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Are the last three games of the season the most critical of Mack Brown’s coaching career?

Brown acknowledged Monday that he has never had a football fall like this one. The arc of the Tar Heels’ first nine games looks like the stock market during turbulent times.

Expect to win your first four games, which after surviving at Minnesota comes three mid-majors at home.

Then, flirting with a national ranking, give up 70 points to James Madison and a 20-0 lead at Duke, which has the alumni and fan base talking retirement for the 73-year-old hall of famer. After home losses to Pitt and Georgia Tech, chatter turns into a foregone conclusion that Mack is hanging it up after the season.

At 3-4, that was not only the low point on the field, but also for the program due to the death of wide receiver Tylee Craft from cancer. Fortunately, Carolina had the first of two open dates to recover and reset.

Here is where it gets tricky.

The Tar Heels go to Virginia, a tough place to play over Brown’s two tenures, and blow out the Cavaliers. Fortunately, Florida State is having one of its worst seasons and is fodder for another UNC blowout and Brown’s first win over his alma mater. At 5-4, there is a second open date to heal more wounds.

So we go into the last three weeks of the schedule that doesn’t look quite as challenging as in August. Wake Forest (4-5), at BC (5-4), Senior Day versus N.C. State (5-5), all three still hunting bowl bids with six wins.

Wake Forest has been a high-scoring, difficult opponent for the last four meetings. The almost defenseless Deacs always seem to have skilled offensive players, and they are no different with quarterback Hank Bachmeier seventh in the ACC in total offense and Demond Claiborne fifth in rushing.

A third straight win means UNC goes bowling for the sixth straight season, and Kenan Stadium is sold out with a balmy Saturday night forecast for the 8 pm kickoff. That would be one leg of the three-legged stool of success.

Going to Chestnut Hill to play BC is never easy, and the Eagles of new coach and veteran Bill O’Brien are coming off a comeback win over a good Syracuse team. Winning there could make Carolina 7-4 and get a better bowl game.

The third leg is State, which as we all know has a three-game winning streak over the Tar Heels that has substantially stoked the rivalry.

So here’s the projected scorecard for the three-legged finish:

  • Lose all three or just win one and Brown says he expects the chatter to return, louder.
  • Win two and one of them is over the Wolfpack, and Brown is likely back for another season.
  • Win all three and match last year’s regular season record of 8-4.

Add UNC’s first bowl win since 2019, and Carolina finishes with the best record of Brown 2.0. Considering all, a great end to a seesaw season.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward

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.

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