Drake Maye was as advertised and Athan Kaliakmanis didn’t play like he was ready for the moment as the Minnesota Gophers fell to No. 20 North Carolina 31-13 Saturday in Chapel Hill.
Big plays were the theme of the day as Maye, the hyped NFL Draft prospect who threw for 414 yards on the day, connected with Nate McCollum for a 46-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the game. It was one of four completions of at least 38 yards for Maye and the Tar Heels.
Drake Maye with the TD pass to Nate McCollum for 46 yards pic.twitter.com/jy9hlMRDZY
— Ian Valentino (@NFLDraftStudy) September 16, 2023
On UNC’s second offensive possession, Maye took advantage a discombobulated Minnesota defense and a blown coverage to find tight end Kamari Morales wide open for a 55-yard play down to the Minnesota 1-yard line. The Tar Heels scored on the next play for a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
After back-to-back possessions with the Gophers intercepting Maye – Minnesota got 3 points out of the turnovers – the redshirt sophomore responded on the next drive by hitting on all four of his passes for 74 yards including a 19-yard touchdown to Bryson Nesbit to put UNC ahead 21-3.
Two pass interference penalties helped the Gophers march down the field and cut the deficit to 21-10 with 30 seconds left in the first half. The first interference call gave the Gophers a first down and the second also gave Minnesota a first down after Kaliakmanis threw incomplete on third down. Two plays later it was running back Darius Taylor punching it in for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 21-10 at the half.
Taylor was excellent for a second straight game. The true freshman rushed for 138 yards one week after torching Eastern Michigan for 193 yards.
Kaliakmanis struggled all day. He was 11 of 29 for 133 yards and an interception.
Minnesota began the second half with a drive that stalled in North Carolina, though Dragan Kesich drilled a 45-yard field goal to make it a 21-13 game. The Gophers forced a UNC punt and were driving into Tar Heels territory before Kaliakmanis left with an injury (believed to be cramps) and backup QB Cole Kramer threw an interception in the end zone.
Tar Heel Defense 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻' 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵! pic.twitter.com/VoriLj9ks4
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) September 16, 2023
Instead of coming out of UNC territory with points, the Gophers got nothing and the Tar Heels marched down the field and added a field go to extend the lead to 24-13 with 1:26 left in the third.
Minnesota’s ensuing drive stalled at midfield and they punted. The defense held, forcing another UNC punt to give Kaliakmanis and the Gophers the ball back with 12:05 to play. An unnecessary roughness penalty on the Gophers after the punt started the drive at their own 33-yard line instead of near midfield.
Did the Gophers take advantage this time? Nope. The Gophers went three-and-out, having lost a yard on third-and-two and then choosing to punt on fourth-and-three even though they were down by 11 points with 10 minutes to go.
Still trailing 24-13 with 6:17 left in the game and North Coarlina facing a third-and-four deep in Minnesota territory, Gophers safety Tyler Nubin was offsides by a mile to give UNC a free first down. They scored three plays later to go ahead 31-13.
Maye finished 29 of 40 for 414 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. His favorite target, Nate McCollum, caught 15 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown.
