Clemson’s Defense has Not Seen Anyone Like UNC’s Drake Maye

Tar Heels QB leads the ACC in passing yards, total yards, TDs and QBR

Bob Donnan / USA TODAY Sports

CLEMSON, S.C. – If Clemson’s defense thought Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman was tough to defend or South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler was a challenge, wait until they get a look at North Carolina’s Drake Maye.

The Tigers will see the UNC quarterback this Saturday when they face him and the Tar Heels in the ACC Championship Game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

“He is a great one,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said during Sunday’s ACC Coaches Teleconference.

Maye leads the ACC and ranks fourth nationally in passing yards (3,847), passing yards per game (320.6) and touchdown passes (35). His QBR (83.8) ranks ninth nationally and leads the conference, as well. He is completing 67.7 percent of his throws and has 35 touchdowns to 5 interceptions.

“He is got all the attributes,” Swinney said. “We recruited him. We offered him coming out of high school, so nothing has changed. He is a great, great player. He is a winner.

“He has a great competitive streak to him. That is what I like about him the most. He is incredibly competitive. He just has a lot of confidence that he can make the play required.”

Maye has thrown for over 300 yards seven times this season and six games where he has thrown at least three touchdown passes, including three games in which he has tossed five. By the way, he also has rushed for 629 yards and six more touchdowns, while leading UNC to a 9-3 record.

For the most part, Clemson (10-2, 8-0 ACC) has held its own on the backend. However, they gave up 337 yards and six touchdown passes to Hartman, while Rattler lit them up for 360 yards and two touchdowns this past Saturday.

The Tigers also allowed Louisiana Tech to throw for 311 yards.

Maye is better then all of them, at least this year he has been.

“He has a nice arm. He sees it,” Swinney said. “He has a high football IQ. He is an excellent leader. You see all of those things. He can move around. He can run with it. He can do a little bit of everything. He is a complete player at that position.”

The good news for Clemson is that there seems to be a kink in the armor. Maye threw for just 202 yards and was sacked six times in a loss to Georgia Tech two weeks ago, while completing just 53.3 percent of his passes. He also did not throw for a touchdown for the first time this season and was intercepted.

Maye also threw an interception in a loss to NC State this past weekend and completed just 59.2 percent of his passes for 233 yards. He was sacked two times.

“I know they have had a couple of close games, but he can only do his job, right? Not that he is perfect or anything like that,” Swinney said.

Clemson and North Carolina will battle it out for the ACC Championship at 8 p.m. Saturday. The game will be televised by ABC.

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