Maye, UNC Roll Past Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH, PA.— Drake Maye threw for a touchdown and ran for two more as 17th-ranked North Carolina beat Pittsburgh, 41-24, in its first road game and first ACC matchup of the season on Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium.

Alijah Huzzie also starred for the Tar Heels, tallying two interceptions and a punt return touchdown.

UNC outscored the Panthers, 34-17, in the second and third quarters to seize control of what had been a close game in the early portions of the first half.

Ranked a season-best No. 17 by the Associated Press and coaches this week, Carolina improved to 4-0, 1-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Pitt fell to 1-3, 0-1. The Tar Heels are 4-0 for the first time since 1997, the final season of Mack Brown’s first stint as their head coach.

The first half was an offensive showcase, with both teams trading scoring drives in the early going. It was 14-14 midway through the second quarter before Huzzie’s punt return for a TD gave UNC its first lead at 21-14. Huzzie’s touchdown was Carolina’s second in under two minutes, turning a 14-7 deficit into a 21-14 lead.

A few minutes later, the righthanded Maye threw a lefthanded scoring pass to Kobe Paysour on a zone read play for a 28-17 UNC advantage that held at the break.

Maye completed 7 of 10 first-half passes for 139 yards and a score in the first half, averaging a tidy 19.9 yards per completion. The teams combined for 25 first-half first downs, including 13 by the Panthers. Pitt ran for 4.0 yards per carry in the first two quarters, dominating time of possession, 20:27 to 9:33.

The Tar Heels took the second-half kickoff and scored another touchdown to go ahead, 35-17, two-and-a-half minutes into the third quarter. Maye’s 52-yard completion to J.J. Jones took Carolina from its own 28-yard line to the Pitt 25. Six plays later, UNC led 35-17.

Both defenses settled down after halftime, including posting a scoreless fourth quarter by both teams.