Mack Brown reveals what surprises him about Drake Maye
North Carolina is rolling under Mack Brown thanks, in part, to quarterback Drake Maye. After a heated quarterback competition this fall, Maye emerged victorious and he has led the Tar Heels to six victories this season.
Asked whether anything Maye does surprises him anymore, Brown told reporters, “No.” However, he did credit the young signal-caller for his ability to surprise defenses with his legs.
“He’s such a good runner, that’s what people don’t realize,” Brown said. “He’s so elusive and he just finds seams, he’s doing a better job of sliding. And a quarterback now has a safe haven in college football by sliding, or the NFL, so that’s their best way to stay safe.”
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Last week versus Duke, Maye ran for 70 yards, bringing his total on the season up to 378 with three scores. As a passer, he has a 70% completion rate and 2,283 yards. His 24 passing touchdowns rank No. 1 in the nation and he’s thrown only three interceptions.
After the bye week, Maye and the Tar Heels get back to work versus the 4-2 Pittsburgh Panthers.
Maye reveals mindset entering UNC’s game-winning drive
The Tar Heels are scoring over 40 points a game and they won another barnburner on Saturday. Maye led a game-winning drive to take down rival Duke in Durham, 38-35.
After the game, the star QB explained everything that went into the game-winning drive versus the Blue Devils:
“I’m glad the defense gave it a shot,” Maye said. “Great quarterbacks are measured by drives like that at the end. I knew after that missed field goal that we had a good shot. I think we made some huge plays on that drive. Just trusting my my guys up front and trust the guys around me.
“Josh [Downs] had a huge fourth down play. It was like he was getting double-covered and he ended up beating him outside. And it was just trusting people around me. We work at one-minute drills every day in practice and I think we had a big one at the end of the first half as well.”
“Still kind of in shock a little bit,” Maye continued. “But, you know, first rivalry game against Duke at their place. I thought they had the lights going. It was a good atmosphere. They fought hard and glad to come over on top. A little nervous, but at the same time, ultimate confidence in my guys. They’re pumping me up after that second fumble. It’s just unfortunate. It looked like a close call.
“But just to get back out there and get the guys going and just make big plays. So that’s what football is. Making big plays with the big-time players in big-time moments.”
On3’s Alex Weber contributed to this report.