CHAPEL HILL – Football coaches inherently worry.
And when getting ready to play a huge game that can define a season or even shift the trajectory of a program, that level of uneasiness can be palpably uncomfortable.
Veteran coaches, such as North Carolina head man Mack Brown, know how to read their teams and aren’t often overwhelmed by that concern, though that possibility still exists, especially when prepping for a contest with national implications.
A year ago, Brown felt it some leading up to a home game versus No. 1 Clemson, warning earlier in the week his team had to guard against emotionally playing the game Tuesday or Wednesday. They came through, nearly pulling off a major upset.
This week, Brown appears less concerned as an even bigger game is on the horizon. Notre Dame, the No. 2 ranked team in the land three weeks removed from knocking off Clemson, is bringing its iconic helmets and brand to Kenan Stadium for a date with the Tar Heels.
Friday afternoon-into-evening, national television, the prime-time ABC broadcast crew and a chance to keep their faint ACC title hopes alive while showing a doubting nation they are a program ready for coast-to-coast relevance give this game plenty of juice. This is a big game, one of the most anticipated UNC has hosted in decades, and certainly the biggest involving any current players.
"I think it’s crazy because it comes full circle,” said senior running back Michael Carter, juxtaposing this week versus his first two seasons, when the Heels combined to win five games.
“When I got here, we (weren’t) that good, we were actually pretty bad, so just to go from the rock bottom to where we’re at is a good feeling.”
Still, this is relatively new to the Heels (6-2), and how they handle the process building up to kickoff is a mystery since there’s very little history to draw from. Brown, though, accepts the notion of teams playing emotional games in the middle of the week, but without directly saying so, offered a perspective on why his team might be avoiding that misstep.
“It’s a great point, especially with two weeks to prepare,” Brown said Monday, alluding to UNC getting 13 days to prepare for the Fighting Irish. “One of the things that you have to do to get better as a program is you have to practice hard every day and we didn’t do that last year. We had some real highs and some real lows, and I could kind of tell that we were going to struggle in a ballgame because we didn’t have interest in practice.
“I will say right now, and part of it is because we’re developing more depth, that we are practicing hard every day. I didn’t see any difference (Sunday) than I did Tuesday before Wake Forest.”
In other words, the program is maturing.
More evidence? Junior linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel was also asked about guarding against playing the undefeated Irish on Tuesday or Wednesday, and he barely even acknowledged the premise of the question.
“Just getting in the film room getting all the guys together, whether it’s the d-line, the front seven or back with the DBs,” he said, as if this week is business as usual. “Getting in the meeting room with them with our extra days off… We will have extra time to study and get film room and making sure we’re on top of everything with our communications because we have a lot of checks this week.”
The Heels will get plenty of attention as the game nears and they know it, they’re just channeling it in a manner suggesting the program is ready for this opportunity. And it’s not like they’re a team without merit.
Carolina has one of the top offenses in the nation and is No. 25 in the AP poll six weeks after sitting at No. 5. It has something to prove, so this is a big game aside from simply hosting perhaps the most recognized sports team in the nation. But again, there’s no appearance the Heels are climbing the walls.
“We definitely understand this is a big opportunity for our team and it’s a tremendous challenge against a team like Notre Dame,” sophomore quarterback Sam Howell said. “We know the impact a win like this can have on a program. It’s definitely a game we want to win and we’re going to put in all the work.
“We’re blessed to be where we are and blessed to have the opportunity to play a team like Notre Dame. They’re a really good team, an historic program, we’re definitely going to give it our all and have to play our A game to have a chance to win.”
To do that, the Tar Heels must be in the proper frame of mind and have a terrific week of practice. And if Brown’s words mean anything, it appears that’s exactly what is transpiring.