Three things we learned from UNC vs Florida A&M

After a slow start, UNC kept the pressure to a dominating finish. We take a look at three things we learned from the season opener.

The UNC football program took care of business Saturday night, beating Florida A&M 56-24.

The Tar Heels had a sluggish start on the defensive end, and luckily their offense did not miss a beat dominating in the passing and running game for most of the night. [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag] had an impressive debut, and UNC fans got a good look at their freshman running back duo of Omarion Hampton and George Pettaway.

UNC did make solid adjustments at halftime, holding FAMU to just 10 points in the second half while scoring 28 of their own. They also improved their rushing attack at the half, rushing in for two scores versus the zero in the first two quarters.

This game was the ideal start of the season for UNC as their journey only gets tougher with Appalachian State and Notre Dame games scheduled within the next three weeks.

Now with UNC officially in the win column, we look at three things we learned from the UNC vs. FAMU game.

Drake Maye puts on ‘one of the best first games’ Mack Brown has seen

UNC football quarterback Drake Maye put together ‘one of the best first games’ Mack Brown has seen in his debut.

One of the biggest questions marks coming into the 2022 season for the UNC football program was how [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag] would perform as the full-time starter this season.

After three years of excellent quarterback play with Sam Howell, the Tar Heels turned the keys over to Maye in what turned out to be ‘one of the best first games’ head coach Mack Brown has ever seen as UNC took down Florida A&M, 56-24.

“Very proud of Drake (Maye). One of the best first games I’ve ever seen,” Brown said postgame. “He was poised. He was accurate. His running ability was good.”

The redshirt freshman Maye was not only sharp from the start, he maintained that poise throughout the entire game. He went 29-of-37 for 294 yards and five touchdowns. He added 55 yards on the ground as well.

Maye’s five touchdowns made him the first North Carolina QB to throw for at least five touchdowns in his first career start.

“I was a little anxious and I get nervous before every game regardless of who it is. So it felt good to be out there with the guys,” Maye said postgame. “I think y’all can see we’ve got a lot of talent, just need to it put together… There were some first-game jitters. I just kind of told myself that I’ve been practicing a year and a half for this. All this work I’ve done, it’s gonna pay off. Just trust the process and trust my teammates.”

The Tar Heels came into the season-opener fresh off of the news that expected starting wide receiver Antione Greene would potentially up to 10 weeks with an injury. Who would step into that role in Greene’s absence was an intriguing storyline. What Maye did, however, was get everyone involved to fill that role.

In total, 10 players caught a pass and seven players caught multiple. AP preseason Second-Team All-American Josh Downs did what was expected and that was leading the Heels with nine grabs for 78 yards. He added two touchdowns.

One piece to the passing game that wasn’t expected to be as popular as it showed up to be, was the use of numerous tight ends. The trio of Kamari Morales, Bryson Nesbit and John Copenhaver combined for eight catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

Maye’s ability to spread the ball across the field was something that Mack Brown was impressed with.

“I thought the fact that the ball was distributed to so many different people is another credit to Drake,” Brown said. “He went to the open guy. I think he had two balls that were short to Josh and other than that I don’t think he threw a bad ball. Maybe the overthrow to Gavin Blackwell and there was someone in his face then, but I thought him distributing the ball like that’s the reason so many guys caught it.”

Despite the numbers Maye put up, there were still some struggles — but that’s to be expected. The fact that he was able to not only work through those early issues but to far exceed expectations for his first career start, shows what North Carolina has under center moving forward into stiffer competition.

“He had to compete to have a place in the (quarterback) room and, and I think like Sam (Howell), he thinks this is what he’s supposed to be doing,” Brown said. “He grew up thinking, ‘I’ll be the quarterback of Carolina.’ And when he committed to Alabama, I said, ‘I’m hanging on, man and you don’t need to be anywhere but here. This is a place where you need to be in school.’ And I think he has a chance to be real good.”

Maye’s next test is next weekend in what will be his first road game as a starting quarterback. The Tar Heels head to feisty Appalachian State.

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UNC dominates in season opener versus Florida A&M

The UNC football team opened the 2022 season with a big win over FAMU to move to 1-0 on the year.

The North Carolina Tar Heels football program opened the 2022 season 1-0 after dominating Florida A&M 56-24 Saturday night at home.

UNC’s defense got off to a sluggish start, but the offense came out on fire, leading to a record-breaking night from quarterback [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag]. The redshirt freshman had it going for the Tar Heels early, finding tight end Kamari Morales for a 19-yard touchdown at the 5:51 mark in the first quarter.

Florida A&M answered back two minutes later on a quick drive that tied up the game.

The offensive showdown continued with Maye tossing two more touchdowns, while the Rattlers were only able to muster up a single score in that span which gave UNC a 21-14 lead.

But then the turning point happened.

Defensive back Storm Duck came up with a huge interception on the Rattlers’ next drive to set UNC up deep in FAMU territory late in the second quarter. That drive was capped off with another Maye touchdown, this time finding receiver Josh Downs with just five seconds before halftime. The Tar Heels led 28-14 at the break.

It was the first touchdown on the year for Downs after a record-setting campaign a year ago.

The second half was all Tar Heels, as the Maye show continued to a historic night. Four-star freshman Omarion Hampton also put his stamp on the game, rushing for his first touchdown to start the third and finishing with 101 yards on 14 carries in the game.  The other four-star freshman, George Pettaway, saw the end zone as well, scoring a touchdown on a 29-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Maye then capped off his night by throwing a record-breaking fifth touchdown, claiming the title for most touchdowns in a career start at UNC.

UNC now turns their attention to Week 1 as a big showdown with Appalachian State looms.

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Drake Maye sets UNC program record in first start

UNC football quarterback Drake Maye set a new program record in his first career start on Saturday, throwing for five touchdowns.

Things started off a little rough for the UNC football program in Saturday’s opener against Florida A&M but in the end, the Tar Heels found a way to get the job done.

And a big reason why they did was quarterback [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag].

In his first career start, the redshirt freshman impressed and did so right away in the game. He threw for four touchdowns in the first half, leading the Tar Heels on four scoring drives. But it was the second half when UNC needed him the most he made it count.

UNC found a way to extend their 11-point lead with back-to-back scoring drives and the final one made some history. Maye found Josh Downs for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, giving him five on the day and a new program record:

That’s an impressive feat for the redshirt freshman who won the starting job this offseason.

Maye has looked comfortable out there, finding his receivers and letting the plays come to him. UNC is going to need Maye to play well as they enter a tough four-week stretch with a trip to Appalachian State and then Georgia State before hosting Notre Dame.

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WATCH: Drake Maye throws touchdown pass for first points of season

UNC football quarterback Drake Maye hit Kamari Morales for the first touchdown of the year against FAMU.

UNC football quarterback [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag] is making his first start after winning the team’s quarterback battle this offseason.

Maye is hoping to lead North Carolina to a Week 0 win over Florida A&M in a rainy Kenan Memorial Stadium and after a three-and-out on the first drive, Maye started to settle in. The quarterback led the Tar Heels on their first scoring drive of the season, going 78 yards on 7 plays in 2:21 to give the Tar Heels their first points of the year.

Watch as Maye finds tight end Kamari Morales for a 19-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter of Saturday’s game:

On the drive, Maye had a 42-yard scramble to setup UNC deep in FAMU territory. A play later, he found Morales for the score.

The game is currently tied at 7 in the first half.

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UNC football vs. Florida A&M: How to watch, stream Saturday’s game

Looking for ways to watch, listen, and stream? Then we got you covered as we give you the information you need ahead of Saturday’s game.

The UNC football program will open up its season by hosting the HBCU Celebration Game against Florida A&M.

This season opener is new territory for the Tar Heels, playing in Week 0 with not much experience playing in August.  This marks the 10th time Carolina played in the month, holding a 5-4 record.  UNC holds a 84-43-4 record in their season openers, with [autotag]Mack Brown[/autotag] sustaining a 10-3 record in his Carolina tenure.

The game is set to kick off Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET as UNC looks to reverse the outcome of last season’s opener.

This is a key game for Carolina as they seek to find the ideal rotational packages on defense and see which offensive weapons step up. UNC will start the Drake Maye era, and fans get to see how the defense will play under Gene Chizik.

UNC-FLORIDA A&M TV, RADIO, AND STREAMING INFORMATION

LOCATION: Saturday, Aug. 27th at 8:15 p.m. ET in Kenan Stadium

TV: ACCN (Watch and stream the game live on ESPN+)

ANNOUNCERS: Matt Barrie, play-by-play; Tim Hasselbeck,
analyst; Kelsey Riggs, sideline

RADIO: Tar Heel Sports Network. . Jones Angell (play-by-play), Brian Simmons (analyst), and Lee Pace (sideline reporter)

SATELLITE RADIO: Sirius (84), XM (84), App (84)

WEBSITE: fuboTV (try it free)

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UNC offensive keys to the game against Florida A&M

A look at the offensive keys to the game for UNC football when it takes on Florida A&M in its season opener on Saturday.

The UNC football program enters its Week 0 game with much different expectations than a year ago and probably more questions than answers.

The Tar Heels were a top-10 program and failed to meet those expectations as early as their season-opener which was a disappointing loss at Virginia Tech. Things went downhill for the team when they lost on the road at Georgia Tech a few weeks later as well.

In the end, UNC finished their season 6-7 and a big bowl loss to South Carolina.

Heading into this season, the vibes around the program are different in terms of having a much less experienced unit offensively and some new pieces and coaches defensively.

Welcoming in Florida A&M, the Tar Heels look to go 1-0 on the 2022 season. Here are the keys on the offensive side of the ball for UNC.

Social media reacts to Drake Maye being named starting quarterback

The UNC football program named Drake Maye their starting quarterback for the 2022 season and here is how Twitter reacted to the decision.

UNC football head Mack Brown broke the news to the media on Monday morning that the team will go with Drake Maye as QB1 this season. The redshirt freshman earned the nod over Jacolby Criswell and will start Week 0 at home against Florida A&M.

Maye originally committed to Alabama as a four-star prospect and a top 50 player before decommitting and picking the Tar Heels. He sat behind Sam Howell and Criswell his first year and has now earned the right to start.

While Maye gets the start in Week 0, he will have to hold onto that spot throughout the year.

This season will be a different one for the Tar Heels compared to last as they don’t have high expectations and do have a lot of questions still at key positions, including quarterback.

But for now, Maye is the guy as announced today and here’s how fans reacted on Twitter.

Josh Downs named AP Second-Team All-American

On Monday, UNC football wide receiver Josh Downs was named an AP Second-Team All-American.

The UNC football program is just five days away from its season opener of the 2022 season. Unlike last year, the expectations are lowered a bit, partially due to some of the key players the Tar Heels lost. But, one player they didn’t lose is [autotag]Josh Downs[/autotag], one of the most electric players in the country.

Downs has received numerous preseason awards including being named to multiple watch lists as well as All-American teams. He’s also been labeled a prospect that could hear his name called in the first round of April’s 2023 NFL draft.

On Monday, he was named as an AP Preseason Second-Team All-American. The other wide receivers on the Second Team were Xavier Worthy (Texas) and A.T. Perry (Wake Forest).

In 2021, Downs had a record-setting season for the Tar Heels. He had a single-season program-record 101 receptions and 1,355 receiving yards, both records. He also scored a touchdown in eight-straight games, one short of the school record. He led the ACC and ranked fifth nationally in receptions and was second in the league and 11th nationally in receiving yards.

Despite not having Sam Howell under center this season, Downs is set to have another very good season for the Tar Heels. On Monday, redshirt freshman Drake Maye was named the starting quarterback for UNC’s season opener.

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Drake Maye named starting quarterback for UNC

UNC redshirt freshman Drake Maye has been named the starting quarterback for Week 0 against Florida A&M.

We finally have a winner in the UNC football quarterback competition.

On Monday, head coach Mack Brown announced that redshirt freshman [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag] would be the starter for Week 0 against Florida A&M, telling the media during his morning press conference in Chapel Hill. 

Maye beat out sophomore Jacolby Criswell after a competition that lasted all offseason following Sam Howell’s departure for the NFL. The Tar Heels put both Maye and Criswell through a tough competition and now Maye has emerged as the winner.

The former four-star recruit commit flipped his commitment from Alabama to North Carolina as one of the top recruits for the Tar Heels in their 2021 class.

Maye appeared in a few games last season, completing 7 of his 10 attempts for 89 yards and 1 touchdown.

Criswell will serve as the backup for the Tar Heels.

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