CHAPEL HILL – Complacency and football never go hand-in-hand. Or in any spot.
In football, however, it can ruin a season. That is why the message within the walls of the Kenan Football Center this week is about guarding against just that.
With 6-0 and 10th-ranked North Carolina preparing to face 1-5 Virginia on Saturday night at Kenan Stadium, perhaps the Tar Heels’ largest obstacle this week is themselves. They won’t say it, as they respect UVA enough to at least say the right things. It just might be true, though.
And taking the next step toward national relevance isn’t measured through words but actions. UNC is a 23.5-point favorite, so the expetcation is a cruise-control with for the Tar Heels.
“You can’t get comfortable and you can’t get complacent, and we’ve done that around here," UNC Coach Mack Brown said during his weekly press conference Monday.
"And it’s time to change.”
The moment in time in which UNC finds itself reminded Brown of a similar spot when he was at Texas in 2005.
Texas moved to 10-0 with a 66-14 win over Kansas, when Brown got a phone call from another Hall of Famer. One legend calling another legend, and Bill Parcells, who was the Dallas Cowboys head coach at the time, had a message for Brown, whose team was also ranked No. 2 in the nation.
A trip to rival Texas A&M was next for the Longhorns, and with the Aggies sitting at 4-7, Brown had to sell his team on the idea it had to be ready. The call from Parcells helped.
“He didn’t say hello, he said, ‘You’re in trouble, man,’” Brown recalled. “And I’m thinking, we just won 66-14, we’re doing good. And he said, ‘You’re in trouble, because you’re sitting around talking about you, and you’re talking about (No. 1) USC, and you’re talking about a national championship game.
“‘This is Texas A&M’s bowl game. They’re not going to a bowl game. Their only chance to save their season is to beat you. And you aren’t even thinking about them.’”
Brown didn’t hesitate continuing the story. Arm gestures and all, it was almost as if he was reliving it right there and then.
‘“You’re like that big rat that’s eating the poisonous cheese,’” Brown said, still quoting Parcells. “And he said, ‘You’re gonna die now. You’re going to eat the poisonous cheese and you’re going to die.’
“And I mean I got scared to death sitting there on the phone, and I’m saying, ‘I’ve got you, coach.’”
Brown then went downstairs to the locker room and hung a piece of cheese in each player’s locker. He also put Parcell’s quote on the wall so the players could see it.
“And at halftime of the game, we’re down 29-24, and he is so right,” Brown said. “And I walked in at halftime and said, ‘We’re going to win the game, and you’re not gonna die, but you damn sure sick because you ate some of that cheese..
Texas ended up winning 40-29, and five weeks later, beat Southern Cal for the national championship.
The moral of Brown’s story is obvious, and it’s something his team is facing this week, as the soaring Tar Heels prepare to face Virginia in a renewal of the South's Oldest Rivalry. The Wahoos are a rival, but they have struggled mightily this season, and the Heels have won the last two games in the series.
Talk of Carolina and the College Football Playoff has become more mainstream this week following its 41-31 win over Miami last weekend. That UNC has an average margin of victory over five Power 5 opponents of 16.3 points, with each win by double figures, has it emerging as an intriguing pick to make the four-team playoff.
But there is so much football still to play, which is why Brown’s story is so relevant. It was in 2005 and it is 18 years later.
“You can’t sit around and eat the poisonous cheese,” Brown said. “You can’t listen to the talk. You can’t pat yourself on the back, because we’re human beings. We’re human beings. So, we know Virginia’s going to play hard Saturday night. We knew Miami was going to play hard (last) Saturday night.
“How are we going to play? Are we going to walk around all week and be cool and talk about all these stats and about how many times we’ve been 6-0?"
The players know it, and they do talk about it. But the partitioning going on this week in Chapel Hill is the key. And the mandate is to avoid that poisonous chese.
