North Carolina defeats Campbell 59-7; Drake Maye throws for 244-yards and four touchdowns

By Bob Sutton, Associated Press, and Graham Hill, WRALSportsFan contributor

Campbell Fighting Camels	7
North Carolina Tar Heels	59
Final

Chapel Hill, N.C. — Drake Maye threw two of his four touchdown passes to Tez Walker, Omarion Hampton ran for two touchdowns and North Carolina shed a two-game losing streak by beating Campbell 59-7 on Saturday afternoon.

Hampton gained 144 rushing yards on 15 carries and North Carolina’s much-maligned defense shined at times.

The Tar Heels (7-2) needed a pick-me-up before returning to Atlantic Coast Conference play following upset losses to Virginia and Georgia Tech, falling from a No. 10 national ranking all the way out of the poll.

Some North Carolina starters, including Maye, on offense were pulled by late in the third quarter. Maye ended 16-for-23 for 244 yards in the air.

Campbell (4-5), a member of the Football Championship Subdivision’s Coastal Athletic Association, had 287 yards of total offense. Quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams threw for 185 yards and ran for 51 yards.

North Carolina scored first on Maye’s 10-yard pass to Walker, who was in action despite spending time in an Atlanta hospital following the Tar Heels’ loss a week earlier at Georgia Tech. They connected again on a 31-yard scoring play late in the first half.

The Camels drew even as Williams threw to Chaney Fitzgerald for a 19-yard touchdown on a third-and-goal play in the first quarter.

Hampton ran 54 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 8:56 left in the second quarter. Hampton eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the season on that run.

Campbell then had a five-minute drive go for naught when Caleb Dowden missed wide left on a 33-yard field goal attempt.

After Walker’s second touchdown, the Tar Heels executed a hurry-up offense to score when Hampton plowed into the end zone from 4 yards out for his 12th rushing touchdown of the year.

Maye threw touchdown passes to John Copenhaver and J.J. Jones in the third quarter. Backup quarterback Conner Harrell ran and threw for touchdowns in the fourth.

FOOT NOTES

By reaching 1,000 yards, Hampton became the fastest North Carolina player to do since Giovani Bernard needed just eight games in 2012. … Campbell, which had about a 40-mile trip, dropped to 0-3 vs. in-state opponents this season. … The Camels’ only other game all-time against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent came with a 2020 loss at Wake Forest. They dropped to 0-11 against Football Bowl Subdivision foes.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

North Carolina played its first game of the season without a national ranking Saturday. While defeating Campbell won’t likely be enough to climb back into the poll, other results could shuffle the rankings enough for the Tar Heels to land a Top 25 spot in Sunday’s next poll.

THE TAKEAWAY

Campbell: The Camels put together a couple of promising first-half drives but committing four turnovers pretty much doomed any chance of an upset. They’ve given up more than 40 points in three of their losses.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels might have sorted out some issues, particularly on defense, and that was the main objective. North Carolina reached the 40-point mark for the sixth game this season.

UP NEXT

Campbell: Saturday vs. CAA leader Delaware in the home finale

North Carolina: Saturday vs. Duke in the home finale.

Scoring Summary

Final: The North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Campbell Fighting Camels 59-7 on Saturday in Chapel Hill.

Fourth quarter: Wide receiver Chris Culliver caught a 41-yard touchdown pass from Conner Harrell. North Carolina made it 59-7 after a made PAT.

Fourth quarter: Quarterback Conner Harrell had a 61-yard touchdown run for his first career touchdown as a Tar Heel. North Carolina made it 52-7 after the made PAT.

Third quarter: North Carolina kicker Noah Burnette made a 43-yard field goal to extend the lead to 45-7.

Drake Maye finished the day completing 16 of 23 passes for 244 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Third quarter: Wide receiver J.J. Jones caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Drake Maye. North Carolina made it 42-7 after a made PAT.

Third quarter: Drake Maye threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Copenhaver. North Carolina extended their lead to 35-7 after the made PAT.

Halftime: North Carolina led Campbell 28-7 at halftime.

Second quarter: Omarion Hampton had a 4-yard touchdown run for his second of the game. North Carolina made it 28-7 after a made PAT.

Second quarter: Drake Maye threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Tez Walker for his second of the game. North Carolina extended their lead to 21-7 after the made PAT

Second quarter: Omarion Hampton had a 54-yard touchdown. North Carolina would retake the lead 14-7 after a made PAT.

First quarter: Hajj-Malik Williams threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Chaney Fitzgerald. Campbell would even the score, 7-7 after the made PAT.

First quarter: Drake Maye threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Tez Walker for his fifth of the season. North Carolina would take the lead first, 7-0 after a made PAT.

Pregame:

North Carolina hosts Campbell on Saturday in hopes of ending a two-game losing streak. The Tar Heels won their first six games and reached No. 10 in the AP Top 25.

That was the best start for the program since 1997. But the Tar Heels have lost to Virginia and Georgia Tech the past two weeks to fall completely out of the rankings.

Defense has taken a significant step back in the last two games. That includes giving up 246 yards rushing in the fourth quarter of the road loss to the Yellow Jackets.

The Camels are a Championship Subdivision team.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Two weeks ago, the Tar Heels were off to their best start since 1997 at 6-0 and a No. 10 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll.

Now they're unranked after two straight losses in the Atlantic Coast Conference, including against a Virginia team that came in with just one win.

UNC needs to regroup as the Tar Heels step out of league play to face the Camels, an instate Championship Subdivision foe.

KEY MATCHUP

UNC's run defense against the Camels. The Tar Heels have had a significant step backward defensively in the past two games, most notably against the run. UNC was fifth in the ACC in run defense (113.8) going into the Virginia game, but the Tar Heels allowed 228 yards against Virginia and 348 yards — including 246 in the fourth quarter — at Georgia Tech.

Campbell is in the middle of the FCS ranks by averaging 152.6 yards per game on the ground, but as UNC coach Mack Brown said Monday: “If I'm them, I come in and try to run the ball.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Campbell: QB Hajj-Malik Williams. Williams ranks in the top 15 of the FCS ranks with 262.2 yards per game and 16 touchdowns through the air. He also ranks second nationally in completion percentage at .743.

UNC: RB Omarion Hampton. Hampton has become an elite runner who is tied for fourth nationally by running for 115.4 yards per game, providing a strong complement to star quarterback Drake Maye's ability to push the ball downfield. Hampton is coming off a 153-yard day with two touchdowns, pushing him to 10 rushing scores on the season.

FACTS & FIGURES

Campbell is 0-10 all-time against Bowl Subdivision opponents, including instate losses at Appalachian State (2014, 2020), Wake Forest (2020) and East Carolina earlier this season. ... UNC held Georgia Tech scoreless in the first and third quarters, yet scored 24 points and 22 points in the third and fourth quarters. ... The Camels' loss to Richmond last weekend snapped a two-game winning streak. ... Maye is third nationally in total offense (352.2) and fourth in passing (319.9). ... The Tar Heels are No. 3 in the Bowl Subdivision ranks in total offense (509.4) and No. 16 nationally in scoring (36.6). ... UNC is getting quality production at tight end from Bryson Nesbit, who had three catches for 93 yards and a touchdown against Virginia then posted a similar line (three catches for 89 yards and a score) against Georgia Tech. Nesbit has four TD catches this year. ... Campbell joined the Colonial Athletic Association in July. The school dropped varsity football as a program after the 1950 season before resuming play in August 2008.