CHAPEL HILL – With his team opening the season with a narrow win last Thursday night at Minnesota, North Carolina Football Coach Mack Brown met with the media Monday at the Kenan Football Center for his weekly press conference in advance of the Tar Heels’ game Saturday against Charlotte.
UNC edged the Gophers, 19-17, in Minneapolis before having part of the weekend off. Five of Carolina’s next six games are at home, with the lone road trip just eight miles up the road to Duke at the end of September.
The Tar Heels and 49ers kickoff at 3:30 PM and the game will be aired on the ACC Network.
Above is the full video of Brown’s presser, and below are some notes and quotes from what he had to say:
*Injury note: Safety Will Hardy was injured early in the game and is listed as day-to-day this week. No other injuries reported.
*In 16 season-openers under Brown, the Tar Heels are 13-3 with the losses coming to Oklahoma in 1988, Syracuse when it had Donovan McNabb, and at Virginia Tech three years ago. And 13 of the openers have been against teams currently in power conferences. So, UNC is 10-3 in openers against power conference teams under Brown.
*Players of the game at Minnesota:
---Offense: Omarion Hampton, 30 attempts. 129 yards, 5 catches, forced 12 missed tackles, made a touchdown-saving tackle on the interception return, and recovered Conner Harrell’s fumble in the fourth quarter effectively saving the game for the Tar Heels.
---Defense: Jahvaree Ritzie 6 tackles, 3 sacks.
---Special Teams: Noah Burnette (4-for-4 on field goals) and Alijah Huzzie (punt return for 15 yards, factor on other units).
*In discussing the win at Minnesota, Brown said the offense must hit on more big plays. He said they had just six explosives, and complementing the ability to sustain drives, like in the 17 and 12-play field goals drives they had in the third quarter, some big hits are necessary, too.
---The offensive line had four first-time starters, yet five of the top six offensive grades went to the o-line. Brown is “really proud” of the unit for not having any penalties in the game and said they, “did pretty well in pass protection.”
---He added that not having many explosives and running Omarion Hampton 30 times isn’t ideal, the staff called what they had to in order to get the win and “that’s the most important thing.
---“I love the fact that they found a way to win, and that’s all this is about.”
---In addition, he said this team can handle playing a more rugged game and relying on it to win, saying, “This is the most physical team we’ve had” since he returned six years ago.
*With Johnson out, Conner Harrell is the starting quarterback, Brown said. There is no battle between Harrell and Jacolby Criswell, who is now the second-team QB. True freshman Mike Merdinger is QB3.
---Brown said Criswell’s reps will increase now, and Merdinger will have some added stuff to his work week.
*A different tune being pushed right now is the team must play to its standard and not focus as much as the opponent. This is a strong message given the Tar Heels have lost too many games to teams they should have handled. So, with the next three games at home against Charlotte, NC Central, and JMU, Brown pushed that theme hard Monday.
*The Tar Heels host Charlotte on Saturday at 3:30 PM. The game will air on the ACC Network. The 49ers have plenty of former UNC coaches and players. Coaches: Dre’ Bly; Tim Cross; Tim Brewster; Ty Greenwood. Players: Justin Olson; Ja’Qurious Conley; and Dontae Balfour.
---Charlotte has 56 transfers on the team, including 36 new players. Overall, 23 of their transfers in the two-deep came from Power 4 conferences.
“They’re much improved on defense. They had a lot of guys out in the James Madison game. I think eight starters that we’ll expect to see this weekend.”
---Brown noted that Balfour had an interception saying he’s “really proud” of him. Balfour was a preseason All-Conference USA, and was one of the 49ers representatives at the league’s media day.
