San Diego State @ North Carolina preview

No. 23 North Carolina looks to continue the momentum from its season-opening win when it hosts San Diego State on Saturday. The Tar Heels' offense appeared to be in midseason form in the opener, racking up 56 points and 443 yards of total offense against Liberty. The Aztecs also looked very good in their opener, rolling to a 38-7 rout of Northern Arizona.

Both teams were extremely balanced offensively in their opening wins. North Carolina rushed for 208 yards while passing for 235, and San Diego State had 194 yards on the ground and 205 through the air. Defensively, the Tar Heels had their troubles against Liberty but forced three turnovers in the third quarter to help turn around the game.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPNews. LINE: North Carolina -15

ABOUT SAN DIEGO STATE (1-0): With a younger team on the defensive side of the ball, coach Rocky Long admits he can't use as many exotic defenses as he did last year. Despite allowing only seven points against Northern Arizona, the Aztecs did yield 312 yards of total offense, showing Long that his team needs to keep improving on that side of the ball. “We're not nearly as multiple as we were last year with all of those experienced guys,” Long told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “We don't do as many unorthodox things as we did last year. I say that, and on defense, we're still a lot different than most teams.”

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA (1-0): Coach Larry Fedora was coy with his choice at quarterback throughout the preseason, but after throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for two more, Marquise Williams appears to have the job under wraps. Mitch Trubisky played eight series in the Liberty game, but the job is Williams' to lose now as Fedora named him the starter for the foreseeable future, although Williams claims he's known for a while. “I found out like two weeks ago, to be honest,” Williams said. “I just had to keep it under cover.”

EXTRA POINTS

1. Aztecs QB Quinn Kaehler passed for 205 yards in the win over Northern Arizona, his 13th straight game over 200 yards - the longest streak by a SDSU player since at least 1996.

2. After recording 20 takeaways for all of 2013, North Carolina forced six turnovers — four fumbles, two interceptions — in the win over Liberty.

3. The Tar Heels ran 93 offensive plays against Liberty, the most by a UNC team since 1994 (96 vs. Georgia Tech).

PREDICTION: North Carolina 31, San Diego State 21