UNC football head coach Mack Brown joined Aaron Keck this morning for “Mondays with Mack,” presented by Chapel Hill Tire.
Brown’s Tar Heels earned their fourth consecutive win over the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday, winning 27-24 in Hard Rock Stadium. Carolina is 3-0 on the road in 2022 after not winning a single game away from Kenan Stadium last season. The road warriors will have another test this weekend, as UNC will visit Duke on Saturday night.
Here are a few of Brown’s answers on various topics:
On the win at Miami: Miami’s a really good football team. We knew that going in. They had two weeks to prepare. They were upset because they didn’t play well the previous outing, so we knew we were gonna get their best shot. It was a great game. We jumped out early. Didn’t play as well offensively in the second half, but still had a drive or two and scored a few points. The defense stepped up and played by far their best game. So we’re starting to come together. I like this team. I like the way they prepare. I like how hard they work to win. And we still have a lot of things we can do to fix.
On the Duke game next Saturday: We’ve just got to continue to improve. Mike Elko’s the new coach at Duke, and he came from Texas A&M. He coached at Wake Forest, he coached at Notre Dame before. He’s one of the best defensive coaches, as an assistant, in the country. And he’s done a tremendous job at Duke. They’re running the ball really well, they’re stopping the run on defense. So this will be a great challenge for us and a great game.
On being ranked in this week’s Coaches Poll: I never look at the polls until the first of November, when the College Football [Playoff] Polls come out. That’s always been my first feeling. People have had a pretty good part of the fall, so they can check the resumes of each team. And then you have an idea of who’s played well and who hasn’t. I’m proud for the guys that they’re getting a little recognition, but they need to understand that that means absolutely nothing at this point. They’ve got to keep winning.
On competing in the UNC-Duke rivalry: Rivalries are created by fans and fan enthusiasm. When your alums go to church on Sunday and they go with an NC State friend or a Duke friend, or they go to the grocery store or they’re at work every day with them, you never want to lose to your neighbors. That’s what these rivalry games are all about. There’s a reason that many, many years ago somebody picked the Victory Bell for this game. This game’s been important for a long time.
On his message to the fans: Get to Wallace Wade [Stadium]. Let’s fill it up. It used to be a game that we treated like a home game. If there is an extra ticket available, get over there and cheer for your team. These kids are trying really, really hard. We need to support them and keep winning. If you can, take you and your family, call it a day, get tickets, and we’ll see you Saturday night at 8.
Listen below for the full conversation between Mack Brown and Aaron Keck, and tune in to hear the segment live on Monday mornings each game week!
Featured image via The News & Observer/Robert Willett
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