While families are trick-or-treating Saturday night, the college football world will have its eyes on Kenan Stadium. At 7:30 p.m., UNC will host top-ranked Miami (FL) in the game to watch.
North Carolina is coming off an embarrassing, 31-30 loss to Syracuse in overtime
last weekend. The game-winning, 2-point conversion is still debated amongst Tar Heel (4-3, 2-2 ACC) circles, but relying on that call for victory is never good news.The Hurricanes (7-0, 5-0 ACC) are destroying virtually everyone in their path, with an in-state rivalry clash with Florida State their only one-score game. Miami took advantage of a short-handed Pitt team last weekend, dominating 52-23 behind a nearly-400-yard passing performance from Duke transfer Darian Mensah.
UNC
is better than its record shows, though bowl eligibility is two victories away. North Carolina played each of its first seven games close, even leading Notre Dame early and coming within a point in the third quarter. The Tar Heels led Syracuse (3-4, 1-4 ACC) throughout, but a bad defensive performance and inconsistent offense cost them College GameDay.
If you're looking at this season alone, the Hurricanes should beat UNC by a wide margin on Halloween. North Carolina has five straight wins in the series, though, including a 41-31 victory at home in 2023.
The Tar Heels have the talent to stage a historic upset, but Miami is red-hot. UNC has a solid pass rush, despite slowing down in recent weeks, while North Carolina's running back room and pass-catchers can cause trouble for anyone.
As you prepare for Saturday night's showdown, let's take a look at five memorable Tar Heels wins in this ACC rivalry series.
2022
UNC's last trip to the ACC Championship game was 2022, when it lost by 29 against Clemson. En route to that conference title game appearance, North Carolina beat Miami 27-24, behind a 309-yard passing performance from Drake Maye.
The Tar Heels survived a career passing day from Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who threw for 496 yards. UNC picked Van Dyke off in the closing seconds and secured a big win.
2021
North Carolina edged Miami in a high-scoring, 45-42 victory from Chapel Hill in 2021. Sam Howell delivered an all-time performance in this win, totaling 252 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns.
Cedric Gray, another future NFL star on the Tar Heels' 2021 roster, picked off Van Dyke with six seconds left to thwart the Hurricanes' comeback attempt.
2020
2020 was a crazy year, with COVID-19 virtually shutting down the entire world. On one October afternoon in Miami, UNC faced the Hurricanes in a record-setting result.
Michael Carter and Javonte Williams, both now playing in the NFL, combined for an NCAA-record 544 rushing yards in a 62-26 domination of Miami.
Carter ran for 308 yards and a pair of scores, while Williams added 236 yards and three scores. To this day, no running back duo comes remotely close to what happened that afternoon in South Florida.
With No. 1 Miami coming to town this weekend, a game I’ll never forget
— Trevor Williams (@heels365) October 28, 2026
Michael Carter: 308 rushing yards
Javonte Williams: 236 rushing yards
544 combined as UNC ran all over Miami in a 62-26 win.
Five years later and it still stands as the FBS record for most rushing yards by… pic.twitter.com/R9ELJXAfxX
2012
Anyone else remember how much excitement Gio Bernard created whenever he stepped on a football field? Back in 2012, Bernard was the main reason behind a significant Tar Heel victory.
Running for 177 yards and his team's lone two touchdowns, Bernard anchored North Carolina's 18-14 victory at Miami in 2012.
The Tar Heels survived 15 penalties to beat the Hurricanes this game, their first road win under then-head coach Larry Fedora.
2004
22 years ago, UNC delivered one of its most memorable upsets in program history. Facing a Miami team contending for the National Championship, North Carolina entered this 2004 battle with a losing record and little hope.
Darian Durant drove the Tar Heels 65 yards into field goal range, freshman kicker Connor Barth drilled a 42-yard field goal and fans stormed the field, as UNC upset fourth-ranked Miami 31-28.
Freshman Connor Barth nails a 42-yard game-winning field goal as time expires on October 30, 2004, lifting the Tar Heels to a stunning 31-28 upset over Miami. https://t.co/mzlnrCErKn pic.twitter.com/0FVqsPLsKi
— Chris Smith (@chrismithunc) October 28, 2026
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Re-visiting UNC-Miami ahead of Saturday's primetime ACC battle
