Drake Maye — The ACC’s Quarterback and Rookie of the Week — proved on Saturday that he is still a first-year. The Huntersville, N.C. native threw his first interception of the season in the third quarter of UNC’s matchup against Georgia State.
On a pass intended for redshirt first-year wide receiver Kobe Paysour, who Maye connected with earlier for a highlight reel-worthy touchdown, the rookie missed low and inside. It was a rare mistake for Maye, whose offense went quiet for a good portion of Saturday’s game, allowing the Panthers to go on an unanswered 25-point scoring tear.
“The defense stepped up numerous times after turnovers,” head coach Mack Brown said. “Our offense hasn’t turned the ball over, we turned it over three times today… the offense needs to wake up and go back to work. I think they felt a little too good about themselves.”
If UNC’s offense needed a wake-up call, first-year running back Omarion Hampton’s performance in the second half served as the blaring alarm.
Hampton, with the help of graduate transfer Corey Gaynor and the rest of the offensive line, helped UNC respond to a late deficit with back-to-back touchdowns that allowed the Tar Heels pull ahead and clinch a 35-28 win.
“Credit to the offensive line, they blocked their butts off in the second half,” Maye said. "I think the gaps were open for Omarion and he took them and the rest is history.”
Down 28-21 with just over 30 seconds to go in the third quarter, UNC’s split-zone formation opened up a “surreal” gap for Hampton in the middle of the field.
The Tar Heels finally earned their first truly explosive play on the ground, as Hampton burst out for a 58-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 28-28.
“As soon as it opened up, I knew I had to take it,” Hampton said.