Players Tuesday: Maye, Morales & Biggers Talk Team, Heisman & More

CHAPEL HILL – With North Carolina preparing to host Georgia Tech on Saturday at Kenan Stadium, a few Tar Heels were made available to the media on Tuesday evening at the Kenan Football Center.

Quarterback Drake Maye, tight end Kamari Morales, and safety Gio Biggers fielded questions about the team’s progress, winning the Coastal Division, Maye and the Heisman, Josh Downs, the Yellow Jackets, and more.

UNC, which is ranked No. 13 this week in the AP Top 25 (this report is being filed before the CFP rankings for this week are revealed) is 9-1 overall and 6-0 in the ACC. Tech is 4-6 and 3-4.

Below are videos of the three interviews along with some notes and pulled quotes from what they had to say:

*UNC Coach Mack Brown said Monday while the Heisman Trophy in an individual award, it’s really a team one because in order to be in contention for sport’s most prestigious award the team must win. Plus, teammates have to make plays to help a candidate’s numbers.

Kamari Morales believes Maye should win the away and can’t say enough good things about his QB, but he also agrees it’s a team honor.

“Coach Brown is correct,” Morales said. “This is a team award. Let’s be honest, a tight end is not going to win the Heisman, so with him winning the Heisman, it’s gonna feel like I won the Heisman. I was a part of that. Everybody on this team, everybody in this building is a part of that.

“So, if he does win it, it definitely is a team award.”

*The Tar Heels have won six consecutive games since losing at home to Notre Dame nearly eight weeks ago, and Morales believes that loss actually fueled the team’s ascent. Without it, perhaps the Heels wouldn’t be 9-1 and have the Coastal Division locked up already.

“I hear people saying, ‘I wish we could get that Notre Dame game back,’ I don’t,” Morales said. “It happened the way it was supposed to. It humbled us. And honestly, I truly believe that us losing that game is the reason why we haven’t lost again. And we needed that.”

*Maye doesn’t publicly like to talk about himself much. He has done it a bit more in recent weeks because he’s getting more questions about himself and the Heisman as his national notoriety surges. But he comes off as a next-task-at-hand guy to the media.

So, what is he like behind the scenes? Morales knows as well as anyone.

“That’s exactly how he is. That’s just him as a person,” Morales said. “He still prepares the same way, he prepares (as he did) before the season started. During the games, he still acts the same way he acted in week one.

“I think one of the coolest things for me is during the games on the bench, I generally sit right next to him whenever we’re making adjustments. So, I hear the conversation he has with (offensive coordinator) Coach (Phil) Longo. I sit right there, so it’s definitely cool to be a part of.

“Nothing has changed since week one. He was the guy week one, he’s the guy now.”

*The stock for Drake Maye has been trending upward nationally with UNC’s 9-1 start and his phenomenal play, including leading the nation in passing touchdowns (34) and third passing yards (3,412).

Maye was in a battle with Jacolby Criswell for the starting job well into August, but Maye went from that to being in the Heisman conversation in just a few months. Even though Maye comes from an accomplished sports family, the moment and opportunity still has him in awe.

"To hear my name in those conversations is a blessing. It is a dream." Maye said. "After that one at Wake, in the locker room, when everybody was jumping around, I jumped around a little bit. But then I really sat down and thought about the game and overlooked the win. I need to do that more, it's a good point. Try to realize what we've got going and enjoy the moment."

*The first time Maye heard his name with the Heisman talk was from students around campus bringing it up when he was on the way to class. The Virginia game was when he really grasped the reality of him being a candidate.

"I couldn’t exactly remember, besides the students talking when walking to class and stuff,” he said. “Seriously other that, when running off the field in Virginia was the first time a lot of people started saying it."

*Maye says the support from the UNC fan base has been a factor on the road this year. On the road or chanting Heisman, Maye has seen a major support from the fan base, including late in the win at Wake, when Carolina fans were chanting, “Drake for Heisman…”

"They have been awesome throughout the whole season,” he said. “We are going to need them in some of these games coming up so I am sure they will show out.

"It was a pretty cool moment knowing Tar Heel nation supports me and the way they come to the away games. Seems like that whole side during the Wake game was Carolina blue."

*Sunday night, the University of Virginia endured a tragedy with three Virginia football players being shot and killed. Maye and teammate Chance Carroll knew one of the victims personally, UVA receiver Devin Chandler.

"I knew Devin pretty well," Maye said. "I used to go out and throw with him in throwing sessions. Being around the same area, you know the players going off to play for college.

"Great player that played at Huff, where I went for my freshman year; he transferred in after that. I knew a lot of players at Huff that were best friends with him."

Maye said Chandler was a teammate of his third-string center, Chance Carroll.

"I think Chance Carroll on our team, he played at Huff, he played with Devin…,” Maye said. “It's just a tragedy anytime something that reckless happens, and hearing some stories about what happened is just awful news. Just thoughts and prayers to the community."

*Down 34-33 with less than five minutes remaining at Wake, UNC’s Cam Kelly made a momentum-changing interception to give the offense the ball with 4:20 left in the game.

Starting from Wake’s 48-yard-line, Maye connected with Josh Downs on an out route for a 43-yard gain to the Wake 5-yard-line. Maye then tool uncharacteristic sack on the first play following the huge gain, and then two throwaways forced the Heels to settle for three points instead of a redzone touchdown.

"It was a bad part on my part," Maye said. "First down, first and five. I don't think I had anything there. I tried to make a play. It really was just an immature play. I think it was one of my firsts of the season. I tried to make a play when I didn’t need to. Trying to do too much. After that, I set us behind the sticks.

“Those next three plays credit to Wake. They kind of just dropped back, they knew we were going to pass it, and they played good coverage. We didn’t get to keep the clock rolling, we didn’t get in the end zone, but we ended up getting three. It ended up working out. That's all that matters, it's definitely a learning experience just for me and those big-time moments, kinda slow down and realize what's best for that type of situation."

*UNC’s defense doesn’t rank all that high in pretty much every statistical category, but it has shown a knack for coming up big at key moments. Trying to make sense of it is quite an exercise, one that Biggers was asked to attempt.

“One thing I will say about the defense is we’ve got so many leaders, whether they start or they don’t start,” Biggers said. “Guys that just want that just want to step up, guys that don’t want to let their teammates down. That’s been the biggest thing. That’s why we’ve improved so much.

“You can do it for the coaches and you can do it for yourself, but I think the biggest thing guys have learned is do it for the guy next to you, not wanting to let the guy next to you down.”

*Georgia Tech will not have Jeff Sims at quarterback this week, so the Tar Heels must prepare for two QBs, both of whom have struggled. Zach Pyron and Zach Gibson each threw two interceptions in the loss to Miami this past weekend, but UNC must prepare for two different styles at QB.

“The challenge is one guy can run and one guy can’t,” Biggers said. “One guy is set up for these plays, and one guy is set up for these plays (different types). So, it’s kind of just knowing what plays you get with each guy, what are his strengths and weaknesses, and who does he go to a lot.”