A bunch of TV, betting odds and facts to impress their friends for Syracuse at UNC

A bunch of TV, betting odds and facts to impress their friends for Syracuse at UNC

Syracuse brings a formidable secondary into Saturday’s noon kickoff against North Carolina, but to hear the Tar Heels tell it, the toughest battles may be the ones between their receivers and their own defensive backs in practice.

They believe it’s a strength against strength face-off that is making everyone better.

“They’re the best like one of the best receiving groups in the country,” UNC defensive back Storm Duck told reporters on a video call. “Every one of those guys can do something different. Beau (Corrales) can get the jump ball. Dyami (Brown) will just take off and run. Dazz (Newsome) will just try to shake you at the line. Going against those guys just helps you become ready for anything really. So we feel like we’re, as a secondary, ready to go against anybody since we go against our receivers.”

Kickoff is set for noon ET at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. William Hill has tabbed the Tar Heels as 23-point favorites in its latest Syracuse vs. North Carolina odds, while the over-under for total points is 65.5. Before making any North Carolina vs. Syracuse picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

Brown said it’s also sharpened their trash talking skills. Brown believes he and Newsome are the most talkative among receivers while Duck and Dae Dae Hollins yap the most among defensive backs.

“We might talk a little trash every now and then, but we also teach each other at the same time,” Brown told reporters last week.

UNC linebacker Eugene Asante told reporters on a video call last week that his motivation to succeed in part stems from his brother Larry’s NFL career having come to an abrupt end. “Every day I get blessed with an opportunity to come on this field I need to go 110 percent. In the real world, your dreams can get cut at any time.”

It may not be discernible to the eye, but UNC quarterback Sam Howell shed a few pounds in an attempt to become more mobile. He won’t exactly be Lamar Jackson out there, but he may look for more opportunities to run now that he has healthy backups.

After finishing as runner-up for the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, UNC's Chez Sarratt will be moved around more than playing inside linebacker. Check for possible use of it in the passing package.

The first time Syracuse quarterback Tommy DeVito played significant minutes, he played the last five minutes of the fourth quarter and rallied the Orange to a 40-37 three overtime win over the Heels in 2018.

In 1995, the first meeting in the series also launched another Syracuse quarterback to stardom. His name was Donovan McNabb.