Duke football takes on archrival No. 24 North Carolina Saturday. The Blue Zone begins coverage of this weekend's matchup with a film study of a few of the key Tar Heel playmakers:
When looking at North Carolina, the discourse must start with sophomore quarterback Drake Maye. Maye has been touted as one of the premier playmakers in college football after a standout redshirt freshman campaign, and was heavily involved in the preseason Heisman conversation. Since then, his Heisman stock has dropped over the course of the season. However, his fall from grace hasn’t been a result of his talent, and the sophomore signal caller is still viewed as a top NFL prospect.
Maye and the Tar Heels’ last outing turned into a blowout quickly, as head coach Mack Brown’s squad decimated the Campbell Fighting Camels 59-7. North Carolina took a commanding 21-7 lead with just under three minutes left in the first half, as Maye connected with junior wide receiver J.J. Jones to earn a first down, and subsequently hurled his longest touchdown pass of the day, finding junior wideout Devontez Walker in the endzone for a 31-yard score. The Huntersville, N.C., native showed off impressive accuracy with the pinpoint strike to Jones, and good arm strength on the connection with Walker. (10:19)
Walker is another one of the Tar Heels’ strongest playmakers, having accrued 438 yards on only 28 catches, with six touchdowns on the season. These numbers are much more impressive considering that he’s only played five of North Carolina’s nine games — since the NCAA did not rule him eligible to compete until Oct. 7.
When investigating an explosive wide receiver like Walker, his ability to get behind a defensive back and take the top off of a defense is the primary concern. In a 41-31 win over then-No. 25 Miami, Walker forced a defender to interfere with his route early in the third quarter. The cornerback assigned to him was evidently afraid of getting beat on a deep ball on third down, and held Walker as he took off downfield. The officials awarded the Tar Heels a first down, and on the next play, the same defender got beat deep by Walker. Maye saw the play develop, and Walker banked a 56-yard touchdown score, his longest reception of the season. (14:14)
On the other side of the ball, linebacker Cedric Gray will be a player to watch for North Carolina. The senior standout is a true quarterback of the defense, having tallied 85 tackles on the year. In same matchup against the Hurricanes, the Tar Heels’ only ranked opponent so far this season, he recovered two turnovers, recovering a critical end-zone fumble and picking off Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke. (3:55 and 16:40)
While both of these turnovers did result from offensive miscues, Gray’s awareness from behind the line is a dangerous element to a defensive unit that has had porous showings this season.
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