No. 14 North Carolina handles Syracuse 40-7; Drake Maye throws 442 passing yard game

There will be bigger tasks ahead for No. 14 North Carolina, but the way the Tar Heels took care of matters Saturday should give them confidence they can meet those challenges.

Drake Maye threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as North Carolina remained undefeated with a 40-7 victory over Syracuse.

“We’re playing to a standard,” coach Mack Brown said. “This was important to (our players) to get better and that’s what they did.”

The Tar Heels (5-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) overpowered the Orange with a ball-control offense that churned out 644 yards total offense and about twice as much time of possession.

Receiver Tez Walker made his North Carolina debut two days after he was cleared to play by the NCAA following a long transfer-eligibility case, but the Tar Heels had plenty of offense even with his minimal contributions.

“Kind of wanted to get him the groove,” Maye said. “Glad to see him out there. What a great story.”

Maye completed 33 of 47 passes for 442 yards without an interception. The longest pass play was Kobe Paysour’s 76-yard touchdown reception after he tipped a slightly off-target pass to himself and then outraced the Orange secondary to end zone.

“He saved my butt there,” Maye said.

Nate McCollum caught seven passes for 135 yards and Paysour gained 100 yards on three catches.

Syracuse (4-2, 0-2) had 221 yards of total offense. Quarterback Garrett Shrader was 15 for 21 for 124 yards and an interception.

“There was real football out there,” Orange coach Dino Babers said. “That’s a good team. Those guys were big, strong and fast and they executed very well.”

North Carolina’s Noah Burnette kicked four field goals.

The Orange was held to 70 total yards in the first half. The Orange opened the second half on a 75-yard drive with LeQuint Allen’s 1-yard TD run.

North Carolina’s defense allowed 11 first downs – the fewest in a game in 11 years.

“We had a big challenge on our hands. I thought we handled it well,” nose tackle Tomari Fox said. “The odds were already against them (coming off a loss and on the road). We couldn’t give them any help.”

The Tar Heels used 14 plays to go 64 yards for Burnette’s 29-yard field goal on the game’s opening possession.

North Carolina’s second scoring drive ended on Maye’s 1-yard sneak, covering 94 yards in 17 plays. It included a Tar Heels punt that was blocked by Syracuse’s Denis Jaquez Jr., but punter Ben Kiernan scooped the ball and barely picked up a first down.

Maye connected with tight end Bryson Nesbit in the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown in the second quarter to complete a nine-play, 77-yard march.

The margin grew to 24-0 after Maye’s 1-yard flip to tight end John Copenhaver to cap a 95-yard drive.

North Carolina has scored 30 or more points in its first five games for the second year in a row. The Tar Heels eclipsed the 600-yard mark with more than 12 minutes to play.

LET THEM PLAY, TOO?

The Tar Heels appeared on the verge of wearing out the Orange. North Carolina had 39 of the game’s first 48 plays. First downs were 15-1 in the Tar Heels’ favor at that point.

By the end of the first half, Maye had completed 23 passes. Syracuse had 22 total snaps (and the last of those was a kneel down to end the half).

“I don’t think I’ve seen a first half that dominant in a long, long time,” Brown said.

WALKER TRACKER

Walker’s first catch came on a 6-yard play on North Carolina’s second possession, shortly after he was on the field for his first snap.

“It’s a blessing to be out there,” Walker said.

The former Kent State player finished with six receptions for 43 yards. The six catches were second on the team among the 11 Tar Heels who caught passes in the game.

Walker had to make a late-week transition from the scout team.

“The young man is living his dream,” Brown said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Syracuse: The Orange didn’t have much time to showcase an offense that was impressive in the first four games of the season but has failed to generate much in ACC play.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels were fresh and energized coming off an open date and they clicked offensively in the first of three straight home games.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

North Carolina could climb a bit after its fourth victory by a double-figure margin, all against Power 5 opponents.

UP NEXT

Syracuse: Saturday at No. 5 Florida State.

North Carolina: Home Saturday vs. No. 17 Miami.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

Pregame:

North Carolina’s defense has shown clear progress from last season. It now gets a test against the kind of mobile quarterback that has punished the 14th-ranked Tar Heels in past years.

UNC hosts Syracuse on Saturday and Orange passer Garrett Shrader, who ran for 195 yards and four touchdowns in a win at Purdue last month. Containing Shrader will be another chance for the Tar Heels (4-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) to show defensive growth in Year 2 under coordinator Gene Chizik.

“It’s noticeable, it’s unbelievable,” UNC head coach Mack Brown said of the defensive improvement. “And they can still get better.”

Things often looked rough last season, notably when the Tar Heels allowed 40 fourth-quarter points in a shootout win at Appalachian State. That unit allowed 30.8 points and 436.5 yards per game, though it cut that average to 25.8 points in ACC play.

This year, the defense is allowing 22 points and 363 yards per game.

Now comes the test of facing the kind of QB who thrived in UNC’s 11 losses in 2020 and 2021 under then-coordinator Jay Bateman. Florida State’s Jordan Travis posted 100+ yards and two touchdowns in back-to-back seasons, while Georgia Tech’s Jeff Sims ran for 128 yards and three scores in 2021.

In fact, the Tar Heels surrendered at least one rushing score to a QB in seven of those 11 losses.

They were better under Chizik last year, with only one quarterback — Clemson’s Cade Klubnik in the ACC title game — running to the end zone in five UNC losses.

“You try to create habits in guys that allow you to function when things aren’t necessarily going well all the time,” Chizik said. “That’s a mindset in a lot of ways. But it also comes with some confidence that everything is going to be OK. ... I think it comes with maturity of a team.”

Now they’ll face Shrader, who has already run for six touchdowns this season, though he couldn’t get loose i n last week’s loss to Clemson and managed just 24 yards rushing.

The challenge will be similar for the Orange (4-1, 0-1), who bring one of the ACC’s top defenses to face UNC star quarterback Drake Maye.

“Their games are similar,” Syracuse coach Dino Babers said. “They’re both mobile. they both can throw on the run. They both can sit in the pocket and take shots. And I think they both have an opportunity for NFL careers if both stay healthy.”

NOT OFTEN

The Tar Heels are 4-0 for the first time since starting 8-0 in 1997, which was the final year of Brown’s first tenure in Chapel Hill before leaving for Texas. It marks UNC’s second 4-0 start since 1983.

BALANCE

Syracuse enters the game ranked as the No. 3 scoring offense (38.2) and No. 3 scoring defense (14.8) in the ACC. They also hold the same ranking (18th) in the Bowl Subdivision ranks for both categories.

THIRD DOWNS

Both teams have been among the nation’s best at moving the chains, and they rank in the top half of the FBS stats in stopping those third-down chances, too. North Carolina is No. 2 nationally with a 57.9% conversion rate, while Syracuse is No. 10 at 51.4%. The Orange is 50th nationally against third down, holding teams to 35.8%. The Tar Heels are close behind at 36.5% to rank 55th.

STEADY AMID SUDDEN CHANGE

Brown said the Tar Heels have faced six “sudden change” scenarios in which their defense was unexpectedly thrown back on the field after a turnover or a blocked punt like in the fourth quarter of last week’s win at Pittsburgh. They’ve surrendered only two field goals after those potentially game-turning plays.

HOME AND AWAY

This is the beginning of a key three-game stretch for both teams based on where they’re playing.

This is the first of three straight home ACC games for the Tar Heels, who next host No. 17 Miami and Virginia. But the Orange must play three straight true road games for the first time since 1996 by visiting UNC, No. 5 Florida State and Virginia Tech.