Underdog UNC football fights off App State as in-state battle goes down to the wire

BOONE, NC — North Carolina’s first visit to Appalachian State had Kidd Brewer Stadium busting at the seams on Saturday afternoon.

The game lived up to its billing with North Carolina holding off Appalachian State for a heartstopping 63-61 win. That 124-point total was the most ever for UNC and an opponent in a single game.

UNC didn’t secure the victory until defenders Noah Taylor and Kaimon Rucker pulled down Appalachian State quarterback Chase Brice a yard short of the goal line on a two-point conversion run attempt. The Tar Heels then had to field an onside kick attempt before they could run out the clock with eight seconds to play.

HEELS HIGHLIGHTS: See North Carolina football survive Appalachian State on Chase Brice overthrow, fumble

Fans crammed into every inch of Kidd Brewer in what some called the biggest home game in school history. The record attendance certainly was evidence of that.

Announced as a sellout at the 30,000-seat stadium weeks before kickoff, the actual figure exceeded that significantly. A crowd of 40,168 attended the game, surpassing the previous high mark of 35,126 set in 2017 when Wake Forest visited Boone.

The student section filled up two hours before kickoff and roared their approval when the Mountaineers arrived on the field, while greeting UNC with a loud round of boos.

Here are observations and takeaways from UNC’s victory against Appalachian State:

Drake Maye is still good

Many were wondering if the level of competition was part of the reason UNC’s redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Maye was able to throw for five touchdowns in the season opener on Aug. 27. Maye became the first athlete in school history to deliver five scoring throws in his starting debut, but that was against Football Championship Subdivision Florida A&M.

Well, Maye answered some of those doubts Saturday against Football Bowl Subdivision and preseason Sun Belt Conference East Division pick Appalachian State. Maye directed the Tar Heels back from an early 21-7 deficit by throwing for 352 yards, four touchdowns and rushing for 76 yards and another score.

Maye completed 24 of 36 passes and connected with eight different receivers. In the first two starts of his college career, Maye has completed 53of 73 passes for 646 yards and nine touchdowns.

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Howell in the house

The Tar Heels had a distinguished guest on their sideline against the Mountaineers.

Record-setting quarterback Sam Howell took the day off from his duties as a quarterback with the NFL’s Washington Commanders to watch his old team.

Howell set just about every school passing record as UNC’s starter between 2019-21, including passing yards (10,283) and touchdowns (92). He left Chapel Hill after his junior season and was selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the Commanders where he’s enjoyed an impressive preseason.

SHOW OF SUPPORT: New UNC QB Drake Maye gets support from predecessor Sam Howell after 5-TD debut

Dressed in a white shirt and dark pants, Howell was seen hugging his replacement, redshirt freshman Drake Maye, during pregame warmups and posed for a photo with UNC offensive coordinator Phil Longo and injured wide receiver Josh Downs.

Howell was in the UNC locker room during pregame and halftime, and stood on the sidelines during the game.

Downs but not out

North Carolina played without its best big-play offensive weapon as junior receiver Josh Downs sat out against Appalachian State due to a knee injury.

Downs, an All-Atlantic Coast Conference pick last season after collecting 1,335 receiving yards, suffered the injury after making his second touchdown catch in the opener against Florida A&M.

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The Tar Heels didn’t miss a beat, however. Downs’ replacement, redshirt freshman Kobe Paysour, sophomore J.J. Jones and sophomore tight end Bryson Nesbit stepped up in his absence.

Paysour, who only had one catch for seven yards in UNC’s opener, led the way against Appalachian State with eight catches for 92. Among those was a clutch 16-yard catch in the fourth quarter to extend a UNC drive after Appalachian State had rallied to within 49-42 with seven minutes to play.

Third-down turnaround

UNC’s poor performance on third-down plays helped Appalachian State jump out to a 21-7 lead. The Mountaineers converted their first five third-down plays, one with the aid of a personal foul and two others that went for a 52-yard scoring run and another on a 42-yard pass play to set up a score.

But the Tar Heels somehow reversed those third-down fortunes and keyed their rally with stops on three of Appalachian State’s next four third-down attempts. UNC also thwarted a fourth-down conversion attempt and picked off a pass while its offense reeled off 20 unanswered points to take command.

Junior linebacker Cedric Gray led the way for UNC’s defense with 13 tackles and a key interception.