UNC Football in Must-Win Situation Hosting Mercer on Senior Day

The once-thin margin of error for the UNC football team is now completely gone after the Tar Heels’ loss to Pittsburgh last week. If UNC wants to make a bowl appearance for the first time since 2016, it’ll have to win each of its last two games—beginning on Saturday at home against Mercer.

If there’s one thing that the Tar Heels can find some peace in, it’s that this weekend’s game is highly unlikely to go down to the final play in the same way that nine of their 10 games so far have already done.

Mercer is not only an FCS level team, it also arrives in Chapel Hill with a 4-7 record good enough for just seventh place in the Southern Conference. Although anything can happen in football, head coach Mack Brown and the Tar Heels should boast a significant talent advantage even with their depth and injury issues.

UNC head coach Mack Brown knows the pressure is on to win each of the team’s final two games. (Dakota Moyer/Chapelboro.com)

“It’s like a playoff game for us,” Brown told reporters at his weekly press conference on Monday. “We’ve got to win two games to get to a bowl game. It’s very obvious. It’s out there for us.

This will likely be a showcase for the 19 seniors who will play their final home game at Kenan Stadium. Players who joined the program at one of its highest points, only to then suffer through some of its lowest points.

When he was hired at the end of last season to retake the head coach job, Brown made it a point to make sure this senior class can end their time with the team on a positive note.

Young players will likely see plenty of playing time as well against Mercer, but make no mistake. Everyone on the roster will be playing to win so they can keep hope alive for that bowl appearance which has eluded this senior class since they were freshmen.

“The first thing we said, is that we’re not gonna talk about rebuilding,” Brown said. “Because this is about seniors. The last two groups of seniors didn’t finish well. They’re not gonna remember their senior year in a really, bright positive glowing way like we all like to.

“Our seniors will be known for the group that got this headed back in the right direction,” the coach added.

All season long, Brown has had to manage expectations for this particular team—especially after winning back-to-back against South Carolina and Miami to begin the year.

Many people expected losses in both of those games, but earning close wins created the belief that maybe something special was going on in Chapel Hill.

The season has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride since then, with the Tar Heels on the wrong end of numerous heartbreaking defeats.

Still, though, the chance to qualify for a bowl game with wins over Mercer and a struggling NC State team should still provide plenty of optimism. Factor in a budding superstar at quarterback and a roster littered with young players, and the future still looks bright at UNC.

“It’s been an up-and-down year with expectations,” Brown said. “Because the kids have probably exceeded expectations. If they win on Saturday, they’ve won as many games as we’ve won here the last two years. So, they’re definitely making progress. Everybody that watches them knows there’s a great future and they’re playing with a lot of confidence.”

Cover photo via Dakota Moyer

UNC Football in Must-Win Situation Hosting Mercer on Senior Day

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