THI TV: Mack Mid-Week | ND, Atmosphere, Getting Healthy & More
CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina Coach Mack Brown met with the media via zoom following the Tar Heels’ practice Wednesday morning to share some thoughts about Saturday’s game versus Notre Dame and field questions about his team.
Among the things Brown also discussed were the improving health of his team, the message this week as the Heels prepare for such a big game, how they have practiced so far this week, the manner they lost to the Fighting Irish the last two seasons, quarterback Drake Maye’s comments about NC State, what a win over Notre Dame could do for the program, and more.
Above is the video of Brown’s Q&A session, and below are some notes, pulled quotes, and time markings from what he had to say:
Note: Josh Downs and Antoine Green have practiced this week as has Caleb Hood, and the staff is seeing how they respond before making a decision about Saturday.
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*1-min mark: Brown opened sharing some thoughts for several minutes, beginning with UNC playing Notre Dame three years in a row. The 2020 game wasn’t originally on the schedule, but being a COVID year, schedules were torn apart and redone, plus the Irish were in the ACC that season, so they visited. Brown half-jokingly said it’s “like a two-for-one,” with UNC getting two home games out of the deal.
Also, just 3,535 fans attended the game two years ago because of attendance restrictions, so it will be full this weekend, and it’s something to which Brown is looking forward.
“Our fans didn’t get to see the real Notre Dame play at our place,” he said. “So, that should add to the excitement and atmosphere on Saturday for sure.”
*1-min mark: UNC lost both of those games to the Irish the last two years, and each time was positioned to possibly win, but didn’t make plays down the stretch.
“They’ve been tougher than we have and had more confidence in the fourth quarter,” Brown said. “And they did that last week against Cal.”
Notre Dame scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to defeat the Bears 24-17.
*2-min mark: Notre Dame has won 19 consecutive regular season games versus ACC teams, a point Brown wanted to hammer home, and understandably so.
“Another thing you have to give them credit for is they have won 19 straight regular season acc games,” Carolina’s coach said. “Nineteen straight, so they have dominated in this league in regular season games without question. That is such a credit for them.”
*3-min mark: Brown discussed Notre Dame Coach Marcus Freeman’s path as a player and coach.
*4-min mark: Brown said the Notre Dame team that shows up Saturday in Chapel Hill will be the one that led at Ohio State late in the third quarter in its opener.
*5-min mark: Expectations are increasingly high that UNC will get its top two receivers back this week, as Josh Downs and Antoine Green are practicing, as is running back Caleb Hood. Brown was asked about gauging their readiness for contact, since there isn’t more than thud during the week once the season starts.
“It's a hard question to answer, the receivers usually don't get hit a lot during practice,” he replied. “It's thud, so they have been thud. We don't tackle during the season and during practice. So that will be the question is number one, will they be ready to go on Saturday, and number two, their first tackles will be in the game if they play?”
Brown also said that even if fully cleared, if a player says he can’t go, the staff will not play him.
*6-min mark: Brown was asked two questions about balancing the message this week given that it’s a huge game but not wanting his team to emotionally play the game too soon, and how the team has responded to the messaging.
*9-min mark: He was asked another question about the expected atmosphere.
This one has been sold out for a long time,” he said. “I know when we were in Texas, we were a national brand. So everywhere we go it would be sold out. Notre Dame is used to that, that's who they are. People love to see them.
“They have a tremendous following across the country because they have a national program. I would expect this to be the best crowd, as far as atmosphere and environment since I have been back.”
*11-min mark: Brown discussed Drake Maye’s comments about NC State during his interview Tuesday. We covered that in a separate article.
*15-min mark: Back to getting Downs and Green back, without them UNC is the fourth highest scoring team in the nation averaging 51.3 points per contest, so how much more potent can the Tar Heels be with them in the lineup?
*16-min mark: Was the 91-yard TD run by Kyren Williams in last year’s loss at Notre Dame emblematic of that team a year ago?
*20-min mark: Another question about Maye and whose idea it was for him to apologize via Twitter, as he did Tuesday night.
“Drake and I and Jeremy (Sharpe) all didn’t like the way it sounded,” Brown said. “So, Jeremy texted me; he sent me (a) tweet… And I thought it’s a joke and it’s funny…
“Number one, I didn’t want Drake to be beaten up over it because he was cutting up, and I’ve done that my whole life. I do it with you all (media) and ask you not to say it. And he’s young, and I didn’t want him to get burned so he didn’t want to talk to the media ever again. So, I just felt like modern-day, if something’s not what we want it to be as a family and North Carolina football, that’s not who we are, then let’s fix it.”
Sharpe is UNC’s Assistant A.D./Football Communications and Branding,
*21-min mark: Brown was asked want a win over Notre Dame could do for the UNC team and program.
“We’ve been a good team,” Brown said. “We win seven the first year, and that’s so much better than two, then the next year we win eight and go to the Orange Bowl for the first time in our school history, and then last year, we were mad at six, which three years ago would have been two or three times as many games as we won.
“So, we’ve been a good program, and what we’ve got to do, in my opinion, I we have to beat somebody like Notre Dame to become a great program.”
*23-min mark: Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer will get the full attention of UNC’s defense Saturday. He is one of the top tight ends in the nation who last year caught 71 passes for 840 yards and seven touchdowns, and this season has 15 receptions for 145 yards and three scores.
“I feel like he's probably the best tight end in the country, we haven't stopped him for the last two years,” Brown said. “He is so big, he is such a mismatch for safeties and linebackers. They move him around a lot. They have done a very good job with formations to make you cover him one on one.
“They ran the ball so much the other day in the second half to control the line of scrimmage so they didn't throw to him that much. But you have to be aware of him. He's going to be the touchdown maker when they get down to redzone. They are just going to go to him because he's so athletic, so big, so strong and he's a great young guy that competes.”
*Trey Scott contributed to this report.