UNC Football: Maye, offense perform without ‘big two’

The UNC football program was without its top two wide receivers on Saturday night against South Carolina. How did the offense perform without them?

There was some concern among UNC football fans leading up to kickoff at Bank of America on Saturday night when it was announced that the Tar Heel offense would be without top wide receiver Nate McCollum. This was already after knowing that Devontez ‘Tez’ Walker would not be eligible for the game while the NCAA is still reviewing his case (it is ridiculous we’ll still dealing with this, but nonetheless).

We know Drake Maye is great, but there was still concern about how he would perform being down his top two wide receivers. As it turns out… Maye is really good and makes everyone else around him better. On a night when there was uncertainty around a new offensive coordinator and the missing depth in the wide receiver room, Maye found nine (9!!!) different receivers throughout the game.

In typical Maye fashion, as we’ve seen him do for the last year, he spreads the ball around to different targets and always seems to find the open receiver. Maye was 24/32 passing for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Kobe Paysour was his go-to receiver, catching seven passes for 66 yards and a touchdown.

One huge bonus for the Tar Heel offense among receivers is the depth we’ve heard about in the tight end room. On Saturday night, John Copenhaver and Kamari Morales were among the top three leading receivers for UNC football. Copenhaver had three catches for 52 yards, including this impressive touchdown catch. Morales also had three catches for 46 yards.

This isn’t to say it was perfect without Walker and McCollum, as there were some struggles in the receiving game. Redshirt sophomore Gavin Blackwell dropped two crucial passes from Maye, one on fourth and two that would’ve been a first down, and another one in open space on third and fourteen that would’ve likely been a first down.

Blackwell returned to make a 37-yard catch to get the Tar Heels inside the one-yard line, leading to an Omarion Hampton touchdown. Maye also had two interceptions: a forced throw across his body and a bobbled by Paysour that led to an interception. Luckily for Maye and the offense, he didn’t have to be perfect on Saturday night, thanks to the amazing defensive performance.

How will the offense improve over the course of the season if Walker is ruled eligible? How will it expand by adding McCollum when he returns? Will Paysour remain the go-to receiver, or will it be more balanced?

One thing is certain: Maye will get everyone involved in the passing game and find multiple targets.

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