UNC Football Looking to Stay Grounded – Literally – at Miami
When the Tar Heels take the field in Hard Rock Stadium Saturday afternoon, they’ll do so looking to win their fourth straight game over Miami and move to 2-0 in the ACC Coastal Division. But to do that, everyone in the Carolina program knows a key is self-preservation.
Specifically, the self-preservation of their star quarterback.
Redshirt freshman Drake Maye has shown no fear when taking to the air on runs this season. But he has struck it into the hearts of the UNC sideline on more than one occasion. Last weekend’s leap against Virginia Tech, after which Maye stayed down with the breath knocked out of him, may have been the final straw, and prompted head coach Mack Brown to lay out some ground rules.
“I told him he’s too important to our team not to take care of himself better,” Brown said Monday. “And there’ll be times, if it’s 4th-and-1, or you’re on the goal line and you’ve got to score to win the game, I got it. Go for it, man. But take a 3rd-and-2 and step out of bounds. Don’t leap.
“You’ve got to love his competitiveness,” he continued. “You’ve got to love his nature, growing up with a bunch of boys in the house. He had to fight and compete. And he feels like he’s competing, and I got it. He needs to do a better job taking care of himself.”
Offensive coordinator Phil Longo took it a step further, calling upon Maye’s parents to intervene for his greater good.
“I’ve now recruited mom and dad,” Longo said. “And I think Coach strategically used the word, ‘We don’t want to be selfish.’ Selfish, in that, let’s be smart. Because we want to be able to get up after these jumps and after these plays, and be able to help the team on the next play and the next day and the next game.”
Maye will face one of his stiffest challenges of the season in Miami. Though the Hurricanes’ defense ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of yardage allowed, it’s only allowed nine offensive touchdowns in four games. By contrast, Carolina has scored 10 offensive touchdowns just in its last two games. Longo compared Miami’s defense favorably to Notre Dame’s, praising its speed and athleticism.
“Sometimes you find more game-changers with some teams than others. Sometimes you find more weaknesses with some teams than others,” he said. “There aren’t many with Miami. They are very talented. It’s a fast football team. They cover ground really, really well. For everybody, receivers down to [offensive] line, I think it’s gonna be a huge athletic challenge this week.”
Opposing Maye in the quarterback battle will be Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke. Van Dyke burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2021, nearly leading the Hurricanes to a comeback win in Kenan Stadium and being named ACC Rookie of the Year.
Van Dyke’s sophomore year has been disappointing thus far, and he was even benched in Miami’s last game. But UNC defensive coach Gene Chizik praised the quarterback’s skillset, and noted Carolina’s defensive line play will be critical to a winning effort Saturday.
“He’s a big guy, 6-4ish, and he can see. But it’s his confidence and his accuracy that really makes him the quarterback that he is,” Chizik said. “He’ll be one of the best ones we’ve played, for sure. Everything comes down to pass rush, and being able to get pressure and things of that nature. Because if you don’t get it on him, he can shred your defense.”
Carolina’s defense has been shredded more often than not this season, but last weekend’s performance against Virginia Tech – albeit against a poor offense – represented a major step in the right direction. Now, against a Miami team coming off a bye week, Brown is challenging the defense to continue playing with the confidence it displayed against the Hokies.
“We’ve had two wins on the road, but now we’re going against the best team we’ve played on the road,” Brown said. “So can you continue to get better? You want to take your confidence and have it grow with your defense, instead of being complacent and feeling pretty good about yourself. And that’s been a problem for us.”
A 2-0 start in the Coastal Division with a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Hurricanes is a tantalizing prospect for the Tar Heels. And looking ahead, it could also potentially set up a clash of 5-1 teams when UNC takes on Duke in Wallace Wade Stadium next Saturday.
But if we’ve learned anything from Carolina football, it’s that looking ahead is as dangerous as a Drake Maye leap inside the five-yard line.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Andy Mead
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