Tag: drake Maye

The day after: Lasting thoughts on Notre Dame’s win over North Carolina

What still sticks out in your mind?

After a rough first two games the Irish finally righted the ship over the last two weeks. An escape at home against Cal and a very solid road victory should give Marcus Freeman and his team some momentum as they enter the bye week. Yesterday’s 42-35 win was nice, especially on the offensive side. There are still are a few things that stuck out in my mind since the game ended, and here they are.

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The five plays that loomed large in Notre Dame’s win over UNC

Which plays stood out to you in the Irish’s win?

The Irish went into Chapel Hill, North Carolina and stopped another high-powered offense. This time the Notre Dame offense kept their end of the bargain and out-scored a statistically very good North Carolina offense. Not all the scoring plays were big and here are the five plays that ultimately helped Notre Dame defeat North Carolina.

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Twitter reacts to Chris Tyree’s touchdown early in fourth quarter

How about another score?

Although Notre Dame has controlled most of its game against North Carolina, it can’t become complacent. The Heels gave the Irish that reminder when Drake Maye hit Antoine Green for an 80-yard touchdown on the first official play of a possession that occurred after the Irish turned the ball over on downs. That cut the Irish’s lead to 38-20, so it was up to the Irish to respond.

Respond the Irish did with runs, runs and more runs. Aided by some Heels penalties in the red zone, the drive appropriately ended with a 1-yard touchdown from [autotag]Chris Tyree[/autotag]. This sixth touchdown of the game, which made the score 45-20, split the Irish’s touchdowns evenly between running and passing:

Even as the Irish continue to pile up the points, they must remember that the Heels aren’t called one of the best offensive teams in the country for nothing. They must keep fighting until the clock hits zero. In the meantime, here are some Twitter reactions to Tyree’s touchdown:

Twitter reacts to Audric Estime’s go-ahead touchdown before halftime

Notre Dame has found itself trading touchdowns with North Carolina. It’s a little surprising given how little success the Irish have had on offense for the first month of the season, but we’ll take it. The question is whether they can survive a …

Notre Dame has found itself trading touchdowns with North Carolina. It’s a little surprising given how little success the Irish have had on offense for the first month of the season, but we’ll take it. The question is whether they can survive a blow-for-blow game for 60 minutes. The answer to that will come soon enough.

After a game-tying score by [autotag]Michael Mayer[/autotag], the Irish took the lead on a 30-yard play-action touchdown pass from [autotag]Drew Pyne[/autotag] to [autotag]Lorenzo Styles[/autotag]. The Tar Heels responded quickly when Drake Maye hit J.J. Jones for a 43-yard reception to the Notre Dame 3-yard line, then found Josh Downs for his second touchdown of the game three players later. The game wouldn’t stay tied for long as a series of big runs and a couple of nice passes got the Irish to the 1. It was from there that [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] ran into the end zone to put the Irish back in front.

The Irish made the lead 24-14 on a 40-yard field goal from [autotag]Blake Grupe[/autotag], but here’s how Twitter reacted to the go-ahead score:

Let’s get wild, week four: Statistical predictions for Notre Dame at UNC

Who has a big game for the Irish?

The Irish finally got the monkey off their backs and won their first game of the Marcus Freeman era last week and look to start a winning streak. They won’t get an easy opponent as the host Tar Heels can score with the best teams in the country. Notre Dame has gotten better each week and will need to continue that trend in order for them to get their first road victory of the 2022 season. Here are five statistical guesses for the Irish today.

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Five keys for Notre Dame defeating North Carolina

What are your keys?

These two teams are polar opposites of each other. One, Notre Dame, brings in a defense that is among the best squads in the country while they struggle on offense. North Carolina trots out one of the best offenses nationally but their defense won’t help the cause much. There are ways for the Irish to get a much needed road victory and here are five keys for them to do so.

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Drake Maye named a early breakout star

UNC football quarterback Drake Maye has been named a breakout player early on in the 2022 season for his performance through three games.

Drake Maye will lead the unbeaten North Carolina Tar Heels into a Week 4 showdown with a Notre Dame team that is fresh off their first win of the season.

A win moves UNC to 4-0 and likely gets them ranked in the polls as Atlantic Coast Conference play begins a week later. It will also give them more confidence this season to hopefully contend for the Coastal Division.

And a big reason why UNC is in this position is the play of Maye.

The quarterback has been fantastic this season through the first three games, throwing for 930 yards, 11 touchdowns, and just 1 interception. For that hot start this year, Maye was named one of 10 breakout players early on in the season by 247Sports:

Here’s the list of true or redshirt freshmen quarterbacks who have thrown for at least 900 yards and 10 touchdowns while completing at least 70% of their passes through three games since 2000: Spencer Rattler and Drake Maye.

That’s it.

Maye took over as North Carolina’s starting QB this offseason and has arguably been better than his predecessor, Sam Howell.  Maye  currently leads the FBS in passing yards and touchdowns. Yet, the most impressive part of Maye’s season is his success as a deep ball passer. Maye is making some of the most difficult throws for a QB to consistently complete look easy. He is completing 70.4% of his passes on medium-range passes (10-19 yards) and has a 91.6 PFF grade on those passes of 20-plus yards.

Maye will look to keep rolling this year and if he can continue this hot play, it should mean good things for the Tar Heels.

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Opinion: Drake Maye shouldn’t have had to apologize

If you were offended by what North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye said this week, I bet you’re a ton of fun at parties.

Listen, I love college sports.  Perhaps a bit too much if we’re being honest, but there is something different about them.  Even with the amount of money that is now involved in all aspects of it, the purity of it is still significantly greater than the pros.

We saw the NFL’s longest running rivalry this past Sunday night between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers and what was the entire rivalry talk of the telecast?  Things that happened before I was even born.  Sure, it doesn’t help that the series has been one-sided for the last 30 years, but rivalries in the NFL feel like such a flash in the pan compared to what they are in college.

Or at least what they’re supposed to be like.

On the many drives I’ve made down the Indiana Toll Road, I stopped at “The Knute” (aptly named gas station/fast food rest stop roughly 30 miles outside South Bend) before a Notre Dame–Michigan game in 2008.  The first person I saw when I got out of my car wasn’t wearing blue and gold or maize and blue, but instead an Appalachian State shirt.

Being a lifelong Domer I thought it was hilarious gave the guy a fist-pound.

I’ve seen what feel like a million college football themed shirts there and on college campuses over the years that have nothing to do with one’s own team as much as they do ripping a rival in an entirely harmless matter.

NEXT: Why I loved what UNC’s quarterback said this week

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

UNC football vs. Notre Dame: Game preview, info, prediction and more

We take a look at what you need to know for the UNC football program’s matchup against Notre Dame this Saturday.

The 3-0 North Carolina Tar Heels will host 1-2 Notre Dame this Saturday in Chapel Hill, a big game to kickoff UNC’s Power 5 schedule the rest of the way.

UNC comes into this game on a four-game losing streak to the Fighting Irish. The last time North Carolina was victorious against Notre Dame was 2008 when the Tar Heels beat the Fighting Irish 29-24.  .

This game has been UNC’s most anticipated all season, with a win boosting their chances of being ranked. However, Notre Dame’s slow start has dampened that reality and created an opportunity for North Carolina to show their unblemished record is no fluke.

Notre Dame’s biggest threat is their defense, one of the most talented in all college football. Junior defensive lineman, Howard Cross III, has been a force for the Fighting Irish, leading the team with 21 tackles. Their weakness is their offense, only averaging 18.3 points per game. To make it worse for Notre Dame’s offense, they are without quarterback Tyler Buchner, using sophomore Drew Pyne in his place.

Since replacing Buchner in the loss to Marshall, Pyne has completed 20 of 29 passes for 170 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Pyne’s target to watch is wide receiver Lorenzo Styles Jr., team leader in receiving yards with 152 on the season. Michael Mayer is the other threat, leading the team in receptions ( 15) and touchdowns (2).

Tale of the Tape: Leading Rushers – Audric Estime vs. Omarion Hampton

This comparison will make you yawn.

If you’re looking for a game that features a real running backs battle, the contest between Notre Dame and North Carolina won’t be it. While [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] surely thinks it’s cool that he has the most rushing yards for the Irish for three games, it might be slightly concerning for some that [autotag]Chris Tyree[/autotag] hasn’t held onto that distinction to this point. To Estime’s credit, he somewhat proved to be a threat as a receiver against California. Still, what’s happened to the Irish’s running back corps?

The Tar Heels come into this game with Ovarion Hampton as their top rusher. Just like Estime entering last week, Hampton has not had any receptions yet. Then again, why would he need to be when Drake Maye is picking up right where Sam Howell left off in Chapel Hill? Plus, he’s averaging over a touchdown a game, so it’s unlikely he’s feeling like an insignificant part of the offense.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89