SAN DIEGO — The kid from Charlotte made the game-winning play, and for North Carolina, it was the wrong one. Camden Lewis played one year with Drake Maye at Hough High, before Maye moved on to Myers Park, and they each had a chance to secure victory.
Lewis’ extra point caromed off the left upright and through to put Oregon ahead 28-27 with 19 seconds to play Wednesday night. Maye’s 41-yard heave into the end zone with no time on the clock found a cluster of Oregon defenders in what’s normally deep left field in Petco Park.
So Maye’s first and presumably penultimate season as North Carolina quarterback ended with a Holiday Bowl loss, the Tar Heels’ fourth straight to close out the season after a 9-1 start, and his stellar play in the game — with UNC missing its top two receivers and its offensive coordinator gone for another job — once again underlined what a missed opportunity this season was, and how essential it is for the Tar Heels to make the most of Maye’s last season before he moves on to the NFL.
