North Carolina @ Tennessee preview

The Skinny: This appears to be an even matchup of teams that have overcome a variety of obstacles. Tennessee sat at 2-6 two months ago, but won its last four games by an average of 24 points to finish 6-6. The young Volunteers struggled early in the season under first-year coach Derek Dooley but battled in every game, including a 16-13 loss to highly-ranked LSU on the last play of the game.

North Carolina suspended 15 players for the season opener and three of them – potential first-round picks – didn’t play a down all season. The Heels lost their first two games and two of their last three, finishing 7-5. They were a Top 25 preseason pick but needed a narrow 24-19 win over last-place Duke in the season finale to finish above .500.

Point spread: North Carolina -1.5. Over/under – 50.

Tennessee’s Edge: The Volunteers played their best football down the stretch. They beat Mississippi by 38 points and held a Kentucky team that averaged 33 points to two touchdowns in a 24-14 win. Their late-season surge was sparked by freshman quarterback Tyler Bray, who is surrounded by a talented group of receivers, including Denarius Moore and Gerald Jones. Also fueling the win streak, the defense didn’t allow more than 14 points in any of the last four games.

North Carolina’s Edge: The Tar Heels, too, possess a potent passing attack led by T.J. Yates, yet their biggest edge may be their experience. This is nothing new for coach Butch Davis and the Heels, playing in their third straight bowl game. The 23-year old Yates is a battle-tested senior. North Carolina also has a slight edge in total defense, with some proven standouts at linebacker and in the secondary.

The Quarterbacks: Bray ignited the Volunteers from the moment he took the starting job. In his first start he threw for five touchdowns in the first half. Bray averaged 333 yards and three touchdowns per game in his four starts. Tennessee averaged nearly 250 yards passing a game (36th in the country) and that number likely would’ve been considerably higher had Bray started all year.

A four-year starter, Yates has racked up more than 9,100 passing yards in his career, including 3,184 yards and 18 touchdowns this season for North Carolina. Yates threw for 439 yards and three touchdowns against Florida State and 412 against LSU, one of the top defenses in the country. The Heels averaged 266 passing yards (25th).

NFL Prospects: Tennessee – LB Chris Walker; TE Luke Stocker. North Carolina – LB Bruce Carter; LB Quan Sturdivant; CB Charles Brown; QB T.J. Yates.
Bowl history: Tennessee is 25-23 all-time. The Vols lost 37-14 to Virginia Tech in the 2009 Chick-Fil-A Bowl and in 2008 beat Wisconsin 21-17 in the Outback Bowl.

North Carolina is 12-15 all-time. The Heels have lost their last three bowls, including a 19-17 loss to Pittsburgh in the 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl. Their last bowl win was the 2001 Peach Bowl, a 16-10 win over Auburn.

Etc.: This matchup comes several months earlier than originally anticipated. Tennessee and North Carolina were scheduled to meet in 2011 and 2012 but the Volunteers backed out of the home-and-away series. It’s the first matchup of these teams from bordering states since 1961.