Drake Maye proves to be too much for Gamecocks in season-opening loss

All week long, the main storyline was Drake Maye vs. Spencer Rattler. The battle of two elite quarterbacks going at it under the lights. It had the potential to be a shootout, but ultimately it would come down to who could make more plays.

On Saturday night, it would be one of the potential Heisman favorites who did just that. Maye was able to carve up South Carolina’s defense en route to a 31-17 UNC win.

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From the first drive of the night, Maye was locked in. He only needed to make two throws but a good sequence of runs would result in a one-yard touchdown by Omarion Hampton.

Maye finished going 10-for-10 for 73 yards in the first quarter.

On the ensuing drive, South Carolina (0-1) made quick work of a Tar Heel defense that was shaky much of last year. Rattler found Xavier Legette for two big plays and Trey Knox over the middle to move into the red zone. Dakereon Joyner, who played his first game at running back, capped things off with a four-yard run into the end zone to tie it up.

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Eventually, the Gamecocks defense slowly settled in, forcing a turnover on downs on the next drive. They also held UNC to a field goal on the drive after that. This gave them a chance to take their first lead of the night, which they did. After a 22-yard catch and run, Juju McDowell pummeled into the end zone from the one-yard line midway through the second quarter.

At some point, though, something had to give. UNC continued to move into South Carolina territory without much trouble but couldn’t come up big. That was until Maye found Kamari Morales for a 28-yard gain on 3rd and 3.

On the next play, Maye hit a wide-open Kobe Paysour for a 34-yard touchdown to take the lead back going into the half. It was the momentum shift the Tar Heels needed, especially with getting the ball back to start the second half.

But in true Beamer Ball fashion, South Carolina’s special teams had a trick up its sleeve. On the opening kick of the half, Mitch Jeter recovered his own onside kick, giving the Gamecocks possession near midfield.

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With a chance to make UNC pay, the Gamecocks came up empty handed. On 4th and 4, Rattler threw a great ball to Ahmarean Brown, but he couldn’t corral it and gave the Tar Heels back the ball.

From there, Maye’s dominance began to take over. UNC quickly moved inside the red zone thanks to a 37-yard bomb from Maye to Gavin Blackwell. Hampton scored on the next play untouched to make it a double-digit lead.

After South Carolina went three-and-out on the following drive, Maye completed his next four passes, the last one being an 18-yard touchdown catch by John Copenhaver. At this point, the Gamecocks were falling apart and trailing 31-14.

A big part of the struggles, besides stopping Maye, was an inability to block for Rattler. The veteran quarterback was sacked nine times on the night, six of which came on 3rd down. On 3rd down plays, South Carolina went 4-for-14.

Additionally, UNC had 17 tackles for loss, while the Gamecocks had just one.

Despite the rough play upfront, Rattler made the most of the situation. He finished going 30-for-39 for 353 yards. Although, he wasn’t able to find the end zone for any passing scores.

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For how good Maye looked, it wasn’t without some struggles. Clayton White’s defense was able to make some big plays late in the game. First, O’Donnell Fortune picked off a pass intended for Blackwell, then Kajuan Banks had a 17-yard interception return to move inside UNC territory.

Other than that, Maye was as good as advertised. He went 24-for-32 for 269 yards with two touchdowns. He also had 25 yards on the ground.

Those stops would go to waste, though, as South Carolina only managed to kick a 26-yard field goal off the turnovers, cutting the deficit to two touchdowns.

Up next: The Gamecocks will head back to Columbia and get ready for their home opener against Furman next Saturday. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+.

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