North Carolina's Drake Maye is one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy this season.
The 21st-ranked Tar Heels matched that fielding perhaps their best defense since 2013.
Maye threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, and the defense sacked South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler nine times in a 31-17 victory at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The nine sacks were the second-most in UNC history since the school began tracking the stat in 2000.
It's an impressive jump for UNC's defense, who had just 17 sacks in all of the 2022 season, as they more than halved that total in the first game of the 2023 season. They also limited the Gamecocks to just 4 of 14 on third down situations, and shut down on all four of their fourth downs. They also recorded 16 tackles for loss, the first FBS game with more than 11 since they defeated Pitt in 2013.
British Brooks led all running backs in ground yards, with 103, and Omarion Hampton added two one-yard touchdown runs for the Tar Heels.
The win was the 100th of Mack Brown's North Carolina coaching career and 275th overall, becoming the first coach in college football history to win 100 games with two FBS schools.
And for Maye, who grew up nearby Charlotte in the suburb of Huntersville, led the Tar Heels to scoring on five of their first six drives, not counting the kneel-down at the end of the first half.
45 NFL scouts from 24 different NFL teams went to watch Maye, and he impressed them with throws that are seen by NFL quarterbacks, from deep outs to sidearm throws under pressure. It wasn't all perfect, as he threw two picks in the final 18 minutes of the game, but he didn't need to be.
The story of the game was actually Gene Chizik's defense with a big turnaround. After totaling just 17 sacks and allowing 30.8 points and 436.5 yards per game, including giving up 40 points in the fourth quarter to Appalachian State, they limited South Carolina to negative-2 yards rushing.
The last time the Tar Heels ranked in the top 40 in defensive SP+ was in 2016, in the last solid year of Larry Fedora before things fell apart. Over the past five years, the average ranking was 73.8. In 16 of the last 19 losses for UNC, they allowed at least 30 points.
Brown hiring his old friend Chizik as the defensive coordinator didn't see a lot of improvement last season. While they did technically improve, it was only from 90th to 70th in defensive SP+. They relied a lot on the bend-but-don't-break approach, and it's because of that why they couldn't get an effective stop. In four of UNC's five losses, opponents converted at least 50% of third down attempts.
While South Carolina started slowly on offense like they did last year, this was a great start for Chizik's defense. Though Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer knows they have work to do on the offensive line.
"The whole offensive line is sliding to someone that is a threat and we're still getting hit," he said. "They rushed three—three—on the last drive and we got hit. That is ridiculous."
They need help if they want to make noise in the SEC. The nine sacks given up didn't give Rattler enough time to make the big plays despite throwing for 353 yards, completing 30 of his 39 passes.
It didn't help that they lost cornerback Nick Emmanwori (hamstring), their leading tackler from last season, and offensive tackle Cason Henry (lower-body) to injuries in the first quarter and did not return.
The Tar Heels moved the ball at will through the first three quarters, with Maye finding Kobe Paysour on a 34-yard touchdown strike at the right sideline to give them a 17-14 halftime lead, which could have been larger had it not been for two drive-stopping drops by Gavin Blackwell in Gamecocks territory, including a fourth down drop.
Because starting receivers Devontez Walker (ineligible) and Nate McCollum (lower-body) were out for this game, Blackwell got into a bigger role, and he redeemed himself with a sliding 37-yard catch at the South Carolina 1 to set up Hampton's second touchdown.
Maye also found tight end John Copenhaver in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown off his one-handed grab.
South Carolina looked like they were gaining momentum at the start of halftime when they made a surprise onside kick, but the Tar Heels shut down the drive before it even began, forcing a turnover on downs.
Maye wore his jersey during his postgame press conference, wearing it backwards to show his nameplate. Singer Eric Church, a UNC fan, also wore Walker's jersey on the sidelines, and presented Walker with the game ball in the locker room after the win.
His teammates showed that they have his back the entire way while he continues to wait on word from the NCAA on his eligibility. They denied his waiver for him to play immediately, citing revised rules limiting waivers for two-time transfers, and his appeal was denied two days before the game. The school appealed for him, an in-state product from Charlotte, and Brown criticized the NCAA on the day before the game.
"He lives five or 10 minutes from here, grew up in Charlotte," said Maye. "We love Tez. He's an awesome dude, and it's a shame what's happened."
The NCAA's decision followed a new rule they implemented to limit multiple transfers by the same player before graduation. However, Walker transferred from North Carolina Central—whom he never played a game for—in 2020 after the school cancelled their season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and his second transfer from Kent State to UNC was before the rule was passed.
Brown made a harsh statement to the NCAA, adding that he spent the majority of the week leading up to the game worrying about Walker's mental health.
"He really didn't handle it well during the week," said the head coach. "He struggled during practice. I don't know that he would've played well if he had played because there's so much pressure on him."
With Church handing the game ball to Walker, Brown said the honor was deserved, with the receiver noting about the point of rallying teammates on the sideline.
Both the Tar Heels and Gamecocks head to their homes where they will host the Appalachian State Mountaineers and the Furman Paladins, respectively, on Saturday.
Scoring
North Carolina, 9:50 1st: Omarion Hampton 1-yard TD run (Ryan Coe kick); 7-0 North Carolina
South Carolina, 6:29 1st: Dakereon Joyner 4-yard TD run (Mitch Jeter kick); 7-7 Tie
North Carolina, 7:05 2nd: Ryan Coe 37-yard field goal; 10-7 North Carolina
South Carolina, 5:16 2nd: Juju McDowell 1-yard TD run (Mitch Jeter kick); 14-10 South Carolina
North Carolina, 2:50 2nd: Kobe Paysour 34-yard TD pass from Drake Maye (Ryan Coe kick); 17-14 North Carolina
North Carolina, 11:35 3rd: Omarion Hampton 1-yard TD run (Ryan Coe kick); 24-14 North Carolina
North Carolina, 6:29 3rd: John Copenhaver 18-yard TD pass from Drake Maye (Ryan Coe kick); 31-14 North Carolina
South Carolina, 12:19 4th: Mitch Jeter 26-yard field goal; 31-17 North Carolina
Passing
NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
Drake Maye: 24/32, 269 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS
Spencer Rattler: 30/39, 353 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Rushing
NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
British Brooks: 15 attempts, 103 yards, 0 TD
Omarion Hampton: 16 attempts, 37 yards, 2 TD
Drake Maye: 4 attempts, 25 yards, 0 TD
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS
Dakereon Joyner: 12 attempts, 23 yards, 1 TD
Juju McDowell: 5 attempts, -1 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
Kobe Paysour: 7 receptions, 66 yards, 1 TD
John Copenhaver: 3 receptions, 52 yards, 1 TD
Kamari Morales: 3 receptions, 46 yards, 0 TD
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS
Xavier Legette: 9 receptions, 178 yards, 0 TD
Ahmarean Brown: 3 receptions, 44 yards, 0 TD
Luke Doty: 3 receptions, 41 yards, 0 TD
Defensive
NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
Cedric Gray: 9 tackles (3 solo), 1.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks
Kaimon Rucker: 8 tackles (6 solo), 5.5 TFL, 2 sacks
Alijah Huzzie: 8 tackles (5 solo), 1 TFL, 1 pass defensed
Tomari Fox: 3 tackles (1 solo), 1.5 TFL, 1 sack
Amari Gainer: 2 tackles (2 solo), 2 TFL, 2 acks
Desmond Evans: 2 tackles (2 solo), 1 TFL, 1 sack
Beau Atkinson: 2 tackles (1 solo), 1.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS
Debo Williams: 14 tackles (8 solo), 1 TFL
Jalon Kilgore 12 tackles (5 solo)
DQ Smith: 11 tackles (3 solo), 1 pass defensed
Stone Blanton: 10 tackles (4 solo)
O'Donnell Fortune: 6 tackles (4 solo), 1 interception
Kajuan Banks: 2 tackles (2 solo), 1 interception
Team Stats
First Downs: North Carolina 21, South Carolina 20
3rd Downs: North Carolina 8/13, South Carolina 4/14
4th Downs: North Carolina 1/2, South Carolina 0/4
Total Yards: North Carolina 437, South Carolina 351
Passing Yards: North Carolina 269, South Carolina 353
Team Passing: North Carolina 24/32, South Carolina 30/39
Yards Per Pass: North Carolina 8.4, South Carolina 9.1
Rushing Yards: North Carolina 168, South Carolina -2
Rushing Attempts: North Carolina 39, South Carolina 31
Yards Per Rush: North Carolina 4.3, South Carolina -0.1
Penalties: North Carolina 7—49 yards, South Carolina 6—35 yards
Turnovers: North Carolina 2, South Carolina 0
Fumbles Lost: North Carolina 0, South Carolina 0
Interceptions Thrown: North Carolina 2, South Carolina 0
Possession: North Carolina 32:37, South Carolina 27:23
Miscellaneous
Venue: Bank of America Stadium
Location: Charlotte, NC
Attendance: 68,723 (Capacity: 73,778)
Weather: Sunny, 79°F
Winds: S 3 mph
Broadcast: ABC/ESPN+
Commentators: Sean McDonough (PxP), Greg McElroy (color), Molly McGrath (reporter)
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