UNC’s Drake Maye ready for ‘quarterback duel’ with South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler
South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler has been complimentary of his Week 1 counterpart, praising UNC’s Drake Maye for how he “blew up on the scene last year.”
The feeling’s mutual, according to Maye, whose Tar Heels face the Gamecocks in their season opener on Sept. 2 at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
“Spencer had some great games last year,” Maye, the reigning ACC Player of the Year and a top 2024 NFL Draft prospect, said Thursday at the ACC Kickoff preseason media event. “He’s a great football player.
“I think he’s had a road. He’s had to prove himself and he throws it around — he’s got as much talent in the world as you think of as a quarterback. So I think he’ll be geared up and I know he’s going to have a great season. … (I’m) getting ready to have a good quarterback duel.”
Rattler led USC to an 8-5 record last year, headlined by wins against top-10 Tennessee and Clemson opponents, before deciding to return for a second season with the Gamecocks. The former Oklahoma quarterback will be looking to cement himself as a high-round draft pick.
Maye, meanwhile, is arguably the top quarterback in the country. He led UNC to a 9-5 record and ACC championship appearance in 2022 as a redshirt freshman and became just the sixth Division I quarterback since 2010 to post 4,000 pass yards, 35 pass touchdowns, 650 rush yards and seven rush TDs in a season, per the school.
UNC and USC are set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2 in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte. It’ll be the 60th all-time meeting between the schools in what’s nicknamed the “Battle of the Carolinas.”
USC won the last meeting, 38-21, in the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl during coach Shane Beamer’s first season but trails the all-time series with UNC 35-20-4.
“Yeah, I’m excited for the game.,” Rattler said July 20 at SEC Media Days in Nashville. “I haven’t met Drake yet. He kind of blew up on the scene last year, had a great season. Credit to him. I’m excited to get to compete versus them. It will be a fun game. Hopefully we’ll put on a show.”
This story was originally published July 27, 2023 at 11:19 AM.
