Carolina and Florida State meet for the 21st time on the football field this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN. Saturday marks the first game between the two ACC rivals in Chapel Hill since 2009. The three most recent meetings took place in Tallahassee in 2010, 2016 and 2020.
About UNC
- Carolina picked up its third-straight win over Duke, 38-7, last Saturday in Chapel Hill. The seven points were the fewest allowed against Duke since a 19-6 Tar Heel win in 2009. Carolina has scored 30 or more points 18. times in the last three seasons.
- Sam Howell threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns and North Carolina topped Duke 38-7 on Saturday, Oct. 2, keeping hold of the coveted Victory Bell for a third straight year. Howell is now second in the ACC — and among the top 10 in the nation — in points-responsible for this season with 104.
- Sam Howell has led Carolina to a 3-0 record in home games this season. He has 11 touchdowns, one interception and is averaging 326.7 passing yards per game on 53 of 82 passing attempts.
- Sophomore wide receiver Josh Downs has been Sam Howell’s favorite target each of the first four weeks of the 2021 season. Downs is tied for the ACC lead in receptions (40) and tops the conference with 620 receiving yards. His six receiving TDs are second in the league. All three figures rank top-10 in the nation. Downs has a TD catch in six-straight games dating back to last year’s Orange Bowl.
- North Carolina ranks fourth in the ACC with 496.8 yards of total offense per game. The Tar Heels exceeded 600 yards in back-to-back games against Georgia State and Virginia. UNC’s 118 points over those two weeks were tied for the 2nd most points in consecutive games.
- The Tar Heels are averaging 587.3 yards per game at home – 607 yards against Georgia
State, 699 against Virginia and 456 against Duke.
- Carolina had a season-high five sacks against Duke on Oct. 2. Five different Tar Heels registered sacks, one each coming from Tomon Fox, Tomari Fox, Myles Murphy, Chris Colllins and Kevin Hester, Jr. Hester’s sack caused a fumble that was picked up and returned 63 yards for a touchdown by Trey Morrison.
- Tennessee transfer Ty Chandler ranks sixth in the ACC with 84.6 rushing yards per game and is tied for ninth with four rushing touchdowns. Chandler rushed for a career-high 198 yards and Carolina racked up 392 yards on the ground against Virginia on Sept. 18.
- Carolina already has seven takeaways on defense through five games in 2021. The Tar Heels are more than halfway to the 11 turnovers they created in 2020. Ja’Qurious Conley has a pair of interceptions and a fumble recovery. Power Echols has a pick and Desmond Evans has scooped up one fumble. Cam’Ron Kelly had an interception against Duke and Trey Morrison scooped and scored from 63 yards out against the Blue Devils.
- Sophomore defensive lineman Myles Murphy is enjoying a breakout sophomore season. He leads the team with three sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. He has at least one sack in three of the last four games, and had 2.5 TFL alone against Duke.
- Sophomore linebacker Kaimon Rucker has started the last four games and ranks second on the team with 2.5 sacks and 4.0 TFls. His best game of the season came against Virginia with two sacks, a forced fumble and five total tackles.
About FSU
- Jordan Travis broke Florida State’s program record for career rushing yards by a quarterback during his career-high 113-yard performance against Syracuse. Travis, who broke FSU’s single-season quarterback rushing record last season, has 932 rushing yards in 16 career games to break 1993 Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward’s previous record of 889 yards.
- The Seminoles were a perfect 6-for-6 in the Red Zone against Syracuse, scoring four touchdowns and two field goals. It was Florida State’s most Red Zone conversions against an ACC opponent since converting all six Red Zone trips for points vs. Boston College on Nov. 11, 2016.
- In the last six quarters FSU’s defense has held opponents to only 3-of-20 (.150) on 3rd-down conversion attempts and 0-for-4 (.000) on 4th-down conversion attempts.
- Florida State has been flagged for a total of seven penalties for 60 yards over its past two games (4 for 30 vs. Louisville, 3 for 30 vs. Syracuse). Those are the fewest penalties and penalty yards over a two-game stretch since 2014 when FSU combined for seven penalties for 55 yards at Miami (2 for 15) and vs. Boston College (5 for 40).
- FSU has produced a 100-yard rusher in four of its first five games of 2021. Running back Jashaun Corbin has three 100-yard games, the 3rd-highest total in the ACC, and quarterback Jordan Travis has one 100-yard game.
- Jashaun Corbin ranks 1st in the ACC and 4th nationally with his average of 8.13 yards per carry this season. His ACC lead is more than 1.5 yards per rush as the next-closest ACC rusher is averaging 6.51 yards per rush. In records dating back to 2000, his average is 4th-highest among all ACC rushers through the first five games of a season with a minimum of 60 carries.
- Florida State is tied for 4th in the country with five plays of at least 60 yards this season. FSU’s two rushing plays of at least 70 yards are 1st in the ACC and tied for 3rd nationally.
- The Seminoles rank 5th in the ACC and tied for 35th in the NCAA with an average of 2.80 sacks per game, led by Jermaine Johnson II’s ACC-high 6.0 total sacks that rank 2nd in the country. Johnson also is tied for 1st in the ACC and for 7th nationally with 8.0 total tackles for loss.
UNC vs FSU
- The last four games in the series have seen each team win twice with UNC coming out on top in 2010 and 2016, while FSU were winners in 2009 and 2020. All four games have been decided by three points or less. The combined score of the four games has FSU enjoying a slim 131-129 advantage.
- Carolina is 1-7 all-time at home against the Seminoles, the lone win coming in 2001.
- Carolina’s first win in the FSU series was a 41-9 victory over the No. 6 Seminoles in 2001. At the time, it was highest ranked opponent Carolina had ever defeated according to the AP poll records. Three years later in 2004, the Tar Heels knocked off No. 4 Miami. The 2001 game came just two weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
- UNC’s last win in the series came in 2016 when Nick Weiler made a 54-yard field goal as time expired to knock off the 12th-ranked Noles.
- FSU has been ranked in all but three of the previous 20 meetings.
- Mack Brown has never beaten his alma mater in 10 previous meetings with Florida State. He lost three matchups at Tulane between 1985-87 and is 0-7 during his time in Chapel Hill.
How to Watch
Television: ESPN
Stream: WatchESPN
On-Air Time: 3:30 p.m.
Announcers: Bob Wischusen, play-by-play; Dan Orlovsky, analyst; Kris Budden, sideline