Scouting North Carolina
North Carolina and NC State have a lot to play for.
Both teams are 8-3, so a chance at a 10-win season is possible. Finishing in the top 25 poll, reaching a better bowl game and having recruiting bragging rights are also on the line.
North Carolina plays at NC State at 8 p.m. Saturday on the ACC Network.
Five North Carolina players to watch
Junior middle linebacker Power Echols
The 6-0, 225-pounder attended the high school now known as Charlotte (N.C.) Chambers, and won a NCHSAA 4A state title. Rivals.com had him ranked No. 157 overall in the country in the class of 2021. The son of a former NFL player, he had 103 tackles, two sacks and one interception last year, and could equal those numbers this season. He has 83 tackles, five tackles for loss and one interception.
Senior outside linebacker Cedric Gray
Gray was once thought be a 190-pound wide receiver prospect at Charlotte Ardrey Kell High. He has become a 6-3, 235-pound All-ACC candidate at outside linebacker. Gray had 144 tackles, two interceptions and one sack last year. He won't reach those tackle numbers in one less game, but he has 104 stops, 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and an interception this season. Gray had a season-high 18 tackles in the loss vs. Virginia. His pass coverage skills have led to five career interceptions and 13 passes defended.
Sophomore running back Omarion Hampton
Hampton was one of the prizes in UNC's class of 2022, and Rivals.com ranked the former Clayton (N.C.) Cleveland standout No. 108 overall in the country. He adjusted to college football slowly and had 401 yards and six touchdowns last year. The 6-0, 220-pounder has exploded this season with 225 carries for 1,414 yards and 15 touchdowns, plus 24 carries for 204 yards and a score. He has topped 100 yards in seven games, and had 26 carries for 234 yards and three touchdowns in the 40-34 double overtime win over Appalachian State.
Junior quarterback Drake Maye
Maye was ranked No. 147 overall in the country in the class of 2021 coming out of Charlotte Myers Park. He originally committed to Alabama, but flipped to North Carolina, where his father, former quarterback Mark Maye, and his older brother, ex-power forward Luke Maye, both played. Maye became the starter last year and the 6-4, 230-pounder threw for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 14 games. He also rushed for 698 yards and seven scores. He won't approach those numbers in one less game this season, but he has gone 247-of-387 passing for 3,354 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Maybe has added 103 carries for 343 yards and eight scores.
Senior defensive end Kaimon Rucker
The 6-2, 265-pound Rucker started the season off with a bang with eight tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in the 31-17 win over South Carolina in the season opener. Rucker has 52 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hurries this season. Rucker has 16 career sacks and 140 tackles.
What to watch for from North Carolina
1. Drake Maye will spread the ball around. The UNC passing game usually features, three wide receivers, star tailback Omarion Hampton and a trio of tight ends that have combined for 62 catches for 910 yards and eight touchdowns.
Charlotte native Devontez Walker leads the team with 39 catches for 670 yards and six touchdowns, and that is despite missing the first four games while the NCAA ruled on his multiple appeal attempts.
Georgia Tech transfer Nate McCollum, a former NC State verbal commitment in high school, was a force against Minnesota and Syracuse early in the season, but minor injuries perhaps have slowed him down. He had three catches for 32 yards at Clemson last week.
Junior wide receiver J.J. Jones has improved since last year, and has 38 catches for 596 yards and two scores. It would have been four receivers playing key roles, but sophomore Kobe Paysour hasn’t caught a pass since the Syracuse game.
Hampton has caught 24 passes for 204 yards and one score out of the backup.
2. Omarion Hampton is big play force, but coming off key fumbles. Hampton could have had a monster game against Clemson last week except for two teeny tiny goofs.
OK, they weren’t tiny. Hampton fumbled while about to score a touchdown thanks to good hustle by Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins. He also fumbled inside the two-yard line that took points off the board. North Carolina could have conceivably been up 21-0 in the first quarter against Clemson.
Hampton finished with 19 carries for 178 yards and two touchdowns against the Tigers in the 31-20 loss. It will be interesting to see how he responds and his ball security against NC State.
Hampton also carried the offensive load in having 24 carries for 197 yards and a touchdown, plus two catches for 20 yards and a score in the 41-31 win vs. Miami (Fla.). That was one of seven games where he has tallied at least 112 rushing yards this season.
3. Tight end group is a force. North Carolina doesn’t have just one capable tight end, but three of them.
Junior Bryson Nesbit has the most upside of the group and he’s starting to realize it. The son of a former NFL offensive lineman, he’s grown to 6-5 and 235 pounds coming out of Charlotte South Mecklenburg.
Nesbit has 38 catches for 537 yards and five touchdowns this season, including three catches for 93 yards and a 62-yard touchdown in the loss vs. Virginia.
Steady junior John Copenhaver of Roswell, Ga., has 13 catches for 215 yards and three scores.
Senior Kamari Morales has seen his playing time decrease due to Nesbitt’s emergence, but he has 11 catches for 158 yards. He had 29 receptions for 358 yards and four scores last year.
Three keys to the game for NC State football
1. UNC junior quarterback Drake Maye has lost to Georgia Tech and Clemson twice as a starting quarterback, and NC State hopes to join that exclusive club with a second win Saturday.
Maye has impressive talent, poise and can run well enough to escape, but even future NFL quarterbacks struggle if the pass rush is consistent. That is what happened last year against NC State, and to varying degrees last week in the loss against Clemson. Not surprisingly, Maye’s numbers against both NC State and Clemson a week ago were similar.
Maye went 29-of-49 passing for 233 yards, one touchdown and one interception, plus 14 carries for 32 yards and one score in the 30-27 double-overtime loss against the Wolfpack. NC State has two sacks and 11 quarterback hurries, which helped force the UNC offense into 5 of 20 on third-down conversions.
Clemson served a good reminder last week in getting four sacks and six quarterback hurries in the 31-20 win. Maye went 16-of-36 passing for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He added 10 carries for 67 yards on the ground.
If NC State doesn’t make Maye uncomfortable, it could be a long night Saturday, but with a loud crowd under the lights, it should pay off.
2. Offenses that typically struggle tend to do well against North Carolina. Virginia had 31 points, Duke went for 45 and Clemson had 31.
The Duke game was particularly telling. The Blue Devils played third-string freshman quarterback Grayson Loftis, who threw for 189 yards and three touchdowns, plus rushed for one in the 47-45 double overtime loss. Duke rushed 43 times for 179 yards and three scores.
This is the same Duke has struggled to score more than 24 points since start quarterback Riley Leonard got hurt late in the 21-14 loss against Notre Dame on Sept. 30. Maybe Loftis will be known as a quality ACC quarterback, but against UNC, that was just his second college start.
Virginia managed 208 passing yards and a touchdown and a staggering 54 carries for 228 yards and three scores in the 31-27 victory.
Clemson threw for 219 yards and a touchdown, and running back Will Shipley went nuts in the second half and the Tigers rushed 55 times for 247 times and three scores.
The fact that Duke, Virginia and Clemson all were able to rush between 43-and-55 carries against North Carolina’s defense bodes well for NC State’s ground and pound attack.
3. NC State senior kicker Brayden Narveson was brought in for games like this.
The former Iowa State and Western Kentucky kicker has gone 12-of-16 on field goals with a long of 57 yards, and he’s made all 34 extra points. Narveson has gone 65 of 84 on field goals in his five-year career.
With the chance that the game could be close, the field goal kickers could be on center stage. That is what happened last year.
NC State senior kicker Christopher Dunn went 3 of 4 on field goals and North Carolina sophomore kicker Noah Burnette missed two of his four attempts — missing a 27-yarder in the fourth quarter and 35-yarder in overtime.
Senior Ryan Coe was brought in from Cincinnati to address UNC’s kicking issues. Between Delaware and Cincinnati, he went 48 of 61 on field goals with a long of 52. He then made three of his first four kicks at UNC, but got hurt in the second game of the season.
Enter Burnette to be back as the Tar Heels’ kicker. The walk-on from Raleigh Leesville Road High has gone 18 of 19 on field goals with a long of 48 this season, and has made all 40 extra points.
Three numbers of note
49.7 Percentage of UNC converting its third downs this season (80 of 161), which ranks first in the ACC and ninth nationally.
71 Wins out of 79 games when the Tar Heels score at least 30 points under coach Mack Brown.
514 Yards per game on offense this season, which ranks just behind LSU and Oregon nationally this season.
Follow on Twitter:
@NCStateRivals or @JaceyZembal
Subscribe for free on YouTube:
For Jacey Zembal or The Wolfpack Central
Like on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/TheWolfpackCentral
Follow on Instagram/Threads:
ATTENTION SUBSCRIBERS: Our NETWORK-WIDE, all-access pass allows you to read every premium message board in the Rivals.com network as part of a bundled add-on to your subscription!
Subscribers can add the All-Access Pass or a 3-Site Bundle in your account profile, under the Subscriptions tab: HERE
