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Mack Brown praised Duke and said his team pulled out a gallant victory.
The Carolina football coach is well-known for his rambling Monday morning press conferences after games. And he was as talkative as ever following the Tar Heels’ thrilling 47-45 double-OT win over the Blue Devils.
Brown is not only the active college coach with the second most victories. He also fashions himself as a mentor to young coaches, which includes Duke’s Mike Elko, who has become one of the hottest head coaches in the game after leading the Blue Devils to bowl eligibility in his first two years.
“Mike’s done an unbelievable job there,” Brown said. “They play hard, they’re well coached. I’m very impressed with everything he’s done.”
That includes nearly beating Carolina Saturday night in one of the wildest scenes in Kenan Stadium history. It was UNC’s fifth straight victory over the Blue Devils since Brown’s return and his 13th in a row dating back to his first tenure in Chapel Hill. Rallying from a late deficit to tie the game and win in overtime kept the Victory Bell and lit the Bell Tower light blue.
And the way he talked about Duke’s near-perfect play and his own team’s multiple mistakes, he was undoubtedly happy to win a game that, for now, saved the Tar Heels from continuing another late-season slide like last year when they lost their last four games after a 9-1 start. Brown’s once 6-0 team lost to double-digit underdogs Virginia and Georgia Tech and was perilously close to losing again despite being favored by 10 points over Duke.
He said the environment was unbelievable, the fans amazing and the student body the best in the country. And that it was a classy game with little trash-talking between the players whom he called “a bunch of smart kids who competed at the highest level.” He admitted it is weird to say so, but it was disappointing one of the teams had to lose.
Duke “pulled off” a fake punt at its own 30-yard line and the second onside kick Carolina failed to cover this season, Brown admitting that they did not have their “good hands team” on the field when they should have. Duke was also 4-for-4 on touchdowns in the red zone (his team was 4-for-10) and 4-for-4 on fourth down, including a 30-yard touchdown pass with 41 seconds left in regulation against one-on-one coverage.
Brown knows his team must fix those mistakes at Clemson, which has scored 73 points in two straight home victories, and have better execution on both sides of the ball. They will “come after us,” he said, citing the Tigers’ 96-9 record at home under coach Dabo Swinney. “We’re rarely an underdog, so nobody will think we’re going to win. That will be fun, too.”
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
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