And so begins the Drake Maye show. This season, all eyes will be on the North Carolina Tar Heels’ Heisman-hopeful quarterback. Maye and North Carolina enter their season opener against the South Carolina Gamecocks as slight favorites in a game held in Charlotte.
Saturday’s game will give the first glimpse at how Maye and the rest of the North Carolina offense look under new coordinator Chip Lindsey. North Carolina also brought in transfer wide receivers Nate McCollum and Devontez Walker, although Walker has not been cleared to play by the NCAA after his second transfer.
Maye was the team’s leading rusher last season — a nice line on his resume, but likely not something the Tar Heels want to happen again. It will be worth watching how North Carolina fares on the ground against a South Carolina defense that was dreadful at stopping the run last season.
Don’t be fooled into thinking this game’s lofty point total is solely a reflection of North Carolina’s offense. The Tar Heels ranked last in the ACC last season in both points allowed and yards allowed per game.
Spencer Rattler and the Gamecocks will be the first to test North Carolina’s defense in 2023. Rattler is back for his second season at South Carolina, and All-SEC wide receiver Antwane Wells Jr. returns as his go-to target. The Gamecocks will also roll out a new offense under new coordinator Dowell Loggains. In a game where both defenses figure to struggle, both Lindsey and Loggains could come out of Week 1 having made strong first impressions on their respective fan bases.
All odds from BetMGM. Looking for College Football tickets? Buy here.
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How to watch and stream North Carolina vs. South Carolina
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Bank of America Stadium. The game will be televised on ABC and can be streamed on the ESPN app with authentication.
Expert picks against the spread
Pregame reading
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(Photo of Drake Maye: Eakin Howard / Getty Images)
