Maye day: North Carolina rolls

New starting QB stars in rout of Florida A&M

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Drake Maye threw four of his five touchdown passes in the first half in his first collegiate start as North Carolina beat undermanned Florida A&M 56-24 to open the season Saturday.

Six players scored TDS for the Tar Heels (1-0), with wide receiver Josh Downs making two TD catches. Maye, a redshirt freshman and younger brother of former North Carolina basketball standout Luke Maye, completed 29 of 37 passes for 294 yards.

The Rattlers (0-1) arrived with a roster reduced by nearly two dozen players because of unresolved eligibility issues. The list of those absent included linebacker Isaiah Land, who led the Football Championship Subdivision in sacks last year.

Maye had a couple of notable achievements. He became the first UNC player to throw five TDS in a season opener and the first to connect for five TDS in a first career start.

Tar Heels running back Omarion Hampton scored on runs of 2 and 25 yards in his debut and totaled 101 yards on 14 carries.

Jeremy Moussa was 28 of 38 passing for 279 yards and two TDS with an interception

for Florida A&M, which was within 21-14 until Downs’ 2-yard TD catch with five second left in the first half.

Veteran North Carolina coach Mack Brown never had defeated a team from Tallahassee, Florida, until this result.

As Tar Heels coach, Brown — a Florida State alum — is 0-8 against Florida State. The 71-year-old Brown has 266 coaching victories.

This was the first football meeting between Florida A&M and North Carolina.

Chris Seward The Associated Press North Carolina wide receiver Josh Downs makes a 27-yard touchdown reception against Florida A&M cornerback Kym’mani King (4) and safety Timothy Williams Jr. during the Tar Heels’ win.