CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina Football Coach Mack Brown met with the media Monday for his weekly press conference in advance of the No. 10 Tar Heels’ home game versus Virginia on Saturday.
He went over the 41-31 victory over Miami from this past weekend hitting on positive and negative points and fielded a variety of questions about his team.
Above is video of Brown’s presser, and below are some notes from what he had to say:
*Travis Shaw was dinged up during warmups Saturday and did not play. He will be monitored during the week.
*The Tar Heels are 6-0 for the ninth time in program history and first time since 1997.
“Six-and-0 for the ninth time ever shows you how hard it is. And that 8-0 team got beat by Florida State in one of the great games here in our past.”
*This is only the second time UNC has scored 30 or more points in its first six games. The other time was in 1914.
“Some people would think I was at that game, I was not (laughter).”
*Kobe Paysour broke a toe last Tuesday during practice and also had surgery. He could be out for the season, though UNC isn’t prepared to go there yet. Brown says there is a chance Paysour could play again this season.
“I was really disappointed for Kobe Paysour. Just running, and he planted his foot. This game’s amazing, you can hit so many people and be so physical, and then run and have a non-contact injury that sets you back.
“And Kobe’s attitude was so good. I said, ‘I’m so sorry, you’re playing so well. I love you, brother.’ And he said, ‘Coach, it’s just part of my journey, you gotta learn to handle stuff in your life.’”
Paysour is third on the team with 22 receptions for 282 yards and is tied for the team lead with three receiving TDs.
*Players of the Game versus Miami:
-Offense: Omarion Hampton (197 yards, one TD) and Tez Walker (six catches, 132 yards, three TDs) share the honor.
-Defense: Cedric Gray (10 tackles, one INT, one fumble recovery)
-Special Teams: Punter Tom Maginness (six punts for 38.3 average)
*Brown said the officiating crew was “aggressive” throwing flags Saturday night. The Tar Heels had 14 penalties for 147 yards, their most since 1947.
“We had entirely too many penalties. This one will make the people who don’t like me will have something to talk about, so this is one for them. But we looked really hard at penalties. And Penalties were not a real difference maker in who won and lost games our first four years here as we were looking at them.
“I remember Florida State had more penalties than anybody in our league and beat everybody. And they did it every year. And I asked (legendary FSU) Coach (Bobby) Bowden, he said, ‘You have to be really, really careful if you’re making aggressive penalties you don’t want to become passive. And you don’t to make them scared.
“So, there’s a fine line between correcting things and not making your team get too cautious and too soft.”
*One very ugly offensive note from the Miami game came on Carolina’s last possession of the first half. Miami punted with 1:28 left in the half and the Heels took over at their own 30-yard-line. Yet, a quick three-and-out barely used any clock, as the ball was snapped for a punt with 1:08 remaining before halftime.
Miami ended up kicking a field goal to take the lead as the half expired.
“(I’m) really unhappy with the one-minute drill at the end of the half.”
*The four-minute offense in the fourth quarter also must improve, Brown said.
The Tar Heels scored six points on their last three possessions versus Miami, twice netting field goals and another time punting after losing seven yards, and giving the ball back to the Canes still in position to make the game interesting.
Like in the Syracuse game last week, when UNC failed to score a TD in its last three possessions, each of which got inside the red zone, are causes for concern. Add that in opener versus South Carolina, the Heels amassed only 77 yards with no points over the final four possessions. In a win at Pittsburgh, Carolina failed to score while gaining 44 yards over its last four possessions.
“I still don’t like our four-minute offense. We’re not running it as well as we should. We’ve been ahead in every fourth quarter, and we’re trying to kill the clock and still score, and we’re not doing that as well as we should.”
*The Tar Heels came off a 40-7 rout of Syracuse last week, and Brown said they didn’t have a great practice Wednesday. He hinted that maybe the team didn’t take Miami as seriously as they should have given how the Hurricanes lost to Georgia Tech and that UNC went into the contest having won four straight in the series.
Brown emphasized, “We’ve got to play to a standard,” and that it shouldn’t matter who they are playing.
*Brown says UNC versus Virginia is a “great game” for both schools to play every year. They have so much in common and should always be rivals.
