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CHAPEL HILL – Whether or not injured North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell plays in the Tar Heels’ game Saturday versus Wofford remains to be seen, but if the record-setter does take a few snaps, it won’t be many.
So, no matter the scenario, backups Jacolby Criswell and Drake Maye will play, and they will play a lot.
Howell is currently listed as day-to-day by UNC with an upper body injury suffered late in the loss at Pittsburgh last Thursday, and a decision on his status will more likely be made Saturday morning by Howell and his doctors. And even if he does play, FCS member Wofford is just 1-9 overall and 0-8 in the Southern Conference. It is doubtful UNC will need Howell’s arm to take care of business and notch its sixth win to secure bowl eligibility.
“That obviously puts into question your young backup quarterbacks, so you have to get them ready to play,” UNC Coach Mack Brown said Monday, noting the focus this week will be on Criswell and Maye. “They’ll get the heavy load of practice this week, and we’ll just have to decide during the week how we play them.”
Howell is UNC’s career all-time leader in passing yards (9,931), total yards (10,829), touchdown passes (90), and touchdowns accounted for with 105. He is third all-time in ACC history with 90 touchdown passes.
Criswell and Maye, on the other hand, have combined to play only 61 snaps at Carolina, and they will split time at quarterback this week and likely in the game. Brown has noted multiple times going back to August the need to get the younger quarterbacks some live action because one of them will take over next season, as he’s believed for a while Howell would not be back for his senior season.
So not only is this about taking on Wofford, it’s about the 2022 campaign, as well.
“If Sam doesn’t play this weekend, this will be the first time that both of them get to run our offense, and we’ll get to see a lot about our future…,” Brown said. “So, you’ve got to look at winning the game, you’ve got to look at would one of them need to play in the next two games after this, if you get to a bowl game. And then, how important is redshirting.
“So, a lot of decision making is going to go into this week and the next couple of weeks about the two quarterbacks. We think they’re both really good, they’re both very talented, and they need work.”
Criswell, who is 6-foot, and 220 pounds, has played in six games in two seasons as a Tar Heel getting 56 total snaps. He has played just 12 snaps in three games this season. Overall, Criswell is 5-for-6 passing with 70 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. He has run the ball 11 times for 28 yards.
A native of Morrilton, AR, Criswell was 2-for-2 passing versus Georgia State, competing a 47-yard touchdown pass to true freshman tight end Bryson Nesbit. His other completion went seven yards to redshirt freshman tight end John Copenhaver.
In 2020, Criswell saw action in five games, playing 16 snaps in a win over Western Carolina, in which he was 2-for-3 with 16 yards and an interception. He also played 11 snaps versus NC State, 10 at Duke, three against Syracuse, and four in a rout at then-No. 9 Miami.
Maye, once an Alabama commit from Charlotte, and the son of former UNC quarterback Mark Maye, has played in only two games getting five snaps: three versus Georgia State and two against Duke. He has not attempted a pass. His older brother, Luke Maye, is a former standout basketball player for the Tar Heels. Drake Maye is 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds.
In planning ahead, however, the staff has given each player significant reps in practice. The grooming process has been going on for some time, and now they will be thrown into the fire.
“They both have gotten a lot of reps,” offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Phil Longo said Monday. “They haven’t gotten as many as Sam, but we have actually stolen some reps from Sam as the year has gone on. Just get him what he needed and then get him out.
“I think with regard to running the offense, understanding the offense, both of them have had a multitude of reps each week to prepare. We’ll prepare that way the same way this week, and if Sam’s not practicing, that’ll buy those younger guys even more reps.”
Longo doesn’t appear concerned about the prospect of rolling out there with a pair of inexperienced quarterbacks. He believes in their process in developing players at the position, and given that Criswell arrived in January 2020 and Maye last January, both know the offense, have been through the preparation grind, and are ready to see extended time on the field to show where they are at this stage in their developments.
“I think we’re so deep into it with reps with both of them in this offense, that it’s not like these guys are doing anything new.”
Longo meets with the quarterbacks one-on-one each week because they’re all on different levels, and he noted Maye is a bit where Howell was in his first year. But Longo was also quick to point out that Criswell and Maye are ahead of where Howell was because they’ve had the luxury of serving as apprentices before stepping on the field, whereas Howell started right out of the gate as a true freshman.
“The approach going into this game, if we’re going to utilize Jacolby and Drake, will be the same way we started the season two years ago when Sam was new,” Longo said. “We’ll scale it down a little bit, we’ll run the offense and kind of play to their strengths.”
And those strengths, and whatever weaknesses Criswell and Maye have, will be on display Saturday at Kenan.
