Virginia @ North Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 22, 2016 ) North Carolina 35, Virginia 14

Virginia looks to continue its best start in 10 years when it visits North Carolina on Saturday for the 122nd meeting between the ACC rivals. Behind three touchdown passes by Kurt Benkert and a solid defensive effort that allowed 255 total yards, the Cavaliers picked up a 28-21 win over Duke in their conference opener last week.

Their 4-1 opening marks the program's best since it began the 2007 campaign with a 7-1 record en route to a 9-4 finish. "Its just a new standard," senior receiver Doni Dowling told reporters. "We're trying to set a new standard for Virginia football. When you hear Virginia football we want there to be a ring to it." The Tar Heels are headed in another direction with three consecutive losses - the latest a 33-10 setback against Notre Dame in which they had three turnovers and 10 penalties. North Carolina has won the last seven meetings, including a 35-14 victory in Charlottesville a season ago.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, RSN. LINE: Virginia -3.5

ABOUT VIRGINIA (4-1, 1-0 ACC): The Cavaliers are thriving on third down on both sides of the ball, finally getting the results of what head coach Bronco Mendenhall called "a huge point of emphasis" when he arrived to run the program last year. They enter the week's action ranked 10th in the country with a 49.4 percent success rate on third down after converting 8-of-18 against the Blue Devils, and Mendenhall's defense is 11th-best at 26.8 percent. Benkert is tied for second in the ACC in TD passes (13) and fellow senior Andre Levrone ranks third in the country in yards per catch (25.1).

NORTH CAROLINA (1-5, 0-3): The Tar Heels have produced 34 points during their three-game slide - a troubling trend for an offensive mind such as head coach Larry Fedora, whose unit led the nation in yards per play just two years ago. "I take a lot of pride in what we do," Fedora told reporters. "So I do get frustrated. I want our guys to be perfect and I want to put them in a position where they can be perfect. Understanding that we'll never get that, but what we're seeing right now is just a whole multitude of issues that we've got to get cleaned up." Freshman Chazz Surratt completed a season-low 45.2 percent of his passes last week and threw an interception for the third straight game.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Benkert was held to 126 passing yards - just four more than his season low - and no TDs in last year's loss to the Tar Heels.

2. Cavaliers RB Jordan Ellis leads the ACC with 103 carries and is eighth in yards with 408.

3. Virginia is eighth in FBS in time of possession (33:48), while North Carolina is 119th (26:02).

PREDICTION: Virginia 24, North Carolina 20