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Editor’s Note: This edition of Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook was published shortly before UNC announced head coach Mack Brown would not return following the end of the 2024 season.
Mack Brown admitted that sometimes he doesn’t know what he is talking about.
The Carolina football coach faced the media Monday for his last regular season press conference and basically said what he promised last week was a bunch of hogwash.
“Toughness is going to be the theme this week,” Brown said last Monday, adding that he would preach toughness every day because that’s what it takes to win at Boston College. He indicated his team could take a punch, would be physical and “not soft.”
Yes, BC had more on the line than Carolina, needing to win to land a bowl bid, but so did the Tar Heels who were on track to complete Brown’s best seasonal record in his six years back in Chapel Hill.
Upon fully reviewing the embarrassing and misleading 41-21 loss, Brown said Monday his team had been “too comfortable.” He also said that after coaching more than 435 college games in his almost 40-year career he cannot tell before the game if his team might be too comfortable or, as the old cliché goes, “not ready to play.”
He has also said with so many guys on his team it is impossible to take everyone’s pulse. Maybe true, but what about the key players, like offensive linemen having to block for Omarion Hampton and protect Jacolby Criswell, who was coming off a bad game and needed to rebound. Criswell threw three interceptions against the Eagles, including one for a pick-6 that ended any chance for a miracle comeback.
This week, the key incentives are in Carolina’s collective lap. Beat N.C. State for the first time in four years; knock the 5-6 Wolfpack out of bowl eligibility; win at least seven games for the third straight season and, maybe, save their coach’s job by winning at home on Senior Day against the zealous archrival.
Brown is in the College Football Hall of Fame and the active coach with the second-most wins (behind LSU’s Brian Kelly). But a closer look reveals more losses to opponents his teams should have beaten, some at home, than upset wins. The fan base, back on his case, sees very little sustained progress during his second tenure, including one win over a Power team with a winning record in 2024.
Coaching a seventh (and 17th in all) season at UNC is not on his mind this week, only to finish strong and avoid the horrible end to 2021 when State rallied to win in the last 1:06 in Raleigh. The Tar Heels got skunked by South Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl and finished 6-7, Brown’s only losing season in Mack 2.0.
After losing to BC and falling to 6-5, the Tar Heels are closer to duplicating that unhappy ending and go to another ho-hum bowl in which Hampton elects not to play, further injuring Brown’s legacy as the guy who saved Carolina football.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
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