By R.L. Bynum
Mack Brown pointed the finger at himself after one of the most embarrassing losses in his coaching tenure at North Carolina.
He admitted that a young coach might not feel as comfortable being that honest, but the veteran coach didn’t hesitate to take the blame for his now No. 17-ranked Tar Heels’ stunning 31–27 loss to Virginia as a 24-point favorite.
Brown has been apologetic after losses before, but he turned it up a few notches Monday at his weekly press conference.
“The truth is that it all falls on me. I recruited every player who is here. I make the decisions on everything we do,” Brown said. “I’m disappointed in me. As a young coach, I probably couldn’t stand up here and say that, but it’s true. We had the better team. We didn’t have the better team Saturday. I failed in so many different ways. I didn’t do my job.”
It doesn’t get any easier at 8 p.m. Saturday (ACC Network) at Georgia Tech (3–4, 2–2 ACC), where UNC (6–1, 3–1) has lost in 10 of its last 12 visits. As a 23½-point underdog in Kenan Stadium a year ago, the Yellow Jackets pulled a 21–17 upset.
Brown’s teams have lost six games as double-digit favorites since his return to Chapel Hill: 31–28 on Oct. 17, 2020, at Florida State (13½-point favorite); 45–22 on Sept. 25, 2021, vs. Georgia Tech at the Atlanta Falcons’ stadium (14½); 35–22 on Oct. 9, 2021, vs. Florida State (17½); 31–21 vs. South Carolina (12) on Dec. 30, 2021, in the Charlotte bowl game; last season against the Jackets; and Saturday against the Cavaliers.
Many wondered why running back Omarion Hampton, the ACC’s leading rusher at 110 yards per game, only got five carries in the second half after running so well in the first half.
Brown was in that group.
“If you’re passing game’s not hitting, go to something that is,” Brown said. “We’ve got enough good players that you’ve got to do what you’re doing best at that time. And Omarion was averaging 7.2 yards per carry. So, get him the ball if we’re dropping some balls and not protecting well or if we’re the passing game’s off.”
Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey took the blame for that.
“That’s on me as a coordinator,” he said. “I’m responsible for it all. You can’t always have RPOs tied to everything. That’s the facts. Omarion’s a great player.”
Hampton ran 14 times for 76 yards in the first half but only had five carries in the second half, adding 36 more yards. Brown said that the goal during the spring was to “run the damn ball,” and the Tar Heels didn’t do that Saturday.
“Chip’s a great guy. He’s done a tremendous job,” Brown said of Lindsey. “Sometimes, you want to win so badly, you miss it. That’s just what happened. [Drake Maye is] so good. When you’re in trouble, you want him to pull you out, and then we drop some balls. It’s a hard job. People have no concept of how hard it is to call plays and call defenses because they’ve never done it.”
Brown said third-down efficiency was another big issue the last two weeks.
After converting only 5 of 16 times against Miami when penalties were a big reason, UNC converted only 4 of 13 against Virginia. Against the Cavaliers, the Tar Heels didn’t convert either time they went for it on fourth down.
“We said in the spring we had to be better on third downs; the last two weeks we haven’t been. It’s because we’re not throwing the ball as well,” Brown said. “We’ve got to go back and start doing those things better.”
Brown and the fans can only hope for better results in Atlanta.
ACC standings
| Team | ACC | All |
|---|---|---|
| X — No. 5 Florida State | 8–0 | 12–0 |
| X — No. 9 Louisville | 7–1 | 10–2 |
| N.C. State | 6–2 | 9–3 |
| Georgia Tech | 5–3 | 6–6 |
| Virginia Tech | 5–3 | 6–6 |
| Clemson | 4–4 | 8–4 |
| North Carolina | 4–4 | 8–4 |
| Duke | 4–4 | 7–5 |
| Miami | 3–5 | 7–5 |
| Boston College | 3–5 | 6–6 |
| Syracuse | 2–6 | 6–6 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–6 | 3–9 |
| Virginia | 2–6 | 3–9 |
| Wake Forest | 1–7 | 4–8 |
Friday’s result
Miami 45, Boston College 20
Saturday’s games
Kentucky 38, No. 9 Louisville 31
Duke 30, Pittsburgh 19
Syracuse 35, Wake Forest 31
No. 1 Georgia 31, Georgia Tech 23
Virginia Tech 55, Virginia 17
Clemson 16, South Carolina 7
No. 5 Florida State 24, Florida 15
N.C. State 39, North Carolina 20
Next Saturday’s ACC championship game in Charlotte
No. 9 Louisville vs. No. 5 Florida State, 8 p.m., ABC
UNC schedule
| Month/ date | Opponent/event | 2023 record | UNC record in series |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | |||
| 20 | Spring game, 3 p.m. | — | — |
| August | |||
| 29 (Thurs.) | at Minnesota | 6–7 | 1–0 |
| September | |||
| 7 | Charlotte | 3–9 | 0–0 |
| 14 | N.C. Central | 9–3 | 0–0 |
| 21 | James Madison | 11–2 | 3–0 |
| 28 | at Duke | 8–5 | 65–40–4 |
| October | |||
| 5 | Pittsburgh | 3–9 | 12–5 |
| 12 | Georgia Tech | 7–6 | 22–33–3 |
| 26 | at Virginia | 3–9 | 66–58–4 |
| November | |||
| 2 | at Florida State | 13–1 | 3–17–1 |
| 16 | Wake Forest | 4–8 | 72–36–2 |
| 23 | at Boston College | 7–6 | 6–2 |
| 30 | N.C. State | 9–4 | 68–39–6 |
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