UNC football’s loss to Notre Dame helped spur Heels’ win streak, run to ACC title game

There are North Carolina fans who wonder if the ACC Coastal Division champions could avenge their only loss in a rematch now.

Tight end Kamari Morales isn’t one of them.

Morales said Carolina needed its 45-32 loss to Notre Dame in Week 4 in order to become the team it’s shaped into now. The No. 13 Tar Heels (9-1, 6-0 ACC) ride a six game winning streak into Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech.

“There’s no limit to what this team can achieve,” Morales said. “And I hear people saying, ‘I wish we can get that Notre Dame game back.’ I don’t. It happened the way it was supposed to, it humbled us and honestly, I truly believe that us losing that game is the reason why we haven’t lost again.”

The Heels secured their spot in the ACC championship game against Clemson on Dec. 3 in Charlotte. They’re tied for the program’s third best ranking, at No. 13, in the College Football Playoff poll. And quarterback Drake Maye is getting serious attention as a Heisman Trophy contender.

“I’m really, really proud that right now, we’re relevant again,” UNC coach Mack Brown said. “Right now people are still talking about North Carolina and we hadn’t been in the (ACC) championship game since 2015. So there’s a lot of good things that are popping up here.”

Brown said the best thing was the Heels are “not near satisfied with how we’re playing.”

We shall see at 5:30 p.m. in Kenan Stadium. If there was ever a game to be complacent about, it’s this one. The Yellow Jackets (4-6, 3-4) limp into Kenan Stadium with an interim head coach — Geoff Collins was fired in September; and a backup quarterback — starter Jeff Sims was ruled out indefinitely on Wednesday.

Carolina could already be daydreaming about their matchups with rival N.C. State in the regular season finale on Nov. 25 and Clemson in the title game. Brown believes last season’s loss to the Jackets might prevent that from happening.

“We go to Georgia Tech and just get killed and it was awful,” Brown said. “That’s when all the fans flipped. Everybody quit. Everybody’s disappointed, me too. They totally dominated the game. In fact, the score was 45-22. I looked at it (Monday) morning, it made me throw up.”

He was joking of course, but the best way for the Heels to ensure a settled stomach is to win on Saturday.

How to watch UNC vs Georgia Tech football game

The game will be broadcast on ESPN2. It is also available on the ESPN App and through various subscription apps that carry it, such as Hulu and YouTube TV. The link to watch it is here.

Vegas betting odds

The Heels are a 20.5-point favorite, according to VegasInsider.com’s consensus line.

Pregame reading

• Heisman Trophy watch: How does UNC QB Drake Maye stack up? Latest odds, stats, more

• UNC vs Georgia Tech: Tar Heels vow not to overlook Jackets in potential ‘trap game’

• UNC can finally talk about Coastal crown. What we learned in its win at Wake Forest

• With UNC’s victory at Wake Forest and NC State’s loss, balance of power shifts in NC

• For Mack Brown and UNC, the time is now to fulfill a long-held vision and promise