CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Heisman Trophy hopeful Drake Maye threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, North Carolina'ss upstart defense had nine sacks and the 21st-ranked Tar Heels beat border rival South Carolina 31-17 on Saturday night in a neutral-site game.
British Brooks ran for 103 yards and Omarion Hampton added two short TD runs for the Tar Heels.
Maye, who grew up in the Charlotte suburb of Huntersville, led scoring drives on five of North Carolina's first six possessions, excluding a kneel down at the end of the first half.
The redshirt sophomore made NFL-type throws - back-shoulder fades, deep outs and sidearm tosses under pressure - while repeatedly keeping alive plays with this feet. He wasn't perfect, with two interceptions in the game's final 18 minutes as the Tar Heels were trying to put the game away.
But Maye didn't need to be perfect on this day.
The Tar Heels got an unexpected lift from Gene Chizik's defense, which struggled most of last season. The Tar Heels had just 17 sacks all of 2022 and surrendered 30.8 points and 436.5 yards per game.
North Carolina moved the ball at will in the first half.
Maye hit Kobe Paysour in stride with a 34-yard touchdown strike along the right sideline to give the Tar Heels a 17-14 lead just before at halftime. North Carolina could have scored more had it not been for two drive-killing drops by wide receiver Gavin Blackwell in South Carolina territory, including one on fourth down.
Blackwell was pressed into a bigger role with starting wideouts Devontez Walker (ineligible) and Nate McCollum (lower body injury).
The Gamecocks appeared to gain momentum when they pulled one out of the Sean Payton playbook and recovered an onside kick to start the second half. But UNC smothered the drive before it began, forcing the Gamecocks to turn the ball over on downs.
The Tar Heels capitalized with Blackwell redeeming himself with a sliding 37-yard catch at the South Carolina 1 to set up Hampton'ss second touchdown. Maye then connected on an 18-yard completion with tight end John Copenhaver, who made a one-handed grab in the end zone to put the Tar Heels up 31-14.
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