CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina Football Coach Mack Brown met with the media Monday at the Kenan Football Center for his weekly press conference, this time in advance of the No. 24 Tar Heels’ home game versus Duke on Saturday night.
UNC is 7-2 overall and 3-2 in the ACC, while the Blue Devils are 6-3 and 3-2.
Above is video of Brown’s presser, and below are some notes from what he had to say:
Note: Per UNC: WR Nate McCollum is working his way back this week. Same with CB Tayon Holloway.
*Carolina is back in both major polls after being out for a week. “Proud we’re back in the polls in both cases.” He added this is a “good team” but had a “few slip ups”
*Brown said he’d rather play a game like Saturday than have an open date at this time of the season. Says he understands why Larry Fedora scheduled it .
*Brown says he’s glad they botched the situation at the end of the first half because it was a needed lesson and that it didn’t hurt them. “I’m glad it got messed up so we can fix it.”
*UNC defeated Campbell, 59-7, this past Saturday.
-Offensive MVP: Corey Gaynor – He’s “had a really big impact at the center position… I just love who he is.”
-Defensive MVP: Cedric Gray – Brown says it’s a testament to him he was ready to go at a high level against Campbell “he doesn’t have off days.”
-Special Teams MVP: Jalen Brooks, walk-on LB – had an impact on multiple special teams.
*Omarion Hampton ran for 100-plus yards for the fourth consecutive game.
“Omarion continues to be one of the better backs in the country,” and in addition Brown said he should have had more than 200 yards rushing because a long TD run was brought back because of a penalty.
*Duke had beaten UNC five out of seven meetings before Brown returned following the 1018 season. The Tar Heels are 4-0 versus the Devils under Brown since he came back. Brown spoke about the rivalry factor this weekend.
“Great game, great rivalry. They run the ball so well… Theyn play tremendous defense… Senior Day, homecoming, packed house, should be a tremendous setting.”
He later added: “Carolina-Duke is bigger than anything else. The rivalry this week is bigger (than bowls)… This game overrides everything else.”
*Brown says it’s probably Drake Maye’s final home game at Kenan Stadium, but he didn’t say it’s for certain. He did say he will encourage Drake to walk with the seniors Saturday, but will leave the decision to him.
*Duke blitzes a lot, so the Tar Heels will make that a point of emphasis this week in practice. But he said the emergence of a run game that didn’t exist much a year ago is such an important aspects of dealing with blitzing teams.
“We’re handling the blitz much better than last year, and running the ball well helps with that.”
*Duke’s regular starting QB Riley Leaonard has battled injuries for most of the season, and last Thursday, the Devils started true freshman Grayson Loftis. It was the third QB to start a game for Duke, and it’s likely he will start Saturday night. But UNC will not be caught off guard, Brown says.
“You don’t want to be surprised,” so the Heels will prepare for Leonard, Loftis, and Henry Belin, who started Duke’s win over NC State.
*In addition, Brown spoke a bit about the Victory Bell, the chippiness of the game this weekend, that the Heels close the season with two intense rivals and play at Clemson, so all three games will be extremely physical, full houses, and outstanding atmospheres.
*And, he spoke quite a bit about it being Senior Day, the players that are walking, highlighting Cedric Gray, D.J. Jones, and British Brooks.
