CHAPEL HILL - Discipline has been an issue on both sides of the ball for North Carolina.

Last season, the Tar Heels ranked 117th in penalties per game at 7.2 and were 124th in the country with 862 penalty yards.

Those infractions not only exemplified a lack of discipline, they actively resulted in losses for UNC.

An offensive holding call on a go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter against Virginia prevented the Tar Heels from starting 7-0. A week later, while leading 14-0 at Georgia Tech, a key third-down conversion was nullified by another offensive holding penalty, serving as the catalyst for the Yellow Jackets’ comeback victory.

Staring down a 7-7 tie in Death Valley against Clemson heading into halftime, a roughing the passer infraction negated an interception. Six plays later, the Tigers found the endzone to take a 14-7 lead, one they’d never relinquish.

In those three games, all losses, a costly penalty hurt the Tar Heels, a result of the team lacking discipline.

For UNC, the wayward dirtiness of its play did not magically rear its head halfway through the regular season. It was an extension of poor habits off the field and in the offseason, something the coaching staff wants to change.

“We just yelled at them about not keeping the locker room and the players lounge clean. That’s like having too many penalties. Pick it up,” North Carolina Coach Mack Brown recently. “I told them ‘I’m gonna tell you one more time and if it’s not clean tomorrow, we’re gonna run as a team until you get real tired. So, you got a choice.’ We need to cut all that out.”

The disciplinary issues also involve the proper rest and recovery, a necessity for the next five months. Tired bodies and tired breains make tired mistakes.

“I told them you have to take care of your body. They’re out here running full speed for two hours and they’re going to do it for 28 days [in fall camp],” said Brown. “The ones that aren’t taking care of their body at a high level with hydration, are gonna pull [muscles]. That’s just the way it is.”

The bad habits lead to bad plays, bad penalties, and bad performances, all of which can be curbed weeks and months prior to the season opener against Minnesota.

Focusing on discipline helps translate to consistency, an area of concern for UNC in 2023, particularly on defense.

And in order for the Tar Heels to be the team they want to be, both discipline and consistency are key.

“Football is a hard game. What you’ve got to do if you’ve got to compete every day at a very high level,” said Brown. “Great teams, great players, [and] great coaches don’t have bad days.”

Bad days don’t always mean a missed assignment, a dropped pass, or a missed tackle. They come in all forms, shapes, and sizes: poor recovery, lack of rest, and the failure to pick up after yourself.

And for Brown and the Tar Heels, creating good habits and consistency off the field will translate to success and discipline on it.