Saturday, Oct. 3, Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, Mass., 3:30 p;.m. ET
North Carolina Tar Heels
The Tar Heels will be three weeks between games by the time they take the field at Alumni Stadium after losing a Sept. 19 date with Charlotte and not finding an opponent for an open date on Sept. 26. Coach Mack said he told his players simply to look at their ACC test as simply a restart.
The Tar Heels showed plenty of firepower in their opening 31-6 win over Syracuse on Sept. 12 with sophomore Sam Howell completing 25 of 34 passes for 295 yards and Michael Carter and Javonte Williams combining to rush for 135 yards. Williams broke the game open with three fourth-quarter touchdowns. Howell did have two interceptions, however, and the Tar Heels also lost a fumble. The Orange managed only 202 yards in total offense with a mere 68 rushing yards.
Boston College Eagles
The Eagles erased a 14-point second-half deficit last week for a24-21 win over Texas State just a week after posting a 26-6 win at Duke. Quarterback Phil Jurkovec engineered the comeback from a 21-7 deficit with a short run and short touchdown pass, and Aaron Boumerhi capped it with a 36-yard field goal with just three seconds remaining.
Jurkovec has completed 70.5 percent of his passes for 510 yards and three touchdowns against two interceptions. The rushing game has yet to get in gear, however. David Bailey leads the team in rushing yards with just 84 in the two games and the Eagles have only 171 yards total as a team on the ground.
North Carolina Tar Heels at Boston College Eagles Betting Pick
The Tar Heels got off to a slow start in their season opener, leading Syracuse only 7-3 at the half and 10-6 going into the fourth quarter, and this is very much like a second season opener considering the three-week layoff.
Boston College, on the other hand, trailed Texas State 14-7 at the halftime break last week. The Tar Heels looked strong against the run against Syracuse, and the Eagles have yet to get their rushing game going.
North Carolina Tar Heels at Boston College Eagles Betting Pick: Tar Heels (-13.5) 34, Eagles (+13.5) 13
North Carolina Tar Heels at Boston College Eagles Best Bet
Howell gives the Tar Heels a big edge, but the Eagle may not muster enough offense to get the game to over 53.5. After a slow start, the Tar Heels should get out to a comfortable win, but the Eagles won’t contribute much in the way of offense.
North Carolina Tar Heels at Boston College Eagles Best Bet: UNDER 53.5
