THI TV: Brown on GT Aftermath, Fixing Problems, Much to Play For

CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina Football Coach Mack Brown met with the media Monday for his weekly press conference in advance of the Tar Heels’ home game versus Campbell on Saturday at Kenan Stadium.

UNC is coming off a 46-42 loss at Georgia Tech, the team’s second consecutive defeat after opening the season 6-0 and ranked No. 10 in the nation. Tech and Virginia, which won in Chapel Hill on October 21, entered those contests with a combined 4-9 record, yet the Heels blew second-half leads of 10 and 11 points, respectively.

In the loss to the Yellow Jackets, Carolina allowed 635 yards, and gained at least one first down on 12 of their 13 possessions.

UNC stands at 6-2 and fell out of the national rankings, and it’s now 3-2 in the ACC.

Injury report:

-Nate McCollum (lower body) will be monitored during the week

-Caleb Hood (upper body) will also be monitored

-Tez Walker was released from a hospital in Atlanta on Sunday morning and checked out fine.

Above is video of Brown’s presser, and below are some notes from what he had to say:

*After hosting Campbell, UNC hosts Duke and then finishes the regular season at Clemson and at NC State.

“We’ve got an exciting finish to the season; we’ve got three rivalry games left,” Brown said. “We’ll have our hands full… We’ve got to start getting ready for Campbell this week.”

*Brown said these final two games at Kenan Stadium will be the last ones at home for Drake Maye, who has two years of eligibility remaining but will be off to the NFL.

*Brown said they are two drives away from being a top-10 and “great” team.

*UNC has been outscored 56-33 in the fourth quarter this season, and its TD in the final period Saturday night was its first in the fourth quarter since the Minnesota game on September 16. Overall, the Heels were outscored 22-7 in the period allowing 265 yards of offense and 11 first downs. Of the yardage, 246 came on the ground.

“Saturday’s play in the fourth quarter was unacceptable… We have to finish games better”

*After averaging five penalties for 48 yards in the first five games, UNC has averaged 9.3 penalties for 90 yards over the last three contests. Three of its four highest totals have come in the last three games as well.

“We’ve got to eliminate offensive penalties.” Brown noted most have been on offense the last two games and have been crucial in the outcome.

*Brown went back to not being able to stop the run multiple times. He noted the 208 yards they gave up to a UVA team that entered the game averaging 99, and then colossal disaster in Atlanta. Of all that has gone wrong in recent weeks, Brown says this is the number one area that must get fixed or else.

“Until we stop the run better than the last two weeks, we’re not going to win…

“Until we stop the run better, we’re not going to win another game. Period.”

*Brown was baffled why his team played so well in the first and third quarters and so poorly in the second and fourth periods, say they (stink) in the latter two quarters. “I don’t know,” when trying to offer an explanation.

*Doc Chapman returned a kickoff 52 yards, and two plays later, caught a 35-yard TD pass, the first of his career. It was also just the fifth catch of the redshirt freshman’s career.

“Doc Chapman stood up on offense and caught a touchdown pass. So good for him… he’s really worked hard… Really proud of Doc.”

*UNC has had a punt blocked in three of its last five games. This is a serious problem that must be fixed. Brown said it’s not punter Toim Maginness, it’s a problem with the shield unit.

“A lot of people would love to be 6-2. I put up all the comparable teams across the country, I said, ‘You’ve got the 13th toughest schedule in the country, you’re tired, you’re beat up like everybody else is in college football. You’ve goy a chance to finish strong against really good teams, so get you’re head up…

‘“Remember November, you didn’t play well in November last year, so you’ve got a chance to get your fans back, you got a chance to be real positive. But we’ve got to be honest with each other and fix the things that are wrong…’

“Winning’s hard. You’ve got to appreciate every win. There’s going to be some really good teams with three or four losses here at the end of the year.”

*Brown says he doesn’t know if Campbell comes at the right time on the schedule, he says they just have to play well. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is, this team needs to play well