Drake Maye wants to see UNC fans bring the energy for ranked matchup against Miami

North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye is hoping for a raucous crowd when the Tar Heels welcome the  Miami Hurricanes to town this weekend.

It could’ve been a showdown between two undefeated ACC squads, but the Hurricanes couldn’t hold up their end of the bargain, suffering a brutal loss last weekend. Nevertheless, Maye is hoping North Carolina fans show up in droves for their team on Saturday.

“I’m hoping for a great night in Kenan,” Maye started. “I’m challenging the fans to come out. They’ve done a great job so far this season. A game against a ranked opponent, ranked matchup. You know, we’re No. 12 in the country, they’re Top 25. What more can you ask for? Carolina football.

“So let’s bring that energy, and let’s go out and have some fun on Saturday night.”

If the Tar Heels can remain unscathed, it’ll be time to start thinking of them as a real College Football Playoff contender. With a quarterback like Maye at the helm, there’s a lot to love about North Carolina.

We’ll see if Drake Maye can continue his phenomenal season for the Tar Heels on Saturday night, and notch a victory over Miami in a ranked matchup in North Carolina.

Rece Davis predicts North Carolina to beat Miami

Meanwhile, Rece Davis is taking the Tar Heels on Saturday night against Miami. Earlier this week, the ESPN analyst provided his prediction for North Carolina’s matchup with Miami this weekend.

“I think North Carolina answers the bell finally,” Davis said. “This is a big spot for them too if they want to prove they’re something other than a good team with an excellent quarterback. I think they come through. I think they hand Miami its second straight loss and North Carolina announces that they’re in this thing for the long haul.”

North Carolina certainly has looked like more than “a good team with an excellent quarterback” this season. The Tar Heels enter Saturday’s matchup with a 5-0 record, boasting an average win margin of 17.6 points per game.

North Carolina looked better than ever last week in its 40-7 blowout win over Syracuse. In the triumph, the Tar Heels tallied a ridiculous 644 total yards of offense. For reference, the Orange recorded just 221 total yards.

Quarterback Drake Maye was as advertised in the outing, completing 70.2% of his pass attempts for 442 yards and three touchdowns. The sophomore QB also ran in a touchdown. Davis isn’t the only one who’s confident in North Carolina.

“If you think I’m gonna back that Miami team coming off that loss, you are crazy,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel said. “You want to talk about an all-time pit-of-your-stomach game. And you have all this good juju right now with Carolina.”

On3’s Grant Grubbs contributed to this article.