CHARLOTTE – Media Day for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl took place Tuesday morning at the Charlotte Convention Center, and North Carolina Coach Mack Brown was available to the media to field a variety of questions.
The Tar Heels meet West Virginia for a 5:30 PM kickoff Wednesday at Bank of America Stadium. The game will air on ESPN.
Above is video of Brown’s Q&A session, and below are some notes and quotes from what he had to say:
*Former NC State DB Jakeen Harris committed to UNC yesterday and was set to join the team today, though he obviously cannot play in the game.
*Brown said the practices “have been spirited” and he believes the team will be ready to play.
*He noted that true freshman WR Chris Culliver will return kickoffs Wednesday. Culliver played 18 snaps in two games this season, with his lone target a 41-yard touchdown pass from Conner Harrell. Culliver was in for 68 plays in ten games on special teams as well.
*Brown was asked about getting mayo dumped over his head if they win, and he said he really wanted a mayo bath two years ago but the team didn’t play well. “So, I’d love to have mayonnaise in my hair. That would be a tribute to winning. I’m not worried about that at all. I can wash my hair.”
*Regarding the readiness of his team, Brown said, “I think they’re ready to play. It’s the new opportunity bowl. And we’ve told our guys we need to maximize those opportunities. It’s hard to get an opportunity to play. Some of these guys have been wanting to play. We’ve got 12 starters from the first of the year that won’t be in the game tomorrow night. So, there will be a lot of new guys.”
Brown noted true freshman Chris Culliver will return kickoffs.
“There’s a lot of change on offense, there’s less change on defense. But the offense is going to be a whole new look.”
*How much is this opportunity also a chance to finish with a win, especially the way the last few seasons have closed?
“We started so well and we’ve got to figure out why we didn’t finish well. Part of it is schedule. Nobody looks at who you played, and Clemson, NC State, and Duke were all really good teams, and we played three emotional games in a row. Last year it was NC State, Clemson and Oregon. That’s a pretty good finish.
“So, people don’t look at that. If we were playing easy at the end, we’d be winning more, probably. What we’ve got to do is why we’ve had such great starts and why we’re not finishing like we need to. That’s part of the next question to get from good to where we want to go.”
*Conner Harrell will make the first start of his college career Wednesday, so naturally Brown was asked a few questions about him.
“Conner is a wonderful young man. He was Valedictorian of Thomson High School. He was 25-2 as a starter Thompson High School. He was Most Valuable Player in the state of Alabama. He won three state championships.
“He’s a wonderful young person. He’s totally different from Drake. Not as tall but faster… What we’ve been doing here for the last two weeks is trying to figure out this is Conner’s offense right now, what do we do? What can we change?
“We’re down a starting center, so we had to move a guard to center. So how much can you change your offensive line, your offense schemes and still do what you want to do. But I’ve been pleased, Conner’s looked good in practice. So, I’m excited to see him play.”
Harrell is 4-for-6 for 71 yards and a score. He has played 21 snaps.
*Harrell has been QB1 for a couple of weeks, and Brown says the redshirt freshman from Alabama has handled it well.
“He seems like it’s his deal, and he’s gotten more snaps in two weeks than he’s gotten in two years. He will probably sleep differently tonight than he would if Drake was playing, so it will be a little more uncomfortable, a little more exciting, a little more anxiety. It will be interesting to watch him play, but it will be fun to watch him play.”
*There is plenty of uncertainty about the Tar Heels given so many new faces in key roles. With that, Brown said, “We absolutely don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow with this team. Usually, you’ve got some idea. This one, we have absolutely no idea.”
*The Tar Heels won the Military Bowl in year one of Brown part 2, and played Texas A&M tough in the Orange Bowl the following year. But they have lost three straight bowls, with the effort in 2021 deemed unacceptable by Brown and some players. Brown says there is only one way to approach playing in a bowl game.
“I’ve told them, ‘I don’t want to go to a bowl unless we’re going to play. Don’t go. It’s a waste of people’s money, it’s a waste of their time.’”
*Brown said that Harrell and Max Johnson will compete in the spring for the starting QB job. Johnson has practiced with the team the last few days, so they have gotten a close-up look at him. Brown also said tomorrow is important for Harrell to begin the process of competing for job for next season.
*Wednesday will mark the fifth time in five years since Brown returned the Tar Heels will play a game at Bank of America Stadium. This also happens to be the first time ever UNC has opened and closed the same season playing in Charlotte. Brown said it’s starting to feel like a home away from home.
“To start the season with a win here and try to close it with a win is really, really special.”
