#UNC coach Mack Brown press conference ahead of Saturday's game at Boston College

good morning for everybody excited about our our win proud of the guys um it it

wasn't the cleanest game a lot like the last two uh but U really proud that we

didn't play our best on offense uh and you when you can run the ball and you take care of the ball and you play better defense you win the kicking game

you still got a chance to win the game and we haven't been able to do that around here in in the last few years

we've had to outscore people and that wasn't the case on Saturday even scored a touchdown on defense uh which is

something that I'm I'm very very proud of so uh stopping the run is a defense forcing turnovers we forc three uh and

then scoring on defense uh winning the kicking game and running the ball well is is the reason that we won the game on

on Saturday night um so glad that we're B eligible for the sixth straight year

obviously that's not the ultimate goal but it is a goal and there will be a lot of teams that won't have that opportunity and and with two games left

we're both eligible and that was in question a few weeks ago uh so really proud that the guys continue to Pete

compete they get more confidence uh each week and uh and they found a way to win

uh and as we said we outrushed them we won the turnover battle uh and we won special teams um had a few chances to

put them away U especially when it was 3117 and I was disappointed we didn't do

that that that's something we talked to the team about you got to put your foot on the gas and and and and go put

somebody away when you've got them on the run and Wake Forest had a backup quarterback and they're not a throwing

team as such where they're on minute offense so it would have put a tremendous amount of pressure on them to

get another score um and you got to give Dave Clawson and Wake Forest credit at

the same time they kept fighting they they played great they played hard uh they played really good on defense uh

they played with a a high level of intensity the entire game and and that's the way Dave coaches and and that's the

way their team plays and and um I've always admired what he does uh they do

an unbelievable job of evaluating uh so give them credit they they've got a a

great program offensively we had uh Omarian had 244 yards Russian uh we gave

up too many sacks we gave up five and don't know where that came from two of them on the goal line on the first drive

after the fake punt which we should have scored touchdown there and give wake Credit in that situation um and we need

to score more touchdowns in the Red Zone we were three out of five and that's not good enough and Wake Forest is good on

third and four fourth down situations they're good on red zone defense and and they did a better job than we did in in

those situations proud that we held them to 114 yards rushing defense has really

done a great job the last three weeks of stopping the run and their running backs as good as any he he's really really

good guy's quick he's powerful he can jump sideways I was more impressed with

him even after the game than than watching him on video leading into it uh

we forced two sacks it's hard to sack them with their offense because the they're so much of it the slow mesh and

coming off of it with play action uh but we disrupted the quarterback a lot and

then forced the three turnovers one for a touchdown and the other one led to a touchdown uh with a short field by our

offense so 14 points came off of U came off of the turnovers uh special teams we

won the Special Teams we had strong kicking game with with Lucas kicking every ball out of the back of the end

zone I think there were five and then he had the squib that that was a really good squib that went into the end zone

uh Tom mcginness did an outstanding job punting so much of its operation and placement and he seems to get better

every week and and he punted the ball into where our Gunners could do a great job and the Gunners did a great job with

that and then our guys got the IDE kick at the U end of the game and U Cayman

Rucker did a tremendous job CU that was an unusual kick it was a great kick it was perfect for what they did um and and

could have been uh put our defense in a really tough spot if we hadn't gotten it we had more penalties than we've had the

last two weeks and it's funny this is the same officiating crew we had for James Madison we had a lot of penalties

that night so some Crews call more penalties than others that's just what happens it's really strange to see the

personality of Crews some like to throw flags and some don't and that's just what you get so uh Wake Forest is not a

team that's penalized very much we're not a team that's penalized very much we both had a whole lot of penalties in

this game so you have to look at that as you you start evaluating um how disciplined your team

played um we did have three balls on the ground which is concerning we haven't had that

um so we we got them but we got two of the three but we we've got to protect the ball better and we got to protect

the quarterback better uh offensively Howard Samson played his best game he

played really really well Paul bips was U um did a great job downfield blocking

was very physical and John copen Haver had an outstanding game so we're really really proud of those three guys they

were the the three best players outside of Omarian Omarian again 244 yards uh

seven yards per carry a touchdown 183 yards after contact he's just one of the

the great players in college football and and really college football history uh he passed Don mccaulay and Kelvin Bry

two icons in our program for the fifth place at us uh UNC um he's 78 yards he needs 78 yards

to become only the fourth ACC player um over the last 20 years with

backto back 1500 yards rushing the others are Travis ATN Dalvin cook and

Lamar Jackson so that's a pretty good list to to be in so so very very very

very proud of him yeah yeah uh and it's been since 18 and 19 season since the

the last player did that so very very proud of Omarian he's protected the ball he's

he's caught the ball well he's done everything perfect for us and he's he's just having a tremendous year um and and

again 78 yards away from from getting that 1500 yards uh for back-to-back

years which is so hard to do um and then um defensively power well

let's let's first Travis Shaw played by far his best game he played great really proud of him he stopped the Run he

batted a ball um Josh Harris was also a

guy who played his best game by far and those guys were really really needed up front and Marcus Allen played played

great so he had the unbelievable interception the uh the the play that he

was called for pass interference but there wasn't contact um so that'll be

something that will turn in obviously to the ACC office but very very proud of Travis he's come so far he's getting to

a point now that he's playing up to expectations uh um Ted monino has done a

tremendous job with him Josh Harris has been a a tremendous addition for us he's

playing really really well um and and Marcus Allen just continues to to get better a defensive player of the game

was power Eckles he had eight tackles uh interception for a touchdown um and

really really played at a a high level and he does each week but in this week he separated himself from the other guys

special teams players uh that that played so well our our Gunners our cover

people Malcolm Ziggler Elijah huzzy and Chris culiver did an outstanding job

because they were one of the best in the country at punt returns and they didn't have a return so field position game was

really critical uh Tom punted the ball inside the 20 twice and and that helped

us with field position because we're playing good defense um so really really proud of those guys and we said Cayman

Rucker made the the outstanding play on the onside kick uh to close the game out

the Special Teams players of the week were Lucas OA and Tom mcginness Lucas

five for five with touchbacks and had the one great squib and Tom had five punts that were Fair caught and again

two inside the 20 so really really U proud of those guys because kicking game

is better than it's been since we've been here and and that's helping us win football games um Bill O'Brien's a

really good football coach he's been he took over at Penn State right after coach pno was uh stepped out and did an

amazing job I think they were 15 and nine and a lot of those guys transferred and and it was a very difficult time for

Penn State and he was a stabilizing force and then he became the head coach of the Houston Texans so he's got

outstanding experience he's a guy I've gotten to know over the the um last year

U because of him becoming a head coach in our league and seeing him at meetings and I I really admire him I admire what

he does he's uh he's a tremendous game planner offensively they're going to run

the ball they're going to be tough they're going to use play action uh they've got a tremendous scheme on

defense they're run very very much like a pro team they're a three four defense that uh with Tim Lewis who is uh an

outstanding coach and and they will they will get after you so they're very physical they're very well coached um

he's got tons of experience in this business and you can see that when he game plans and uh they're very

aggressive I think they've kicked two field goals all year so they're going to go for fourth Downs just that's who he

is so so get yourself ready they're they're not going to be many punts or or

field goals CU he's uh that that's just he's very confident they had a quarterback change last week and um

Grayson James who's a transfer uh came in and did a good job at SMU so we've

got to go back and relook it that we you have game plans that you work on all year and now you've got to change him uh

because he's a totally different quarterback than castalanos uh but they've got a really really strong running game they've run for 300 yards

in a number of games this year so they're going to line up and rashaw is a

a really good running back he's 217 pounds um and and they're physical

they've got an offensive line very much like Minnesota SAS it's one of the best that we've seen this year uh they're

huge they'll bring in an extra tackle or two uh they play with really good tight

ends Jeremiah Franklin's number 17 and 88 Kamari Morales played really well for

us and kamari's done a great job for them you never know about transferring whether it works or not it's really work

for him so he's uh he is he's doing an outstanding job and I'll give Kamari a

lot of credit he he on a game week he came all the way down to Suter for Ty's

funeral just to be there so that that's pretty special for for a young man who's a graduate of here leaves here and takes

his time to come back and and uh help bury a friend so uh really proud of him

for that and and proud of the young man that that he's become also their uh

Lewis Boyds their outstanding receiver number 11 they he's their go-to guy and

defensively they've got one of the best pass rushers in the country country number number six

Donovan um Exar Ruku asaru Asar Raku um

when I was in TV I always said number six I had trouble with some of the names but as aaku uh he's one of the best in

the country he's got 11 sacks 14 tackles for loss uh he's a guy that uh you you

have to pay attention to because he can he can make a difference in in what he does and speaking of great pass rushers

um Cayman Rucker moved past Lawrence Taylor into sixth all time uh with another sack this weekend for his 22nd

he needs two more to tie Marcus Jones and Quinton couples uh for fourth so

Cayman Russ Rooker even missing a number of games this year uh is still one of

the best pass rushers in our history and also one of the best in the country

questions okay you thanks art for saving

you lost you've lost three straight the last two years you have a chance to finish with your best record

ever what are you going to do different this week to try and make sure that the

season doesn't turn back in that direction what what we're doing differently are we did in January and

that's try to develop more depth especially in the defensive line defensive linemen get tired they give

out they get hurt and and we've played too deep in some Casey's three deep

every game all year uh we've played more at linebacker we've played more people in the safety in in the secondary we're

playing three safeties at least and sometimes four um offensively we we'

haven't had that luxury at offensive line because we've had so many people hurt um tight ends we've thank goodness

we We've Got U Jake Johnson here so when we lost uh one of our best players one

of the best tight ends in the country we were able to have John open and habber and Jake ready um we we've lost Darwin

Barlo for most of the year I think he's played nine plays we thought he would be a guy who would share time with u uh

Omarian and keep him fresher and then D Davon gos has stepped up because you you

haven't played Caleb Hood as much you're on your third quarterback so uh you're

playing a lot of receivers I think more than anything else art that we're we're playing depth and and it's a lot of it's

inexperienced and we thought it would get better as the year would um continue

uh but even more so now that your third quarterback who didn't go through spring practice um is just learning the system

right now and with a new offensive line so all of those things should help us finish stronger the game that you won

Saturday uh would it be fair to say perhaps during that stretch maybe that's a game that you lose in October but you

guys are kind of through the storm and on the other side so instead of finding a way to lose you find a way to win yeah

absolutely I told the staff this morning we would have lost this game uh before our three- game stretch uh and 100% um a

lot because of lack of confidence because we didn't know that we could win uh defense is playing so

much better they're stopping the Run they're getting after quarterbacks better we're forcing more turnovers um the kicking game is a lot

more consist consist than it was early so for all those reasons Andrew I I do think this is a game when we had the pit

Georgia Tech uh we were in the middle of that little stretch we would have lost what are a couple of examples of some

things that happened the other night that were signs of good confidence having that confidence as opposed to

maybe during that stretch where it wasn't as strong the um right before the half uh we we mess up the first drive we

get a fake punt which we haven't had in a while we go down we should score we screw it up we're second and goal from

the four and we throw twice and get two sacks which is there's nothing good

about that that that you can even make up um and and then you you come back and

they drive down get two penalties that that put them in a position they get a field goal we drive right back down and

score uh but I thought something else different than what we've done in the

past is that middle 10 is we hold them right before the half cuz if they score

before the half and they get the ball to start second half that's 14 possibly a 14-point swing we hold them before the

half we have a minute 36 left in the first half with two timeouts and we have

a holding penalty on top of that and drive down and kick a field goal with um

5 seconds left um and then we came out the second half and didn't do a good job

defensively and they took it right down and score but offensively we took it right back and answered and we didn't

answer very well during the that time and I thought that was a lack of confidence on our part so the fact that

we won the middle 10 10 to 7 uh and that we had the ability to to do that then

the other thing we had a A Lull in the the late third middle middle third early fourth quarter and then they punt the

ball down to the six or nine nine and we absolutely take it and drive it down to

the other end we drop a a pass on Third and three or we keep the ball and continue to score we had a tough call

again on a double move with uh Kobe pesur that that would have put us in a great position uh but those are things

that we weren't doing during that time we would have a short Punt and give them a short field so uh we're just we're

we're playing um we're we're playing better complimentary football the coaches are

doing a better job of doing what we do uh when we got in trouble and we were inconsistent in our passing game we went

right back to Omarian and started running the ball and everybody in the stadium knew he was going to run it

everybody in the country knew he was going to run it he still made yards uh so we're better up front we said we were

going to be better up front we are we're running the ball better um and and

sometimes you're you're hot at quarterback sometimes you're struggling some and we didn't help jacobe enough so

it wasn't his best game uh and we were still able to win mat you guys the last

two years through te games have had much better records than you do this year and

yet here we are really seems like this team is trending in the right direction

is fresher maybe at this time than they were the last couple years I mean is

that something that you can that you yourself can feel that that The Vibes at this point late in the season are better

than they were um even with you know the record not being exactly where it was

last couple years yeah the guys are excited they're they're practicing hard but they've they've practiced hard all

year I really think Adam it's more confidence they they know what they have

to do to win they've actually learned we have not played consistently well enough on defense to not play our best on

offense and win a game and we did that Saturday the there there were two drives

that we gave up on Saturday the one right after the half and the one at the end of the game that that we've got to

correct other than that we played great defense and I I still Jeff and I had a long discussion this morning about um

when you're in one minute at the end of the game and you got a 14-point lead just keep playing I mean don't back off

and don't because then you give you just give stuff up people do that all the time and you just got to keep playing

yeah and and even if they drive it keep them in front of you don't give them the big throw down the middle that that that

saved time for them and gave them a chance to have some excitement and and um but but we're playing better defense

we're forcing turnovers we're kicking it better so the offense doesn't have to score 40 points to win every game and

that's the way we've been if our quarterbacks didn't play well we lost

and and that's not college football that this is more sound fundamentally sound

college football and how to win a game when you don't have your best stuff and

and you if you get in shut in shootouts every game uh you're you're going to lose because you're just you can't just

go score 40 points every game that's just just that doesn't happen against good teams and Saturday was a game where

we didn't Panic on offense uh we reestablished oursel in the fourth quarter we dominated time of possession

in the first quarter in the fourth quarter and and that's what gives you a chance to win what's going to your mind

on the onside kick I mean there's a play Maybe in October but the other team recovers it makes it really exciting in

the end yeah I got on my knees and started praying I said come on God so no

um that's most unique uh onside kick I've ever seen give them credit they all

W up in the middle and NC State the one that we we didn't get two or three years ago that um cost us a game really uh I

thought they'd probably bump it he kick the heck out of it and our guys have to get out of the way and um I mean we've

talked about it's hard to get out of the way that that short you you think he's going to bump it and and you're you're

sitting down there like this and then that thing's coming in your face I I thought it was an outstanding kick by

them but in the Lo probably wouldn't have recovered no I don't I don't think Str well we we didn't against James

Madison they had a similar thing and it hits a player and they get it so but no there weren't there weren't many good

things that happened during that losing streak how did those dud on the hand like Rucker and I think o was out there

it looked like the defensive line well usually you have the the front for those guys or the blockers yeah and you got

catchers behind them but those are all I mean b could be a tight end Rucker could be a tight end they're they've got

really good hands but they're big and they're strong and uh you never know what happens in the bottom of those

piles I mean we don't have cameras down there so it you mentioned chriswell too I mean it seemed like he had been

stacked in pretty good games together didn't seem quite a sharp is that product awakes defense or just he cut

off a little bit of off I think it's probably a combination of a lot of things chip It's a combination of both

um and we uh when you get in that position you you

you lean on them when they're hot and when they're not you back off and find other ways to to get things

done Mari had 75 offensive touches last two games and granted there was open dat

in there but how much workflo can you handle I guess how do you sort of

balance that and the fact that you're going to have two open weaks in the second half of the schedule does that

give you a little bit more latitude I guess do that yeah Erin we as I said we

we got Darwin Barlo for that reason we had Caleb hood for that reason Caleb's got one more game he can

play so he can either play Saturday and still red shirt and play in the bowl

game or he could play against iny state so coach Porter's got him in his back pocket to to figure out um if

Darwin doesn't get back and and we won't know I don't we don't know this week right correct yeah

so um but the the odds aren't good if he's if we don't know um then you and

and davon's done a really good job uh but I mean om Marian's a machine he he

wants the ball every time when he comes out I think I said it Saturday I've told Larry we may have to use a timeout to if

it's in the red zone and he's got to come out use a time out to let him go back in just let him rest cuz he's that

good he's just so valuable as a player uh but it on the Open dates we

conditioned him we didn't touch him and we've had two of those so that's really helped us here at the end of the year to

keep him fresh and I mean he's like a a heavyweight boxer out there working out with the trainers we we see him see him

on Monday and say hello and see him on Sunday when you get back to get ready for the next game um because he he never

makes a mistake I hean does everything perfect he's just a he's just an unbelievable player and even a better

young person we is the last Road game you guys have of the Season it seems

like particularly on defense the you guys have actually played better on the road I know there's different circumstances like one was the opener

one was off the open day and things like that uh but I guess kind of in your assessment of it you know what what kind

of do you think leads to that you know leads to you guys kind of playing more even on defense just better on the road

I don't know you know there was a year we lost all the games on the road then there was a year we won all the games on

the road I remember Mark Packer saying before a year you can't win on the road so you're not going to win any games

this year and I thought well that's fair we lost them all last year and I remember Bronco menal going to practice

at high schools so he could get more ready to play on the road because he'd go he said I just need to practice

somewhere other than here to get ready to win on the road winning on the road's harder so I don't know why we've played

so well on the road wake won three games on the road uh and played their tail off

on Saturday night so I just I don't think there's an answer to that I thought our crowd helped us Saturday

night and it was really really good and the night game helped and it was a great atmosphere so um but but proud that we

found a way to win at home you don't think there's any sort of like routine difference it

just no we you know we'd played a 6:00 game we had not played a night game

other an 8:00 game so we we talked about that with a team after Minnesota so we

hadn't played a home game and Minnesota I think ended up 9:00 our time because of the Del lay up there so um coaches

get them up all day and they move them around and you don't want them laying there sleeping all day you don't want

watching games all day so you you get up and have walkthroughs about four times a day I'm sure the kids are saying leave

me alone man I've had enough uh but they U but I thought their energy was good

and I thought they played really hard M the only other time you guys have played ad BC in your second uh tenure year was

the the co year in 2020 over there like cardboard cutouts everywhere just what do you remember about how weird that

atmosphere was in that game it was really weird there wasn't a person in

the stadium I mean we had 3700 or something that were

scattered out and I remember I even put my after we saw that at BC and I saw the little cutouts I came home and put all

my grandkids on the 50 uh with cutouts so they they had their little faces down

there um but it was so weird we um and and it was such a weird time for all of

us we had our pregame talk outside because

there was nobody out there we had our our postgame talk outside because there

was nobody out there and the doctors didn't want us all in the locker room at the same time so that was when this

stuff was just absolutely crazy and we were trying to figure out if we're going to get to play and and it it's so weird

that I remember even the Syracuse game at home where we had about 3,700 people in the stadiums uh in the stadium um Daz

Nome returned to punt for about 45 yards and there was no emotion and I'm

thinking I mean it's craziest thing of it was worse at Boston College I mean you couldn't hear anybody if if a

security guard yelled you could hear what he said so it was that weird I remember that

um I think I got mad at one of their defensive backs for grabbing our tight end or something and I yelled and it

echoed so you you had to be really careful what you said there cuz it it was going to be it was going to be very

public I remember there was an officer over by those cardboard crouts in the one end zone he was the only living person I saw on the field outside of the

two team it was it it was the weirdest no you got where did you happen the

fluty statue out front they had a mask on it did they really I didn't I didn't

I didn't see that it was unique no but that that was a a very unique place I've

called games up there before so I really like the setting and it's so pretty and it's a great campus and Chestnut Hill

and and um but uh I I had a game up there every year on my Friday night

tours when I was calling games um so it's a it's a place I've got great respect for they they do it right

they've got it's a tremendous academic institution and and um and they are

tough th this this week is all about toughness that's what I told coaches this morning it's going to be two lines

of scrimmage just like Minnesota it's going to be a fight it's going to be such a competitive game both teams are

going to run a ball uh so it's going to be the the toughest man wins on this one

and they're both tough so it's going to be the toughest the longest and um we've been accused of being soft before this

team has not been accused of being soft they will fight you

yes you know because the confidence and all the things you mentioned the positive things you know in the past you

look at this week and he stayed on Deck Road game feeling good about yourself overlooking you know I know it's kind of

cliche but we see it every week what are you doing to kind of compat that yeah they they were really excited yesterday

and and enjoyed we we show a highlight film when we win of the game and they

were cheering and jumping up and down and having a lot of fun um I think this

team is different they're eny enjoying winning uh they're enjoying their streak uh they they've been at the bottom and

they're they're seeing the the stars and the Rainbo and the light and and they they know that we we don't have a lot of

room for era now uh they were happy to be B eligible which was good um and and

they're looking forward to this trip and and they'll have great respect for Boston College I mean when you look up

and these people are running for 300 yards a game uh it it it makes a difference I think they've run the ball

we've run the ball maybe one more time than they have and the two of us have run the ball most in the ACC this year

so this will be a battle it it'll it'll be two that they're going to line up and hit each other right in the face and how

about for you I mean just thinking back to James Madison you know you're kind of at a Crossroads the program feels like

it is this is the time of year where people start wondering about the future is this strengthened your result how

you've seen the team respond to everything and how you've responded yes my um my job is to be a great leader

regardless of the circumstances and when things are tough and they were really tough for that that

four game stretch uh even tougher with with the passing of

Tye um it it's put me in a position where I need to step up and be strong

and and help these kids and and that's my that's my only thought process at all

and help them with their mental process I I I pray every night when when I go to bed that these kids are safe um I I I

said this after the game but I used to pray that they're safe and happy and I thought I was overloading God a little

bit we let them be happy but if they're healthy and safe um and their families

are then everything works out and I do the same for my family every night uh because the just watching poor Miss

September go through what she's been through for 2 and A2 years none of us want sick kids and and none of us want

to lose was a child I mean that's just something that that um I can't imagine

and like I've said people say that I know how you feel I don't know how you feel and I don't want to know how you

feel CU I I don't want to ever do that I actually told Sally after we lost Ty

that I would want to pass before she did any of our kids or any of our grandkids and she said well you're a coward and I

said well that's that may be it but I I don't want to be bury in my people we've talked in the past about um

how experienced and young that your o line was and now you've seen like Howard Samson and Willie L kind of leaning into

their strengths what would your assessment now be they're they're doing really well they uh Wake Forest was

really quick they don't get credit for their defensive line because they're not as big as some others but they move all

the time and they're really quick so that was a great test for us because

they were penetrating linebackers and they were moving up front and in the past that's given us a fit and and we

were able to run the ball so so well I was really proud of the guys and we've just got to help them on U with pass

protection some they're they have a couple of really good pass rushers just like Donovan for for Boston College I

mean he's one of the best in the country so we can't just sit there and expect our guys to block it we're going to have

to help them how much does BC's offense change with castalano's gone and the new

guy in uh the new guy uh throws better he's more of a consistent passer because

he's tall and he can see he doesn't run as well but he can still run um and and

obviously they made the change so they felt like that this guy was better than more a fit what yeah I think so uh bills

really the you can tell the programs just modeled after a a pro style program

and they're going to be physical they're going to run the ball they're going to use a lot of formations they're going to use tight ends and uh extra lineman and

and they are they're going to bloody your nose man I I like watching it I'm I'm a I'm a Bill O'Brien fan and in fact

just to watch the the game plan they had against Florida State everybody thought Florida state had the upset against

Georgia Tech they were going to come back and and just kill Boston College and I sat there and watched it and and

they ran the ball for I I don't have the exact numbers but you could look it up it was over 300

yards or 260 something to like 21 I mean it was an unbelievable

mismatch on on being physical uh so that that that definitely got my attention

with O'Brien being a former Bill bich assistant do you see the influence of Coach bich teams yeah and and I like I'm

very direct and and Bill is very direct so he and I get along great I mean you

know exactly where he stands and and if he's got a question with you if he got a problem with you he going to ask you and

that's what I like I don't like the guys that talk around the corner and beat around the bush uh so I I really enjoy

the the year that I've had with him and and when he talks about what's best for college football and what's best for the

ACC I mean it's not great he going to tell you exactly what he thinks and why he thinks it and it's well thought out

he's very smart U so I'm I'm a fan M I don't want to harp on it okay

but you are are you up there they're an outlier in the ACC they get no attention

in Boston they've got two games to get a ball bid you and pit there it's going to be a rock fight

and you have to be ready to play from the from the moment you get off the bus I mean what are you going to do

differently let me record this for the team art goodness say it again yeah do it again

let me record it no here let me FaceTime them I'll get them out of class and it's your weekly AR say no this is the game

that if they win they get a bull bit if you lose you're going to have the let down against State then oh Mario might

not play in the bow game and you might lose three in a row again get to win this game so I got it I got it recorded no no

no come on no I'm I'm serious too all right every every week's that way you're you're so negative oh my God you you

just got world's coming to an end you're going to lose this one you won't be ready for State then you're going to lose your bowl game om Mari won't play

God we we went from we just went from winning nine to winning six and being miserable so thank you for your thought

all right let me let me start over and answer it in a professional manner since

you and I been friends a a long time absolutely wake was in the same position

exactly this week they're they're fighting for a bowl game we knew we were going to get their

best shot and we got it I'm not sure what it is about Carolina but our new

coaches Ted and Jeff they come in and say why is it that we always get everybody's best

shot it's unbelievable that people come in here and play we we've lost four games in a row and people are playing us

like it's a national championship and we can't figure it out we get everybody's best shot and I said

it's a great compliment so don't don't gripe about it let's use it we Absolut I just said

it's going to be the most physical Game of the Year it's going to be a very difficult game they're going to come and

hit us right in the mouth we need to win they need to win it's it's that way across the country everywhere so

absolutely we are going up there with the attitude to win we're not going to be soft we're not going to be not ready

to play we're not going to be arrogant we're going to be ready to play and get after them and it will be a really hard

game and they're really a good team most of their games have come down to the end that's who they are that's why they go

for fourth and short that's why they don't kick field goals they try to score touchdowns like wake they're really good

in third and fourth down situations because they run the ball on first down like wake they're really good in Red

Zone situations because they can run the ball and and they use their their tight ends a lot so this will be a very very

difficult game bigger and do what I like weight they're bigger and stronger yeah that we

we can't I I wish they weren't we we can't call them and say don't use your best guys I mean that's

what they've got so and all we can do is do our best you could call no

bill bill would say excuse me you say you say you were yeah no he he he

wouldn't put up with that I remember August practice maybe two years ago early one of the practices we got to

watch you're telling the guys what the temperature is going to weather's going to be like a couple places so got to get

conditioned you're always looking ahead to weather what are the conditions going to be like this weekend if it's a little

bit ugly how do you simulate it because you guys have pretty much had pretty good conditions all year right now we're looking at it'll be exactly like it was

Friday uh last Saturday night it's going to be 48 49 and we'll have Sun so it'll be unlike

Saturday night I thought Saturday was perfect I thought it was going to be really cold and it wasn't as much and we

practice every morning in the 40s so that helps us for for this time of the year we don't we haven't gotten a Time

on the state game right so we don't know when it's going to be uh but I'm warm it will be but it's going to be

very similar in the morning so and I and and I actually checked it yesterday cuz

we we check it every day uh at game time to make sure that we're we're seeing what we've got and we told the players

last week that uh it was cold in the mornings and we practiced and we said coming out for the game on on Saturday

you want to play in the pros so you going to play in Green Bay you going to play in New York come on

man you going to play in Chicago you going to play in Cleveland and you're going to worry about it being 50 and

you're going to be bundled up so don't walk out there with gloves and hoodies on and all that mess if you want to play

in NFL grow up man this is this is a football game and Boston's the same one of them told me yesterday at lunch that

he's a freshman he so young he never been to Boston had been on a plane many times he said I said you excited about

going to Boston he said it's cold and I said how do you know it's cold they all told me it was cold and I

said did they tell you what time of the year or what time of the day and he said no they just told me it was cold so so

that's your freshman so we we'll show them that during the week sun and sunny and 50 will be warm we'll be really

really lucky to go to Boston when I when I saw the schedule and saw Boston in November I

said that that can be a disaster you were we were getting into it a little bit earlier maybe some of

the inconsistencies from jobi the other night um especially when he been playing

so well like what do you think you you guys need to revisit maybe this week

with him I understand it's still just a handful of starts for this guy in his career but what do what do you guys need

to get back into with him because it it did look like he was off and not of the sharpest yeah we got to protect him

better number one cuz we didn't help him he had some of those throws that looked bad he had people in his face and he

couldn't step and and uh but Chip's coming out in a minute he'll he'll go over that they sat he and Clyde we're

we're so lucky to have Clyde Christensen I mean chip and Clyde are two of the best in the country what they do so he's

got great help in in what he's doing and you he's been so good if he's a little

bit off it it looks worse he made some great throws the throw to JJ was an unbelievable throw he did it on the Run

he's scrambling for the the touch down diving in uh we get so our our we've

been watching Sam and Drake so we get so our expectations the the double move to

uh Kobe pesur at the end of the game that there was I is a perfect throw yeah yeah is a

perfect throw so he did a lot of great things um and it it's funny on the ball

that was fumbled and and I I've talked to the coaches about this it's it's amazing how

many little things that you do every day that come up in a ball game it's a a

draw either a draw play or a pass on our fumble at the six he's dropping back he

lifts his arm and om Marian's got his hand up and he he he hits his elbow that's how the ball

comes loose now you do that a thousand times and the difference in an inch and

a half might have cost us that game because we fumbled the ball so we've

gone back to try to talk to this team about what you do on Thursday on on Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday is going

to determine how we play in the game so when you think about it that that's it stripping their quarterback for a fumble

that led to a game winner um the the drop by power Eckles and the

interception for the touchdown I mean it it's just the his proper drop if he

doesn't drop properly we don't get the touchdown if if jacobe throws the ball

it may be a first down from from maybe a touchdown JJ may break JJ's wide open

but he drops the ball and you think it slips out of his hands it doesn't it hits omario yeah I thought he started to

throw help help back and slipped out no it actually touches om Marian's got his

hand up for the draw and that's one of the problems with rpos is it a run and

pass option and all those decisions have to be made Under Pressure quickly so he

made the decision to throw the ball on an RPO and while he was doing it Omarian

doesn't know whether he's it's a draw play or not so that's what you get into it's just U um so many minute things

that that happened the the the end of the um Stanford Louisville game I mean

people are questioning whether Jeff should have thrown the ball there's 11 seconds left you're at the plus 45 yd

line of course you're going to throw the ball in the end zone for a Hail Mary at the end of the game um in a tie game

they throw the ball in the end zone it's incomplete there's 5 seconds left they throw a quick out they're not going to

be close enough there's one second left they got to throw hell Mary and that's their chance to win the game until

somebody hits them out of bounds and then every day we work on having no post

whistle penalties that's a post- whistle penalty and then every day you work on

extra point field goal protection or block and one of their guys gets off

sides so it's a 20 yard penalty 15 for the personal foul and five that cost him

a game and the field goal goes through about this far and a 52 yard field goal in 57

so it it's just amazing how many little things like that end up changing games

when you work on it every day and it's uh I was even talking to Aaron Boon

about the Yankees we said um Dro Ball by a great player in center field in the fifth inning um aant throw by a short

stop to a third baseman in the fifth inning pitcher and and uh first baseman

get confused on who who's going to the base in the fifth inning they do it every day it's the first day of spring

training so all of these things we think about in football and it comes down to a

fumble it comes down to a running back and a quarterback being a little too close to each other it comes down to a

protection where a guy gets hit as he's throwing it with a guy wide open it comes down to a call by an official I

still think and in my lifetime I hope that we take calls upstairs that are

gamechanging calls and and not just sit there and say that was a bad call and let it go because the team that's

playing the best should have the chance to win so why don't we let the replay officials sit there and say pick up the

flag that wasn't holding if it matters you can't do it every time but it's not going to take any more time pick up the

flag it's not pass interference pick it up and then we move on and and the team

that plays the best has the best chance to win and and we're taking the human era out of it and and for what it cost

to to win or lose a game we should have the team that plays

the best win Arts right we don't need to lose the last games like we have I mean

that that's so if it comes down to a play at Boston College and the official gets it wrong and we lose the game

that's not fair to these kids it's not fair to North Carolina it's really not fair to the official cuz he might have had the wrong Ang Le they do this

parttime so I I think we should have the guy upstairs say pick it up pick it

up uh earlier you were talking about uh Travis Shaw you said the best game that he had played this far we talked a lot

about obviously tanino's role in helping bringing him along uh what's going to be the key in your opinion of kind of of

him continuing uh you lovely play uh the other day and just kind of maintaining that I think the biggest thing is that

he's in great shape he's about 330 now where he was 375 when he got here um and

he's he's had a sore knee his whole career but less weight helps the the

pressure off the knee um and I think playing less he's probably played an

average about 20 plays a game because that's what our defensive lineman are usually playing 20 to to 30 um and I

bringing in Josh J Harris has really helped him cuz he sees Kevin Hester and Josh Harris and he sees how they're

playing and and they're more role models for him U right now so um and and he

wants to do his part and and we got enough players now that you got to you got to produce and practice to be able

to play and and that helps us as well