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UNC coach Mack Brown postgame press conference after victory at Virginia
Oct 26, 2024
UNC coach Mack Brown postgame press conference after victory at Virginia
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0:01
uh first I I want to say that uh Tony
0:03
Elliott's the classiest person I've ever
0:06
seen I
0:08
think I'll get emotional he U he texted
0:12
early in the week and said I want to put
0:14
Ty's um sticker on all of our helmets if
0:16
that's okay and I thought you know
0:19
that's pretty cool and then when I get
0:21
here today and I'm I'm walking on the
0:23
field somebody tells me that he had
0:25
every one of his players write every one
0:27
of our players and they uh hand Ed us
0:30
the notes right before the game and that
0:33
just doesn't happen anymore with
0:35
sportsmanship and and um they've been
0:38
through a tragic time here which was
0:40
awful and and we all lived it and we all
0:44
felt it but none of us had to deal with
0:46
it he had to deal with it and he dealt
0:49
with the loss of three young people uh
0:52
sudden that was just so tragic uh ours
0:55
was overtime and and and we watched Ty
0:58
for 2 and a half years his last three
1:00
weeks were awful but we had some time to
1:03
process it and and Tony didn't and and
1:06
what they did to be able to handle it
1:08
keep a program together uh show class
1:11
with their University and then learn
1:13
from it and and reach out to us like
1:15
they did because he said before the game
1:17
you know most people don't understand
1:19
what you're going through I
1:21
do our team does and our players do and
1:25
um and and so hats off to him and I
1:28
thought everybody that was was involved
1:30
with their program today uh reached out
1:32
to us and and welcomed us and I thought
1:35
a lot of that was because of what
1:37
they've been through because they get it
1:39
they understand football is really
1:41
important this game's really important
1:43
uh people's lives and especially young
1:45
people's lives are more important and
1:48
and that's uh that's what we were all
1:50
dealing with today and and they they
1:52
told me last week with
1:54
grief when something like this happens
1:56
we all go back to negative events in our
1:59
life
2:00
and and it all pops back up so I'm sure
2:03
for Virginia uh they replayed a lot of
2:06
this in their mind uh and made it very
2:09
difficult for them this week too uh that
2:11
being said thank you Tony for for the
2:13
class that you you showed and he he did
2:15
it last year too I mean it's just who he
2:18
is and and I want to make sure that that
2:20
everybody understands um how classy that
2:23
man is uh secondly very proud of our
2:25
team we've played good at times this
2:27
year we haven't played consistently well
2:29
and and that's been our problem and
2:31
we're we're up by 20 at halftime at Duke
2:33
and and here I am walking in thinking
2:34
yeah we've been here before are we going
2:36
to be consistent enough the second half
2:38
to maintain it and move forward and we
2:40
did we did so they're they're growing up
2:42
and and we're healthier now Cayman
2:44
Rucker was out there and made a
2:45
difference today and we have really
2:47
missed him even when he got back he
2:48
wasn't well he wasn't confident and well
2:51
and this is a team I felt like that
2:53
hasn't been very confident we've made
2:55
some plays but we we we wouldn't put
2:58
people away and had our chance ches
3:00
against Georgia Tech and and Duke and
3:02
Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech are all good
3:04
teams and we had chances to beat all
3:06
three and we didn't and and that's my
3:07
responsibility and I get that um so I
3:10
told the players that we're going to
3:12
finish strong that's why we're built
3:15
this way and we haven't finished strong
3:16
the last couple of years and and and
3:18
today was a a great step forward toward
3:21
that uh Omarian uh thousand yards um
3:25
happened nine times in the history of
3:27
our school really cool um the the record
3:30
1700 that'll be tough but um he he's U
3:34
done some amazing things and thought he
3:36
was uh he takes care of the ball he's
3:38
very physical uh and he gets hard yards
3:41
because everybody in the stadium knows
3:42
he's going to get it and and that's such
3:43
a credit to him thought the offensive
3:45
line played well today it's the best
3:47
they've played because they were healthy
3:49
I think jacobe gets better every week
3:52
and the offensive staff is learning what
3:54
he does best uh so we're we're finally
3:57
getting an offense with the third
3:58
quarterback that we've played this year
4:00
that that that helps us um disappointed
4:02
in the kicking game didn't kick a lot
4:04
but but uh we missed field goal it was a
4:07
51 y but we had two bad kicks on
4:09
kickoffs and and um we had a I think a
4:13
27 yard 30 34 yard punt return against
4:16
us uh early in the game that that led to
4:19
uh the three points that they got to
4:20
start the game uh defensively we we came
4:23
into the season saying we're going to be
4:24
more aggressive we're going to stop the
4:26
run we're going to harass the
4:27
quarterback all that happened today and
4:30
it we look more like we did against
4:31
Minnesota today and and I don't know why
4:35
I don't know where we got it back um but
4:38
but I'm just really really proud I said
4:40
you can talk about stopping the run but
4:41
you got to stop it and number 10's a a
4:44
fun player he's he's their their spirit
4:47
and if you stop 10 you stop them and
4:49
then we look up and they had seven yards
4:51
rushing so that that's an and the most
4:54
sacks that we've had since 2000 so um
4:57
pressure on a quarterback um he got out
5:00
of of uh uh the the pass rush twice on
5:04
Third and 10 and and shows you what he
5:05
could do uh but most of the day we kept
5:08
him in and collapsed the pocket which is
5:10
what we needed to do against pit uh and
5:13
against uh Georgia Tech last week
5:16
instead of rushing by the quarterback
5:18
and then they scrambled and we did a
5:20
much better job of that today so
5:22
hopefully that's something that we can
5:24
continue to build on here at the end of
5:26
the season uh questions a common thre
5:29
between soda today is you had a healthy
5:31
Cayman out there what is the triple down
5:33
effect of him being out there and doing
5:35
all the stuff he does when you you start
5:37
looking at the defense Cayman and power
5:39
are the two strongest leaders all those
5:43
kids look for them and then every time
5:46
there is a pass rush Cayman has a chance
5:48
to get there he's that good and we lost
5:51
both of those elements uh when we lost
5:54
him uh and even when we got him back the
5:56
last week and a half he's kind of
5:59
careful he he didn't have his Spirit
6:01
today I could see his face light up cuz
6:03
he knew it was back and and that makes
6:05
so much difference for us about R's
6:09
return I thought it was JJ when I was
6:11
looking out there I couldn't I couldn't
6:13
figure out how that number five um he's
6:15
such a good athlete that when he saw it
6:18
I never dreamed that he could score and
6:21
then he made a couple Miss and I'm
6:23
thinking you know and then he gets close
6:24
to the sideline and I said it's 100%
6:26
he'll step out of bounds he can't
6:28
possibly stay in bounds and and score
6:31
and and and good for him and and again
6:33
what a what a great kid for a senior
6:35
year um th those two helped themselves
6:38
with the NFL today as well did you say
6:40
anything Javari after the return could
6:43
did you have enough breath left well I I
6:45
let him catch his breath because it was
6:47
going to take a while I walked over and
6:49
said JJ and he laughed he thought that
6:51
was funny M you can you can hear what's
6:55
going on right over here next to us like
6:57
to be able to have this joy and and this
7:01
type of performance which you obviously
7:03
sorely needed just maybe I mean what
7:06
would you say the meaning of of this is
7:08
this be able to have a post game like
7:10
today yeah it's uh th this team has
7:13
dealt with more than any team I've ever
7:15
dealt with in 36 years with with
7:17
injuries and change and
7:20
losing um losing a player watching a
7:24
player die over time um I mean I I've
7:28
never I've never seen a group of young
7:31
people and staff handle this this much
7:33
you worry about mental health with all
7:34
of them I mean with with everybody it's
7:36
uh it's just a load um and in this
7:40
business I I feel like we've got the
7:42
best program in the country off the
7:43
field and we lost four games in a row
7:46
and you can't do that and so winning
7:49
makes that locker room unbelievable I I
7:52
mean it just they're I I don't think
7:54
I've ever seen them that happy and Mitch
7:57
Mason wasn't feeling well so this is the
7:59
first game he's missed in our six years
8:01
so they FaceTime him gave him a game
8:03
ball and let him say the prayer from
8:06
home um so uh again Mitch is a valuable
8:09
part of our program because he's the
8:11
spirit he's the faith and then to be
8:13
told last night yeah M Mitch and phly
8:16
they're not stupid they know he's not
8:18
well so um I I was so happy that Jeremy
8:22
could get him on FaceTime and and they
8:24
could sing to him and with him and let
8:25
him speak to
8:27
Hime in the way he's been playing seemed
8:29
like he was under the center a lot
8:31
more that a new wrinkle that you put
8:33
into it is Chip you in my position you
8:38
you don't want to make excuses and
8:40
everything that you say about something
8:42
that has happened wrong sounds like an
8:45
excuse so you're you're careful with
8:46
that um he wasn't going to play this
8:50
year played 59 snaps his whole
8:53
career came in in July and was out of
8:56
shape and we actually told him the week
8:59
before the Minnesota game you're not
9:00
going to play unless something changes
9:03
so get in shape and let's get ready for
9:05
spring practice and he was good with
9:08
that and then to say okay we were
9:10
kidding get shape we got to figure out
9:13
what your offense is cuz we had a Max
9:15
offense then we had to do a Conor
9:17
offense and now we got to do a jacobe
9:18
offense um so that's a load on everybody
9:22
and then while your offensive line coach
9:24
was sick your three interior guys were
9:26
all hurt or sick or something at one
9:28
time so they weren't playing well or
9:30
couldn't play and then with a center
9:32
from a division three program who'd
9:34
never play call in fronts with a new
9:37
quarterback who didn't wasn't in the
9:39
system didn't have a system um here we
9:41
are trying to pick up blitzes and and
9:44
all that's better now obviously but uh
9:47
Jacob's really a good player he made
9:48
some plays with his feet today he's
9:50
getting better with his arm he's taking
9:51
care of the ball um everything he's
9:55
doing is better and you you can't play
9:57
this game without a quarterback mean he
9:59
touches at every play and and it's the
10:01
most powerful position in in college
10:03
football so with him getting better it
10:06
it helps us get better and then the
10:08
receivers and the tight ends get better
10:09
and then we got to think today we were
10:11
with uh without Bryson NB who he and
10:15
Omarian are two number one um weapons
10:19
when you start looking at receiving and
10:20
running ball M I know you guys obviously
10:22
were coming off of by but during this
10:24
weekend practice did you notice anything
10:26
different about their approach their
10:28
energy leading this I really didn't the
10:31
the thing that's been amazing about
10:33
these kids they practice good all the
10:34
time and they're happy in practice
10:36
they're having fun Pro Scouts had come
10:38
out we'd lost three in a row and they
10:40
said God you wouldn't notice it you you
10:41
wouldn't think it and then when they got
10:44
in the game they got worried I think and
10:46
and again maybe it's my fault that they
10:48
they felt so much pressure to win that
10:51
they get uptight in the games and they
10:53
haven't had confidence and we haven't
10:55
consistently played well and today was a
10:58
new start you we we buryed T we're we're
11:01
in a position where we've got a stretch
11:03
here of new fresh games we we got the
11:07
offensive line healthy ry's doing better
11:09
he's healthier you get Cayman back so we
11:12
said let's start over we said this would
11:14
be a team that would be built stronger
11:16
for the end let's start over a Ral game
11:20
we haven't played very well in
11:22
Charlottesville uh they're good they're
11:24
sitting here at at U with Four Winds um
11:27
so let's allthough it's there let's go
11:30
see who we really are and I said the
11:33
team that's in this locker room is
11:34
better than the one that everybody sees
11:37
and and that's just that's not the way
11:38
this is supposed to work we need to show
11:41
everybody who we are and I think that's
11:43
what they did today how much did they
11:44
feed off the positivity you seem like a
11:48
got more of a steamroll going on
11:50
absolutely they uh like I said it's the
11:53
happiest locker room I've ever seen I
11:55
thought on the sideline you know you you
11:57
want animation and energy on the side
11:59
line they're not going to have it if
12:00
they're losing they're not going to have
12:02
it if somebody's making good plays cuz
12:03
they they know they feel it these kids
12:05
aren't stupid and I I I talked to them
12:08
Thursday about uh your why why do you
12:12
play number one you play cuz God gave
12:15
you enough talent to be good enough to
12:16
do it or we wouldn't have asked you to
12:18
come so number one you you were
12:22
separated by
12:23
Talent number two then what why do you
12:27
play do you play to have fun you play
12:30
because it gave you an education you
12:31
play a wind you play for all the above
12:34
so um I I don't want pressure on you but
12:37
you got to figure out why you do this
12:40
and and then you've got to figure out
12:41
how to finish and you got to finish
12:43
games and I we've learned so much from
12:46
TY the another thing that we learned is
12:49
that we don't have we're not guaranteed
12:51
our time we don't have any control over
12:53
how much time we've got any of us I mean
12:56
we could die this afternoon what we are
12:58
guaranteed is uh we have a chance to use
13:02
the time that we have today and and try
13:05
to improve uh our life and and be happy
13:08
and the other thing I told him which uh
13:10
I talked to Tony about this before the
13:12
game which is really true um if we have
13:15
our
13:16
health and our family and friends have
13:18
their health then we have no
13:22
problems because if you
13:24
get um a severe health problem just like
13:28
Ty did
13:29
all the rest of your problems are gone
13:32
away if one of your children gets Ty
13:35
situation all the rest of your problems
13:37
are
13:38
gone because that becomes the focus so
13:40
why don't we enjoy our health be
13:43
grateful for our health appreciate our
13:46
health and and then quit worrying about
13:48
all the the stuff that's around us and
13:51
and have some fun and enjoy life cuz
13:53
we're we're not guaranteed life I mean I
13:54
could have a heart attack walking back
13:55
to the locker room that's just who we
13:57
are and and
13:59
the other thing that that I told the
14:01
kids is you need to make sure you tell
14:03
everybody everything that you want to
14:05
tell them now cuz you don't have any
14:07
guarantees that you're going to be
14:08
around or they're going to be around and
14:09
you don't want to miss that I've had
14:11
some people that are buried that I wish
14:12
I had told them I loved them I care
14:15
about them before they were buried and I
14:17
didn't do that cuz I thought I had time
14:18
we don't have time we don't have any
14:21
guaranteed time so uh that's why the the
14:24
lessons that that I've got to teach this
14:26
team and this staff with all this stuff
14:30
that's been thrown on them is is the the
14:33
most important time in my life to be a
14:36
strong leader and it's hard it's hard
14:39
Tony asked me today how are you holding
14:41
up I said I I'm up and down he said yeah
14:44
that's we all we're humans we're human
14:46
beings but that that's my job and to see
14:50
those kids it's a shame that winning so
14:53
important and that's why we have
14:56
scoreboards but winning is so important
14:59
up because you watch those kids you look
15:01
at those faces you look at how proud
15:03
they are of themselves as compared to
15:05
Georgia Tech 2 weeks
15:07
ago that's why you got to win everybody
15:10
you got to have fans coming you got to
15:12
have fans happying all that other stuff
15:13
but for them um you you learn a lot a
15:17
lot of lessons but but I did tell them
15:19
that um um when you look at your life
15:23
and this is one of the things I said in
15:25
pregame um it's not about time it's
15:29
about the moments that you have and
15:31
you'll remember this day the rest of
15:32
your life for lots of reasons um you sit
15:35
around listen to the Rick steinbachers
15:37
they talk about the game he talks about
15:38
Georgia Tech and the the interception
15:41
with the the 10 to 10 tie in 1990 and
15:44
they went to the National Championship I
15:45
said you're they're not nobody going to
15:47
ask you how much you played but you
15:49
going to remember the day and you're
15:51
going to remember the game and and um if
15:54
you don't give full effort with
15:56
confidence you're going to have regrets
15:59
and regrets are one thing you don't want
16:01
to have in your life because regrets you
16:03
can't get back you can't get back
16:06
regrets are because you didn't do
16:07
something at that time in your life and
16:09
you can't you can't do that you don't
16:11
regret follow to that what I'm hearing
16:13
you say is perspective sounds like that
16:16
you say turn a negative no positive try
16:18
to get something positive out of it and
16:20
they got perspective that may have
16:22
removed some of the stress so when they
16:24
had an opportunity to play free today
16:25
They seized it I think so I I absolutely
16:28
absolutely think so and sometimes what
16:31
we we want to be as a coach we want to
16:33
be perceived as the tough guy that is on
16:36
them all the time and they got to do
16:38
this and they got to do that sometimes
16:40
they need to be hugged
16:41
man sometimes they need to learn that
16:43
it's okay to have fun and this is a game
16:48
and and I I said uh pre pressure is a
16:52
privilege if we put you in the position
16:55
and we ask you Cayman Rucker to beat
16:57
their tackle to sack their quarterback
16:58
who's really good we're putting pressure
17:01
on you to do that but that's a privilege
17:03
because we think you
17:04
can and and you got to take that as a
17:07
privilege and not take that as as
17:09
pressure they're asking me to do that
17:11
and we told our defensive line today you
17:13
had to be dominant we we have to stop
17:15
the quarterback run if if he runs like
17:18
the last two we're going to get beat and
17:21
and they they took it on their own and
17:23
and they did well early and frustrated
17:25
him and and um I've never been prowder
17:29
of a group than I am of this offensive
17:31
line defensive line excuse me m would
17:35
the performance from JJ today um I mean
17:38
my goodness what a first half he had um
17:41
it felt like that might be something
17:42
y'all have been waiting on from a guy
17:45
like him who's capable of of playing the
17:47
way he did today yeah Adam when you're
17:50
inconsistent at
17:51
quarterback and you're trying to figure
17:53
out who you
17:54
are it's really frustrating for
17:57
receivers
17:58
because they've had two pro
18:00
quarterbacks so we we've had
18:03
inconsistency at tight end we've had
18:06
inconsistency receiver because we've
18:08
been inconsistent as an offense and I
18:11
thought today we knew more about who we
18:14
were I thought the fourth quarter last
18:16
week jacobe really started scrambling
18:19
and went down to score and we drop a
18:20
touchd we drop a touchdown pass and he
18:22
gets hit or he scores a touchdown to win
18:24
the Georgia Tech game so I thought that
18:26
was his breakthrough
18:28
we didn't notice it because we didn't
18:30
win and and all the T stuff but I
18:33
thought that was his breakthrough and I
18:35
saw the same thing today he was poised
18:38
he got the ball out of his hands he
18:40
didn't have many bad throws he scrambled
18:42
when he needed to um I I I thought he is
18:45
becoming the quarterback that gives us a
18:47
chance each week for the last four games
18:50
any dance steps by the head coach no no
18:54
no you can do one on the way out though
18:56
yeah I felt like it but
18:59
um you know I I think again chip it it
19:02
it's time to celebrate and it's time to
19:04
have fun uh
19:07
but that also there's some U teachable
19:10
moments back there that dancing wouldn't
19:12
wouldn't teach um very honestly it's
19:15
it's with Mitch with Tye with Virginia's
19:18
class with Virginia handling what they
19:21
handled which is I just I can't imagine
19:24
Bubba and I getting a call for three
19:26
kids have been shot I can't imagine that
19:29
uh so uh sometimes when we're not
19:32
dealing with it and we say I know how
19:33
you feel we don't we don't but uh I I
19:37
think that this team is is learning a
19:39
lot of lessons and now they got to go
19:41
home be safe tonight take care of
19:43
themselves go back to work tomorrow and
19:46
get ready to go to Tallahassee we don't
19:47
even do we know what time the game is
19:49
they still haven't told us so find out
19:50
tomorrow right oh is it tomorrow priv
19:54
yeah but that that's what we got to do
19:57
and and beating Virginia doesn't do you
20:00
any good unless you go grow and and get
20:02
stronger and build on it and beat
20:03
Florida State I mean that you you gota
20:06
you got to take this one and build on it
20:08
instead of just have a game where you
20:10
you played well you don't want to be a
20:12
team that plays well you want to be a
20:13
team that's getting better all right
20:16
thanks coach
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