Drake Maye, Spencer Rattler bring buzz to UNC football vs. South Carolina showdown

North Carolina football's Drake Maye and South Carolina's Spencer Rattler. As far as quarterback matchups, this might be one of the top showdowns of the 2023 college football season.

ESPN’s College GameDay seems to feel that way after selecting Charlotte as its first stop, with the 21st-ranked Tar Heels set to face the Gamecocks in the Duke’s Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium.

UNC and South Carolina get primetime treatment with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff in a game televised on ABC in front of a national audience.

“One of the buzzes around the game is the two quarterbacks,” UNC coach Mack Brown said.

“Spencer Rattler’s a great player, Drake Maye’s a great player. It’s two of the best quarterbacks in the country – two NFL guys. So that will showcase this game.”

Here’s a look at those two QBs and what to expect from them in Week 1.

UNC’s Drake Maye gets praise from South Carolina’s Shane Beamer

A Heisman Trophy contender and likely top-5 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, UNC quarterback Drake Maye had a stellar debut season with the Tar Heels.

Maye was just the ninth FBS quarterback since 2010 to have 3,500 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, 500 rushing yards and five rushing TDs in a season. The reigning ACC Player of the Year had multiple touchdowns in 12 of 14 games, including eight games with three or more TD passes.

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“To me, it’s two really, really, really good quarterbacks that are both going to have really, really, hopefully long and prosperous NFL careers,” South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said of the matchup between Maye and Rattler.

“I know coach (Mack) Brown is happy that Drake Maye’s his quarterback. And I’m ecstatic that Spencer Rattler is ours.”

Maye will face a South Carolina defense that ranked 10th in the SEC in total defense (404 yards per game) and scoring defense (28 ppg), but led the league with 15 interceptions in 2022.

South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler presents unique challenge for Tar Heels

A fifth-year college player, Spencer Rattler played his best against top competition in the closing stretch of the 2022 season. He finished with 3,026 passing yards and 18 touchdowns.

In wins against Tennessee and Clemson, a pair of top-10 teams at the time, Rattler completed more than 72% of his passes and combined for nearly 800 passing yards with nine touchdowns.

“He’s unique unto himself because he brings so many things to the table,” UNC defensive coordinator Gene Chizik said.

“He’s got an amazing skill set, athletically and ability-wise. … There’s just so many things that he does. When he’s confident, like he was in the last several games of the season, there was nobody better. He threw it that well.”

South Carolina also has a new offensive coordinator in Dowell Loggains, who has experience as an NFL play caller.

He hasn’t reached the hype levels of Maye, but Rattler has a chance to enter that conversation in his final season with the Gamecocks. It starts with Saturday’s showdown against a Tar Heels defense that finished last in the ACC in total defense (436 yards per game) and scoring defense (30.8 ppg).

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC's Drake Maye, South Carolina's Spencer Rattler take center stage