Tag: drake Maye

Drake Maye makes big move in quarterback rankings

UNC football quarterback Drake Maye has climbed the updated quarterback rankings after Week 5.

UNC football quarterback Drake Maye continues to impress in his first season starting and has the Tar Heels at 4-1 overall going into a big matchup against Miami this weekend.

While UNC’s defense has struggled for the most part, the one constant about the Tar Heels has been the play of Maye. The quarterback has thrown for 1,594 yards, 19 touchdowns, and just 1 interception. He’s also rushed for 255 yards and three touchdowns on the year.

After Maye led UNC to a win over Virginia Tech in which he set a career-high for passing yards in just three quarters, he continues to get some more national respect.

CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli released his weekly quarterback rankings and Maye has climbed all the way to No. 2 on his list:

I can’t decide if playing on a team with a terrible defense is better for Maye or if it’ll hold him back. On the one hand, he gets to put up monster numbers because his team is unlikely to blow out many opponents. On the other hand, QBs are so often linked to overall team success that he’s not likely to garner much attention for individual awards if his team is losing games because the defense can’t stop anybody. (3)

The Bryce Young injury does make an impact on this list but Maye has been top 5 for a few weeks now. He’s climbed from No. 3 to No. 2 in a week and if he continues to play like this, could he potentially challenge C.J. Stroud for the top spot?

Let’s just hope Maye continues to play at a high level because it will be good things for the Tar Heels.

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UNC offensive keys to the game vs Miami

Taking a look at the offensive keys to the game for the UNC football program as it takes on Miami this weekend.

The UNC football program looks to build on its most successful and all-around performance last weekend when it travels to Miami this week.

The Tar Heels sit at 4-1 and take on a struggling Miami (2-2) program that lost to Middle Tennessee State before its bye week.

Offensively, North Carolina seemingly can’t be stopped and continues to show new ways to get its playmakers involved. Quarterback Drake Maye continues to be one of the top players under center around the country and each week he gets better.

Miami enters this week with a defense that has struggled to contain the pass — a recipe for disaster going up against Maye.

Either way, the Tar Heels will face a hungry Miami squad looking to rebound from a tough start to the season.

Here are the keys to the game for the UNC offense.

Miami HC Mario Cristobal on Drake Maye: ‘He is as good as it gets in the country’

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal has high praise for UNC football QB Drake Maye, saying he’s ‘as good as it gets in the country’.

As the UNC football program gets ready for a matchup with Miami this weekend, quarterback [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag] continues to receive praise from the opposing coaches around the country.

That trend continued this week as Maye, who has led North Carolina to one of the most explosive offensives in the country, received more compliments from Miami head coach Mario Cristobal.

Cristobal spoke to reporters on Monday and discussed UNC quarterback Drake Maye.

“I think he is as good as it gets in the country. Not only is he a guy that is ultra talented with his arm and he gets rid of the ball quick, he is athletic and there was a dozen times this past Saturday in which he extends drives with his legs and improving stuff. He is unbelievably accurate, he is fast, and he has a good feel for the offense.”

Cristobal is not the only person around college football who has been high on Maye in the last week. ESPN College GameDay Host Reece Davis called Maye the ‘best quarterback in the ACC’ over the weekend.

Maye also received more ACC honors from his play this past weekend, moving his total to two ACC quarterback of the week awards and three ACC rookie of the week awards.

Maye has thrown for 1,594 yards with 19 touchdowns and just one interception this season. He has completed 69.7 percent of his passes. His passing yards are ranked No. 6 in the country, while his 19 touchdowns are tied for first.

Miami is sitting at 2-2 right now and coming off of a bye week following a head-scratching home loss to Middle Tennessee State.

The Tar Heels sit at 4-1 following its best all-around performance last week against Virginia Tech.

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Drake Maye picks up more ACC honors after beating Virginia Tech

UNC football quarterback Drake Maye has earned more honors for his play as the ACC named him the quarterback and rookie of the week.

UNC football quarterback Drake Maye continues to make a good impression not only on Tar Heels’ fans but the national media as well. And his week 5 performance against Virginia Tech has him earning more honors.

Maye picked up a pair of honors from the Atlantic Coast Conference on Monday, being named the quarterback of the week and rookie of the week for his play. Maye has been honored two other times this season as he continues to rack up the accolades and awards.

The quarterback had 436 total yards of offense in the win for the Tar Heels, including setting a new career high in passing yards with 363. He threw three touchdowns while rushing for two more in the game.

This is Maye’s second ACC quarterback of the week award and his third ACC rookie of the week award.

Maye and the Tar Heels will look to get to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in ACC play when they travel to Miami to take on the Hurricanes this Saturday.

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North Carolina’s defense steps up in a blowout win against Virginia Tech

The North Carolina Tar Heels’ defense steps up in a statement win over Virginia Tech, moving to 4-1 on the season.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are now 3-1 following a big 41-10 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday, opening up Atlantic Coast Conference play with a big win.

And a big reason why was because of the Tar Heels’ defense.

North Carolina started the game sluggish, punting on their first drive and watching the Hokies kick a field goal right after.  However, after that, UNC saw a fire ignite on both sides of the ball.

The Drake Maye-led offense drove down the field for 75 yards leading to a passing touchdown to tight end Kamari Morales.

The next Tech possession went for 19-yards before UNC forced them to punt.

North Carolina then drove down the field again for 85 yards leading to a Maye rushing touchdown. Pressure has been echoing for Gene Chizik’s defense to step up all year, and they did just that the next drive, with Cedric Gray giving Hokies quarterback Grant Wells his sixth interception of the season.

UNC’s offense rewarded the defense by Maye tossing a 16-yard touchdown to Antoine Green two seconds later. After both teams punted, North Carolina’s defense gave up their first touchdown of the game late, with Wells having a rushing touchdown of his own. With just 28 seconds left to play, Maye led the UNC to field goal range for a quick field goal right in the middle of the upright.

UNC went into the half up 24-10.

The second half was all UNC as they forced Virginia Tech to a punt on their opening drive of the third quarter. North Carolina answered the Hokies’ punt with Maye’s second rushing touchdown stemming from a 94-yard, four-minute drive.

UNC forced the Hokies to punt, resulting in North Carolina putting another field goal on the ensuing drive. The defense stayed stout, making Virginia Tech punt for the fifth time of the day with UNC answering back with Maye tossing his third passing touchdown of the game, this time to Bryson Nesbit.

After that, North Carolina continued to pour it on Virginia Tech, getting to the point where backups came in, and we got a glimpse of backup quarterback Jacolby Criswell. The defense dominated all game, shutting out Virginia’s offense in the second half.

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Drake Maye sets new career high in passing yards

UNC football quarterback Drake Maye has set a new career high in passing yards in the win over Virginia Tech.

Drake Maye’s fantastic season continued on Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill as the Tar Heels jumped out all over Virginia Tech in the Week 5 matchup between Atlantic Coast Conference foes.

After falling behind 3-0, the Tar Heels responded with 21 unanswered points and took a 24-10 lead at the break. In the second half, they broke it open by scoring 17-straight points backed by Maye.

The quarterback finished the day completing 26 of his 36 attempts for 363 yards and 3 touchdowns, He also added 73 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on the day. The 363 passing yards are a new career high for Maye, breaking his previous record of 352 yards against Appalachian State in Week 1.

What’s even more impressive is Maye accomplished the feat in three quarters as he was pulled in the fourth with UNC up big.

Maye continues to be UNC’s best player and with receivers Josh Downs and Antoine Green getting healthy, the quarterback could continue to get even better down the stretch run this season.

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ESPN analyst calls Drake Maye the best QB in the ACC

Drake Maye continues to earn some national praise as ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis was the latest to compliment him.

While a lot of the headlines surrounding North Carolina’s 2022 season have been around the defense, one player, in particular, has earned some national attention.

Quarterback [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag] has been UNC’s best player by far and on Saturday ahead of the game against Virginia Tech, he earned some more national recognition. On ESPN’s College GameDay, host Rece Davis made a bold statement about Maye’s game and gave him a big compliment.

Davis called Maye the best quarterback in the Atlantic Coast Conference, better than players like Sam Hartman, DJ Uiagalelei, and Devin Leary among others. Inside Carolina’s Ross Martin had the tweet on Davis’ quote:

Maye has had a big start to the 2022 season, throwing for 16 touchdowns and over 1,200 yards with just one interception. He’s been a big reason why UNC is 3-1 on the year and looking to go 4-1 against Virginia Tech.

If Maye can continue to play like this, it should bode well for UNC’s chances this season and potentially his individual success as well.

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UNC QB Drake Maye left off USA TODAY Sports’ Top 10 QB rankings

UNC football quarterback Drake Maye was snubbed on the list of top quarterbacks by the USA TODAY.

Drake Maye has had a big year for the North Carolina Tar Heels, leading the offense as they are 3-1 through four games. That lone loss came last Saturday at home to Notre Dame, in a game where UNC’s defense let them down again.

Maye won the starting job this offseason and has thrown for 16 touchdowns and just 1 interception so far.

That was good enough for him to make the CBS Sports list of top quarterbacks this season, however, he was not listed in Paul Myerberg’s updated rankings.

Instead, it was just Sam Hartman as the lone ACC quarterback on the list, joining C.J. Stroud (Ohio State), Bryce Young (Alabama) Hendon Hooker (Tennessee) , Caleb Williams (Southern California), Stetson Bennett (Georgia), Sam Hartman (Wake Forest), Jalon Daniels (Kansas), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) and Todd Centeio (James Madison).

That’s a little disappointing, seeing that Maye has been among the top quarterbacks so far this season. All there is left for Maye to do is continue to play better and force Myerberg’s hand to include him in the list eventually.

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CBS Sports moves Drake Maye up in quarterback rankings

UNC quarterback Drake Maye has been ranked as a top quarterback by CBS Sports so far this season.

If there’s been one constant positive for the UNC football program this season it’s been the play of quarterback [autotag]Drake Maye.[/autotag]

The redshirt freshman won the starting job this offseason and has been fantastic for the Tar Heels so far. Maye has thrown just one interception while tossing 16 touchdowns and 1,231 passing yards. He’s been the best player on UNC’s team this season and it hasn’t been close.

But what’s the national perspective on Maye going into Week 5 against Virginia Tech?

CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli released his updated quarterback rankings after four weeks of play, and sitting in the top 3 is…..Drake Maye:

We still love Drake Maye around here. The Tar Heels might have lost to Notre Dame last week, but it wasn’t Maye’s fault. The same Irish defense that held Stroud to 223 yards and two touchdowns allowed 301 yards and five touchdowns to Maye last weekend. The kid is elite, and I can only imagine the numbers he’d put up if he got the chance to face the North Carolina secondary. (4)

Maye moved up one spot from last week’s ranking of No. 4 and trails just C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young, two Heisman candidates, in the rankings.

Let’s see if Maye can continue his hot play and climb the rankings even more.

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5 things to watch for in UNC football vs Virginia Tech matchup

As North Carolina set to host Virginia Tech, we take a look at a few key things you should know before you watch.

The 3-1 North Carolina Tar Heels will host the 2-2 Virginia Tech Hokies this weekend as Atlantic Coast Conference play begins for Mack Brown’s team.

UNC is coming into this ACC showdown with pressure to bounce back after receiving their first loss on the season. Their 45-32 defeat to Notre Dame was heartbreaking as North Carolina’s momentum to cracking the Associated Press top 25 got put on hold.

Notre Dame completely dominated UNC’s defense and it showed especially in that second half. Meanwhile, their offense struggled to keep up. North Carolina allowed 287 rushing yards and 289 passing yards with six total touchdowns.

The nightmare game showcased UNC’s most significant weakness, highlighting gaps in the defense.

Now, UNC will look to fix those defensive struggles against Virginia Tech to get their season back on track. A must-win game for North Carolina to restart their climb into the top 25 and give them confidence for their game against the Miami Hurricanes.

(Watch and stream Saturday’s game live on ESPN+)

Before the Saturday game, we look at five things to watch for in this ACC matchup.