How Drake Maye led UNC football to rally past Pitt, set path to ACC championship

CHAPEL HILL — No. 21 North Carolina took a major step toward the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division title by rallying to beat defending league champion Pittsburgh on Saturday at Kenan Stadium.

Down 14 points in the second half, the Tar Heels (7-1, 4-0) scored on five consecutive possessions behind the passing of quarterback Drake Maye to overtake the Panthers (4-4, 1-3) and score a 42-24 victory.

The triumph puts UNC in the driver's seat in the Coastal Division race where every other team has at least two losses. If the Tar Heels can beat Coastal foes Georgia Tech and Virginia, who have a combined 6-10 overall record, in two of their final four games, they'll win the division and secure a berth in the ACC championship game. UNC plays at Virginia next week and Georgia Tech at home Nov. 19.

Maye, who has emerged as one of the nation's top quarterbacks as a redshirt freshman, put on another dazzling passing display. He completed 34-of-44 passes for 388 yards and five touchdowns in the triumph. Maye wound up accounting for 449 (61 rushing also) of UNC's 474 yards of total offense.

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TURNING POINT

North Carolina had trimmed Pitt's advantage to 24-21 late in the third quarter, but the Panthers were on the move after a big run by Israel Abanikanda into Tar Heel territory. UNC had given up several big pass plays on third down and were facing another one at its own 48-yard line.

Pitt quarterback Kedon Slovis dropped back to pass and was looking downfield when UNC junior Kaimon Rucker and sophomore RaRa Dillworth came flying in to sack him for a 10-yard loss. The sellout crowd at Kenan Stadium erupted after the play, which forced the Panthers to punt.

The sack clearly shifted momentum in the Tar Heels' favor. Their offense promptly marched 84 yards in 10 plays on the ensuing possession that was capped by Elijah Green's 2-yard run with 14:07 left. Green's run gave UNC its first lead of the game at 28-24.

Rucker later forced a key fumble by Pitt running back Israel Abanikanda with 11:28 to go that UNC recovered.

HIGHLIGHT REEL

Senior receiver Antoine Green is rapidly becoming one of the best big-play receivers in the ACC. Green again produced some pivotal big gains against Pitt en route to a 10-catch, 180-yard, two-touchdown performance.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder from Rockledge, Florida, made a highlight reel reception with 4:46 left in the first quarter with a diving, one-handed catch for UNC's first touchdown. In addition to the one-handed grab, Green had the focus to keep his feet inbounds as he neared the back of the end zone.

Later in the second quarter, Green hauled in a 50-yard pass from quarterback Drake Maye that set up the Tar Heels' second touchdown.

Green, who missed the first three games of the season with a shoulder injury, how has 23 catches for 564 yards and six touchdowns in five outings for the year.

Former UNC quarterback Sam Howell acknowledged Green's effort with a Twitter post at halftime. "Antoine Green is an NFL wideout,'' said Howell, now with the NFL's Washington Commanders.

INJURY BUGGING

UNC LOSES 2 STARTERS:UNC football's Caleb Hood, Noah Taylor leave game with early injuries vs. Pitt

North Carolina lost its starting running back Caleb Hood early in the game with an upper-body injury. Hood apparently suffered the injury after catching a 3-yard pass from Drake Maye during UNC's second offensive series. Hood is UNC's third-leading rusher with 300 yards.

Stepping in for Hood was sophomore Elijah Green, who didn't rack up a lot of yardage, but did produce some key rushes and catches. Green's 2-yard run in the fourth quarter gave UNC its first lead and he also had three catches for 14 yards, including a 7-yard for a first down.

The Tar Heels also played much of the game without Jack linebacker Noah Taylor (lower-body injury) and defensive end Desmond Evans (upper body).

PANTHER TARGETS

Pitt had two players disqualified against UNC for targeting on Saturday.

Reserve safety P.J. O'Brien was sent to the sidelines early in the second quarter when he was flagged for targeting on a punt return by the Tar Heels.

But the biggest loss for the Panthers came late in the second quarter when starting defensive tackle Calijah Kancey came roaring in from behind to tackle Maye on a run. Kancey led with his helmet on the hit on Maye, leading to his outster. Kancey leads Pitt in tackles for loss with 8.5 and was really missed in the second half as the Tar Heels' offense racked up 28 points.

UP NEXT

The Tar Heels play their fifth straight game against Coastal Division foes next Saturday when they travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, to face Virginia Cavaliers (3-5, 1-4). In his previous stint as UNC's head coach, Mack Brown suffered some of his most frustrating losses in Charlottesville. Brown was 0-6 at Scott Stadium during his first tenure, including a 1996 trip in which the No. 6-ranked Tar Heels blew a 14-point lead when Virginia freshman defensive back Antwan Harris picked off a pass and returned it 95 yards for a 20-17 upset win. Brown is 0-1 in Charlottesville since his return to UNC, losing a 44-41 contest there in 2020.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: How Drake Maye led UNC football to rally past Pitt, take control of ACC Coastal Division