CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Drake Maye went up top for the first score of North Carolina’s spring football game on Saturday afternoon, and Tez Walker grabbed the touchdown pass in stride down the sideline at Kenan Stadium.
It was a pretty pitch and catch from 35 yards out, and a moment the Tar Heels hope can be repeated again and again during the course of the 2023 season.
Both of Maye’s touchdown passes on Saturday went to his newest targets in transfer receivers Walker (from Kent State) and Nate McCollum (from Georgia Tech). On a fourth down, Maye hit McCollum on a 13-yard touchdown with the shifty slot receiver going down to reel in a sliding catch nearly off the top of the field turf. The throw from Maye was low and behind McCollum, but he made the grab.
Official stats weren’t kept during Saturday’s spring game. Unofficially, we had Maye finishing 10-of-13 passing for 159 yards and two touchdowns through four series of work.
Transfer kicker Ryan Coe missed what amounted to a point-after attempt from 33 yards following McCollum’s highlight reel touchdown catch. Later, Noah Burnette connected on 38-yard field goal.
On defense, unofficially, Kaimon Rucker had a sack and a tackle for loss, while Myles Murphy and Kevin Hester Jr. combined on a sack. The second-team defense stopped Maye and the first-team offense near the goal line, with Deuce Caldwell and Gabe Stephens delivering a couple plays, including Stephens’ sack of Maye for a 10-yard loss on fourth down. UNC’s auarterbacks weren’t allowed to be tackled Saturday.
Check back as we’ll update some stats here, such catches and rushing yards, as we get them fully added up after interviews. Kobe Paysour hauled in three straight passes from Maye to get the scrimmage portion started.
Running back George Pettaway, tight end Bryson Nesbit, defensive lineman Travis Shaw, receiver J.J. Jones, defensive back Alijah Huzzie and defensive lineman Des Evans were among the players who weren’t suited up in uniform.
