Gophers preparing for 'as advertised' North Carolina QB Drake Maye
Week 3 of the college football season isn't loaded with marquee matchups, but that's good for the Gophers because they have an opportunity to perform well on a semi-national stage when they take on 20th-ranked North Carolina on ESPN.
Most viewers from around the country will be watching Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye, who appears likely to be in the conversation when QB-needy NFL teams are picking near the top of the 2024 draft. Asked Monday what stands out about Maye, Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said "everything."
"He's as advertised," Fleck said. "He's smooth. Nothing rattles him. He's a great runner. He's a great athlete. He's very accurate. He can do it all. That's why he's probably the No. 1 quarterback being taken in the draft, they say, coming up."
Maye passed for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns en route to being named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year in 2022. He also rushed for 698 yards and seven touchdowns. This season, he's passed for 477 yards and two scores and rushed 15 times for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Maye was 24 of 32 for 269 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in Week 1 against South Carolina, and he followed up against Appalachian State by completing 21 of 30 passes for 208 yards. App-State held him without a touchdown pass, largely because North Carolina gouged the Mountaineers for 319 rushing yards.
"They got a really good running game which is really helping him as well," said Fleck. "They're very balanced on offense. They're very disciplined on defense. We've got a tall task going against that type of quarterback."
The Gophers held Jeff Sims and Nebraska to 119 passing yards and then dominated Eastern Michigan by allowing just 71 yards through the air.
North Carolina is a 6.5-point favorite at home against the Gophers, who appear to be big dogs on the road. So much so that some analysts think it could go ugly, like 31-13 or even 45-3.
A win for Minnesota, however, would get them to 3-0 with likely wins against Northwestern and Louisiana the next two weeks, which could set the stage for a battle of undefeated teams when the Gophers host Michigan on Oct. 7.
