starting quarterback T.J. Yates.

Yates, the ACC leader in pass efficiency, suffered a fracture in his left ankle in the third quarter against the Hokies. While Yates won’t need surgery, he will need to sit out at least six weeks. That leaves redshirt freshman Mike Paulus and junior Cameron Sexton as UNC’s options at quarterback this week against a Miami team riding high after a 41-23 victory at Texas A&M.

Like UNC, Miami is a young team looking to find its way in its second year under its head coach. But Randy Shannon, who played for Davis and coached under Davis at Miami before becoming head coach at his alma mater, has a couple of things in his favor this week. The Hurricanes are at home — ready to play their first ACC game at Dolphin Stadium — and they have a healthy starting quarterback in redshirt freshman Robert Marve.

Marve completed 16 of 22 passes for 212 yards, two touchdowns and one interception last week, leading a balanced attack against the Aggies. Sophomore tailback Graig Cooper added a career-high 128 yards and two touchdowns on the ground as the Hurricanes piled up 398 yards of offense.

Defensively, the Hurricanes could be primed to take advantage of Yates’ absence. Paulus struggled against Virginia Tech — he completed just 3 of 8 passes and tossed two interceptions — and Sexton hasn’t thrown a pass in game action since the season opener in 2007. But UNC can’t rely on just its ground game to move the ball. The Tar Heels are ninth in the ACC in rushing (141.0 yards per game), and Miami is second in the league against the run (75.0 ypg).

Notes/Things to Watch:

North Carolina, which leads the all-time series 6-5, hasn’t won at Miami since 1957. Each team has defeated the other twice since Miami joined the ACC.

Miami junior Javarris James, who teams with Cooper to give the Hurricanes one of the ACC’s top tailback tandems, remains sidelined with a high ankle sprain for at least another week. James got hurt early in his team’s loss to Florida, and he hasn’t practiced or played since.

UNC features wide receivers Brandon Tate and Hakeem Nicks, the ACC’s No. 1 and No. 3 players in receiving yards per game. But it remains to be seen how effective those playmakers can be without Yates getting them the ball.

Tate, who continues to lead the nation in all-purpose yards (265.7 per game), is averaging 26.6 yards per touch this season. The Hurricanes know first-hand what he can do after he burned them for a 54-yard touchdown run and 49-yard reception in UNC’s 33-27 victory last season.

Key Player (Tar Heels) — Greg Little, RB

Little had a 50-yard touchdown run against the Hokies last week, but he has totaled just 129 yards on his other 49 carries this season. With Yates out of the lineup, Little must come up big to keep UNC’s offense balanced and its defense rested.

Key Player (Hurricanes) — Kayne Farquharson, WR

Miami has gone with a committee approach at wideout this season, but Farquharson could be emerging from the group. The 6-2, 188-pound senior made five catches for 67 yards and a touchdown last week, and he has a team-leading eight receptions in just two games this season.

Miami by 7