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CHAPEL HILL – As No. 24 North Carolina prepares to face Clemson in the ACC championship game, four Tar Heels were made available to the media Tuesday evening at the Kenan Football Center to field questions about a variety of things.

Among the topics were how the team finished the season, losing consecutive games at home, the mood around the program this week, some individual things about performance, playing the Tigers, and about what winning the school’s first ACC football title in 42 years would mean.

UNC is 9-3 and finished league play at 6-2 and as the Coastal Division champions. Clemson is 10-2 and was 8-0 in winning the Atlantic Division.

Below are videos of interviews with QB Drake Maye and WR Josh Downs along with a few notes and pulled quotes from what they had to say:

*Carolina had its two lowest total yardage performances in the last two games as well as its two lowest scoring games through regulation. UNC had 17 points in a loss to Georgia Tech and 27 in the loss to NC State, but it had 24 at the end of regulation. Its 27 points in a win at Miami did not include overtime.

Maye was asked what some of the issues were the last two games.

“Just being patient,” Maye said, about what’s needed to fix what’s gone wrong. “State was dropping eight, Georgia Tech was doubling some guys; just check the underneath guys. It’s me being patient and take those three and four-yard gains. Those add up.”

*UNC last played in the ACC title game in 2015, which is its only previous appearance. So with an ACC championship at stake this weekend, the team has moved on from the two losses to close things out, the focus now is squarely on winning a title.

“It’s a huge opportunity,” Maye said. “This is what the season’s about, getting to the ACC championship. Chance to play Clemson, we’re all excited. It’s a game in football you want to play in. It was our goal for this season.

“And obviously, (we can) out the two weeks behind us, because if we win this, it puts those two games, not like it didn’t happen, but beating a team like Clemson, as successful as they’ve been, especially in the ACC the way they’ve dominated, have a chance to get a crack at them. Playing them in a big-time game on a big stage, it should be fun.”

*Maye grew up in the Charlotte area and has always wanted to play in Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers. He got to for a few snaps in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl last December, but this is different. He’s starting, and it’s for the Tar Heels to earn a ring.

“Yeah. (Used to) go to every Panthers game,” Maye said. “My senior year of high school, we had a game set up there to play at Bank of America Stadium, it would have been the first time I ever played in there. But Covid ended up ruining that.

“But it’s what I’ve always dreamed of, going in an NFL stadium playing against a team the caliber of Clemson. It gets you anxious, and at the end of the day, it’s why you play the sport of football.”

*The ACC announced its all-conference team while Maye was actually at the dais taking questions. So, he was asked about being named first-team All-ACC.

“It’s a blessing and an honor,” Maye said. “But at the end of the day, it’s a credit to these guys around me. It starts with the line up front, and the playmakers we’ve got outside. It’s been a fun year. We’ve had some games where different guys were (productive), and some games where guys were down and other guys stepped up.

“I just think it’s been the storyline of this team. One guy goes down, they step up and they’re still making plays.”

*What are Downs’ thoughts about the offense not being as productive the last two weeks as it had previously.

“We played two really good defenses with d-coordinators who came in with good plans,” Downs said. “They had a lot of calls that were good for the plays we were running and they ended up stopping us. We’ve just got to be patient.

“A lot of teams have taken away the deep ball the last two weeks, and then we got some pressure at times, too. So, it’s just a mix of a lot of things.”

*Downs dropped a pass near the end of the Georgia Tech game that likely would have given the Tar Heels the win had he corralled the ball. His teammates said last week they were picking him up and he had moved on in good spirits. Downs hadn’t been available to the media since then, so he shared his thoughts about that moment and the time since.

“It was a little frustrating, of course, because of all the work I’ve put in,” Downs said. “Having that moment, I just took my eyes off the ball just for a second. I’m human, I’ve got human errors, so it was a real humbling moment for me just to be in the moment…

“I think I’m over it now. We’ve got a big game ahead of me; dream game, ACC championship. So, I’m focusing on Clemson and looking forward to Saturday.”

*Downs joined Maye on the first-team All-ACC squad that was announced Tuesday evening. His thoughts:

“Honestly, it’s just a blessing,” Downs said. “Last year, I was All-ACC first-team, too, and this year I got it again. It’s just a tremendous blessing to be able to have those accolades to my name. All the work I’ve put in is paying off, and other people are recognizing it. So, I’m proud of that.”

*The Tar Heels started the season 9-1 and were riding a six-game win streak before dropping their last two contests. But, with a conference title to play for this week, the mood of the team is what?

“It makes us reset back to normal,” Downs said. “We were 9-1, I felt like we were on a high and feeling really good about ourselves. But the last two weeks have been really humbling for the team. Both games came down to the last play, and the cards weren’t in our favor.

“We’re coming into this week working again. We’re hungry for a victory, and we know that we have a big test, knowing that if we win the ACC championship, these last two weeks… would trump that.”