North Carolina
Virginia Football vs. North Carolina Game Preview, Score Prediction
Virginia and North Carolina will renew the South’s Oldest Rivalry for the 129th time on Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers are looking to snap a two-game losing skid, while the Tar Heels are hoping to get back in the win column for the first time in more than a month, as they come in having lost their last four games. Both teams are desperate for a win, but only one will leave Scott Stadium with a key ACC victory on Saturday.
Read on for a full preview of Virginia vs. North Carolina with everything you need to know, including game details and notes, an opponent scouting report, what to watch for, and a score prediction.
Who: Virginia Cavaliers (4-3, 2-2 ACC) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (3-4, 0-3 ACC)
When: Saturday, October 26th at 12pm ET
Where: Scott Stadium (61,500) in Charlottesville, Virginia
How to watch: The CW Network
How to listen: SiriusXM 138 or 194, SXM App 956 | Virginia Sports Radio Network
All-time series: North Carolina leads 65-59-4
Last meeting: Virginia defeated then-No. 10 North Carolina 31-27 on October 21st, 2023 in Chapel Hill.
Read Virginia’s injury report for the North Carolina game here: UVA Football Week 9 Injury Report: James Jackson, Antonio Clary, Ty Furnish
See below for UVA’s week 9 depth chart for the UNC game:
2023: 8-5, 4-4 ACC
2024: 3-4, 0-3 ACC
The post-Drake Maye era of North Carolina football opened with a gutsy victory at Minnesota, but starting quarterback Max Johnson went down with a season-ending injury, bringing even more uncertainty to the most important position on the field for the Heels. Things have stabilized a bit on that front, with Jacolby Criswell emerging as the new starter. Criswell has had a unique college football journey, as he started his career at UNC in 2020 before transferring to Arkansas, where he played in eight games over the next three seasons before heading back to Chapel Hill.
Criswell has played fine enough, throwing for 1,367 yards and eight touchdowns to three interceptions, but the engine of the UNC offense is All-American running back and possible first round NFL Draft pick Omarion Hampton. The ACC’s leading rusher and the fourth-leading rusher in the country, Hampton has 901 yards and seven touchdowns and has rushed for at least 100 yards in six out of the seven games so far this season. Hampton had a decent, but not incredible game against Virginia last season, rushing for 112 yards on 19 carries.
Despite having to figure out a difficult quarterback position, UNC started the year 3-0 and should have started 4-0 if not for a horrendous defensive performance against James Madison in which the Tar Heels surrendered 611 yards of total offense and suffered a mind-boggling 70-50 defeat on their home field. That game did not mark the start of a spiral for the UNC defense, which held Duke to 20 points the following week, but lost 21-20. But consistency has eluded the Heels on the defensive side of the ball, as then came a 34-24 loss to a still-unbeaten Pittsburgh team and a 41-34 defeat to Georgia Tech to drop them to 3-4 overall.
North Carolina ranks in the bottom of the ACC in most defensive categories (14th scoring defense, 15th total defense, 12th pass defense, 15th rushing defense) despite having a number of quality defensive playmakers, including linebacker Power Echols, who leads the Heels with 48 total tackles, defensive lineman Jahvaree Ritzie, who leads the team with five sacks, and linebacker Amare Campbell, who paces UNC with 6.0 tackles for loss.
Omarion Hampton vs. UVA Run Defense
After giving up fewer than 100 rushing yards against Coastal Carolina and Boston College, the Virginia defense has regressed since then, allowing 177 yards on the ground to Louisville and then a season-high 194 yards to Clemson last weekend. It’s more important than ever that the Cavaliers get their run defense back on track as they face the ACC’s leading rusher Omarion Hampton, who has the ability to take over the game with a couple of big runs and, perhaps more importantly, the potential the give his team a crucial edge in time of possession if the Heels are able to run the ball at will.
Time of Possession, Third Down Conversions
Speaking of time of possession, neither team has been particularly consistent in winning the possession battle and both teams are mediocre in terms of converting on third downs and getting off the field on third downs on defense. Virginia ranks 13th in the ACC in third down conversions (35.8%) and North Carolina ranks 12th (37.9%), while UVA ranks 12th in opponent third down conversions (38.0%) and UNC ranks 8th (33.7%). In a game that could be dominated by the offenses, whichever team can come up with the crucial third down stop and get off the field will likely win the game.
Dynamic, but Careful Anthony Colandrea
In a game that could very turn into a shootout, the Cavaliers may need the gunslinging version of Anthony Colandrea to come out in this one, but they also need him to continue to protect the ball. He’s gone the last four games without throwing an interception and that streak needs to continue, but Virginia also needs him to take a few more risks in order to cash in on big plays, the type of plays that the Cavaliers didn’t hit on in the Clemson game until it was too late. Colandrea has shown he can be smart with the football, but now he needs to show he can be dynamic, while still being careful.
With their last win coming back on September 14th and their last ACC win coming in November of 2023, the Tar Heels are desperate for a victory. But the Cavaliers need to play with some desperation as well. Their closing four-game stretch (at No. 19 Pitt, at No. 12 Notre Dame, vs. No. 22 SMU, at Virginia Tech) is a brutal one and their best paths to picking up the two more wins needed to reach bowl eligibility all have this Saturday’s contest labeled as a must-win game. It might take a shootout, but Virginia comes away with a pivotal win and hands North Carolina its fifth-straight loss.
Score prediction: North Carolina 31, Virginia 37
UVA Football: Players to Watch in Virginia vs. North Carolina
Virginia Football Bowl Projections Heading Into Week 9
UVA Football Week 9 Injury Report: James Jackson, Antonio Clary, Ty Furnish
Virginia Football Depth Chart vs. North Carolina | Takeaways, Analysis
Virginia Football: ACC Football Week 9 Power Rankings
North Carolina
North Carolina couple accused of causing vulture invasion sued by furious town: ‘Not good neighbors’
A North Carolina couple accused of luring hordes of vultures to their home and unleashing chaos on neighbors for years is being hauled to court by fed-up town officials desperate to end the feathered frenzy.
The Town of Hillsborough slapped residents Kenneth and Linda Ostrand with a civil petition, seeking a court order to shut down their relentless bird-feeding habit, blamed for allegedly drawing dozens of winged scavengers to their home and terrorizing their small town for the past two years.
“They’re a little spooky to be frank,” concerned neighbor Holden Richards told WTVD.
“Everybody thinks they’re ugly and stuff but they’re not good neighbors. They have sharp talons, so they’re not great animals to have perching on your house. I watched them pick tiles off my neighbor’s roof and I found tiles from my roof in my front yard, so I have a feeling that’s exactly where they came from.”
The bird-brained couple is accused of leaving out food scraps for vultures, allegedly reeling in the feathered predators that have swarmed and roosted near their house, leaving foul-smelling droppings on neighbors’ homes and vehicles and causing widespread property damage deemed a risk to public safety.
The complaint, filed in March, also claims the twisted pair named the birds of prey – with eerie photos submitted to the court showing dozens of vultures circling their Queens Street home, the outlet reported.
“I’m pretty sure that every one of my neighbors has probably called,” Richards said, pointing to a flood of complaints made to town officials since May 2024.
The Ostrands reportedly filed a motion to dismiss the town’s case last month, denying the accusations.
Linda Ostrand, a longtime wildlife rescuer, told WTVD she is being unfairly targeted by her community and claimed the circling creatures were already an issue before she moved into the neighborhood.
“It’s sort of, it’s ridiculous, is what it is,” Linda said, noting the town changed an ordinance after the initial wave of complaints to ban wildlife feeding beyond standard feeders.
“If people didn’t have vultures around here you would hear them screaming bloody murder about the town not cleaning up the animals that have been hit by cars, because that’s what they do, they are nature’s garbage disposal,” she continued.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, tell the vultures that this is a no-feed zone. I just don’t know.”
No court date has reportedly been scheduled for the couple’s fight with the town.
North Carolina
Businesses worry of potential impacts as Marion tightens water restrictions amid drought
MARION, N.C. (WLOS) — The City of Marion is tightening water restrictions as drought conditions persist across western North Carolina, prompting local businesses to prepare for possible impacts on daily operations.
The drought monitor released on Thursday, May 14, shows that extreme drought now covers 90% of western North Carolina.
ASHEVILLE IS MORE THAN 7 INCHES BELOW AVERAGE RAINFALL THIS YEAR, DATA SHOWS
As the region continues moving into a hotter and drier pattern, the City of Marion officials announced Stage Two water shortage restrictions less than a month after issuing a Stage One Water Advisory.
Businesses in Marion said the quick escalation is raising concerns about what could come next if drought conditions persist.
“They put us in stage one at the end of April and already it’s not through, it’s not the end of May and they’re already putting us in stage two,” said Barbara Brown, owner of Bruce’s.
Under the Stage Two restrictions, watering lawns, gardens and golf courses will be prohibited. Washing cars, filling residential swimming pools and serving water in restaurants except upon request will not be allowed.
Brown said her restaurant is already taking steps to conserve water.
“We check the bathrooms often to make sure people have turned the water off because we have found from time to time, people leave them running,” she added.
She said she worries stronger restrictions could eventually force businesses to make bigger operational changes.
“I’m concerned that eventually we might have to go to paper plates, paper cups, silverware,” Brown said.
Other businesses are also considering adjustments.
Kat Garner, a tattoo artist at Blue Ridge Tattoo, said water shortages could affect how the shop operates day to day.
LEADERS URGE WATER CONSERVATION AS DROUGHT DEEPENS ACROSS WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
“We would definitely be reduced to using distilled water for everything, which would become harder if everyone’s buying it out, so that would definitely make things a little bit more difficult,” Garner said.
The Stage Two water restrictions are set to begin Friday, May 15, at 8 a.m. and will last until further notice.
North Carolina
Police: North Carolina man charged after high-speed chase in Erie County, arrested in the Town of Perry
PERRY, N.Y. — A North Carolina man is in custody after a chase that started in Erie County and ended with an arrest in Perry.
Wyoming County Sheriff’s deputies say Ericson Vasquez-Moran, 22, rammed a Border Patrol vehicle in Erie County around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday before taking off. The suspect was spotted in Warsaw on Route 20A, but a chase was called off due to high speeds.
Then around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, deputies say Vasquez-Moran called 911 from Perry to surrender.
He’s charged with speeding, failure to keep right, unlawful fleeing a police officer, reckless driving, and reckless endangerment in the second degree.
Vasquez-Moran was given an appearance ticket for the Village of Warsaw Court and was released to the custody of the United States Border Patrol.
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