MINNEAPOLIS — Early Friday morning, Drake Maye took to X to express his admiration for Noah Burnette, stating, “Noah Burnette! Nothing new,” accompanied by a goat emoji.
The former quarterback of UNC praised Burnette for his crucial role in the Tar Heels’ recent victory, which was secured by a 45-yard field goal in the game’s final moments. However, Burnette was unaware of Maye’s message following UNC’s narrow 19-17 season-opening win against Minnesota, as he was too busy to check his phone.
Had he logged on, Burnette would have been inundated with accolades. His performance during the game certainly warranted the praise. The kicker scored four field goals in the second half, contributing 12 of the team’s 19 points. The match marked a low-scoring affair, with it being the fewest points in a win for North Carolina since 2012.
Head coach Mack Brown reflected on the significance of the victory, stating, “In the last few years, we haven’t won games where one of the phases didn’t play well, and we found a way to win this game. And that’s what’s so important.”
Burnette now boasts a perfect record of 13-for-13 on field goals of 40 yards or more, including a career-long 52-yarder on Thursday. Following the game, he remained modest about his impressive achievement.