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Drake Maye is the sharpest two-edged sword of the bowl season.
You have to think the Duke’s Mayo Bowl asked UNC if Maye will definitely play in the December 27 game against West Virginia before issuing an official invitation. By the same token, what if Maye and his family haven’t decided yet?
Imagine Maye playing his final college game in Charlotte, 20 minutes from his childhood home in Huntersville. The future first-round NFL draft pick could go out helping the Tar Heels end the season on a positive note. He went as far as saying after the N.C. State loss soured another Carolina football season that he’d like to “suit up one more time” with his teammates.
If Maye decides to play, ticket sales at Bank of America Stadium will immediately spike. And a big crowd bidding Maye farewell could mean an economic post-Christmas boon for Charlotte.
Adding to his nearly 9,500 yards of total offense and his 84 touchdowns probably doesn’t mean that much to Maye right now. Agents may tell his family it is too risky, like they helped several starters decide to sit out the 2020 Orange Bowl, but Maye seems like a gamer almost immune to injuries.
If he doesn’t play and gets on with prepping for the NFL Draft next April, the Tar Heels have next to no chance of beating the Mountaineers and winning their ninth game for a second straight year. Back-up Conner Harrell has played very sparingly the last two regular seasons, and it would be unreasonable to think he can get ready in a month.
With sports betting legal all over the country, the opening line for the Mayo Bowl might be off the board until Maye is confirmed to play or ruled out. That is how much difference his presence would make with wagering.
Maye was the understudy to Sam Howell for a year, and Howell finished his college career in the same bowl in the same stadium in 2021. Still, they talk often, and their conversation could also affect Maye’s decision.
Carolina has lost three straight bowl games under Mack Brown after winning the 2019 Military Bowl. Brown rates the 38-21 loss to South Carolina in the Mayo Bowl two years ago as one of his worst coaching experiences.
And if Maye doesn’t play, a return trip to the stadium where the Heels opened this season with a big win over the Gamecocks might end up feeling like 2021 far more than this past September.
It’s just an educated guess, but I think Maye will play one more game.
Featured image via Associated Press/Gene J. Puskar
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.
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I think Mack should go out with Drake, but I’m betting Mack is coming back! Hot diggity dog! Another great mediocre year ahead. Our non-conference opponents are Minnesota, NC Central, Charlotte, and James Madison, so we should win most of those. Fortunately, JMU is losing their coach to Indiana, and their quarterback is transferring; so we have a fighting chance, although Hall Of Fame Mack Brown has been known to lose a few games to a brand new coach and a below average quarterback! At least our conference schedule is easy on paper too, not playing Clemson, Louisville, Miami, or Virginia Tech.
I just love Mack’s excuses for losing: Questionable calls, momentum swings, fumbles, the sun was in my eyes, transfer portal issues, etc… I like the fact that he NEVER just comes right out and says, “I stink as a head coach, but I’m like a time share salesman. I get AD’s to keep on hiring me, giving me raises, contract extensions, etc, but my product stinks. I get the laugh and you get the shaft! Yabba Dabba Doooo!!!!”
Drake Maye is a competitor and hates losing. I think in particular, he hates the idea of going on losing to State and the total meltdown across the board. It will be hard for someone who competes the way he does is leave with a bitter taste in his mouth and the other factor is his love for UNC and his family heritage at UNC.
As for Mack Brown, it is apparent that his attitude toward the game has changed over the years and probably influenced during his 5 year hiatus when he was in the broadcast booth. Being a spectator for 5 years and then returning to being a head coach when the entire game went through changes and then exacerbated during the pandemic probably cost him even more lost time being on the sidelines and not in the booth. The same with Chizik and his 5 years away. A difficult task to say the least trying to catch up competing against much younger coaches who have innovated much of the game. Unless something drastic happens or if a sudden epiphany hits him and he decides enough is enough, time to hang it up and bring in someone who can compete in the game as it is played, coached, and recruited now, not 10 years ago.
I hope Maye does play and goes out with a solid win in Charlotte in front of his family, friends, and fans. It would be fitting for one of the very best to play QB for UNC. We were fortunate to have two generational QBs. Thank you Sam and Drake for those 5 years when we knew we were experiencing something special.
I think Mack should go out with Drake, but I’m betting Mack is coming back! Hot diggity dog! Another great mediocre year ahead. Our non-conference opponents are Minnesota, NC Central, Charlotte, and James Madison, so we should win most of those. Fortunately, JMU is losing their coach to Indiana, and their quarterback is transferring; so we have a fighting chance, although Hall Of Fame Mack Brown has been known to lose a few games to a brand new coach and a below average quarterback! At least our conference schedule is easy on paper too, not playing Clemson, Louisville, Miami, or Virginia Tech.
I just love Mack’s excuses for losing: Questionable calls, momentum swings, fumbles, the sun was in my eyes, transfer portal issues, etc… I like the fact that he NEVER just comes right out and says, “I stink as a head coach, but I’m like a time share salesman. I get AD’s to keep on hiring me, giving me raises, contract extensions, etc, but my product stinks. I get the laugh and you get the shaft! Yabba Dabba Doooo!!!!”
Drake Maye is a competitor and hates losing. I think in particular, he hates the idea of going on losing to State and the total meltdown across the board. It will be hard for someone who competes the way he does is leave with a bitter taste in his mouth and the other factor is his love for UNC and his family heritage at UNC.
As for Mack Brown, it is apparent that his attitude toward the game has changed over the years and probably influenced during his 5 year hiatus when he was in the broadcast booth. Being a spectator for 5 years and then returning to being a head coach when the entire game went through changes and then exacerbated during the pandemic probably cost him even more lost time being on the sidelines and not in the booth. The same with Chizik and his 5 years away. A difficult task to say the least trying to catch up competing against much younger coaches who have innovated much of the game. Unless something drastic happens or if a sudden epiphany hits him and he decides enough is enough, time to hang it up and bring in someone who can compete in the game as it is played, coached, and recruited now, not 10 years ago.
I hope Maye does play and goes out with a solid win in Charlotte in front of his family, friends, and fans. It would be fitting for one of the very best to play QB for UNC. We were fortunate to have two generational QBs. Thank you Sam and Drake for those 5 years when we knew we were experiencing something special.