CHAPEL HILL - As North Carolina looks to put last Saturday’s performance against James Madison in the rearview, it turns towards ACC play. The Tar Heels travel to Durham for a rivalry tilt with the Duke Blue Devils inside Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday for a 4 PM kickoff.
With UNC turning its attention from the Dukes to Duke, head coach Mack Brown, along with Offensive Coordinator Chip Lindsey and Defensive Coordinator Geoff Collins, spoke with the media fearlier this week regarding the ACC opener.
Ahead of his first taste of the Victory Bell rivalry, Blue Devils Head Coach Manny Diaz also discussed the upcoming matchup, including All-America running back Omarion Hampton and the Tar Heel tight ends.
Here are some generat notes along with that the coaches had to say this week:
*Brown is 3-0 all-time versus Diaz as a head coach defeating Miami from 2019-2021.
*Both Brown and Diaz said there are no hard feelings from their time at Texas, where Brown relieved Diaz of his duties as the Longhorns’ DC in 2013. The Diaz-led defense allowed a school-record 550 yards rushing to Taysom Hill and BYU.
*Brown was complimentary of the job Diaz has done early in his time in Durham, particularly with quarterback Maalik Murphy.
“Manny’s done a great job at Duke. They’re a really good football team. I saw Maalik Murphy at Texas. He won two games as a starter there,” said Brown. “He’s got a tremendous arm, he’s got an NFL arm. He’s big, he’s strong, he can throw it. They’ve got tremendous skill. Their receivers are as good as anybody in the country.”
*Brown referenced the impressive start by the Duke defense, who rank in the top-10 in multiple statistical categories.
“Manny is always going to do great on defense but they’re leading the country in tackles for loss and they’re also No. 2 in sacks. With our inexperience up front [and] playing our third quarterback in four games, we’ve got our hands full this weekend.”
*Lindsey recognized Diaz’s reputation as a defensive-minded coach, and understands that they will throw the kitchen sink at Criswell and the UNC offense.
“Coach Manny Diaz, he has a defensive reputation. He’s always done a great job wherever he’s been. He’s going to give you a lot of multiple looks and pressure looks,” said Collins. “At the same time, he’s going to make you earn everything from the standpoint [of] he’s not going to give you any free guys down the field. I think for us, we really gotta figure out how can we play on our strengths and how can we run the football effectively and then use that to help us throw it down the field some.”
*Looking to bounce back from a historically-bad performance against JMU, Collins had high praise for Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy and the Blue Devil offense.
“I think [Murphy] does a great job and the scheme is designed for them to take easy access throws, know where to go with the football, [and] where the windows are,” said Collins. “I think he’s done a good job managing the offense and help it be as explosive as it's been. I think the receivers are really good.”
*Collins was 1-2 against Diaz and Miami during his time at Georgia Tech. Diaz replaced Collins as the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State when he left the Bulldogs for the same position at Florida in 2015.
*Diaz is preparing for his first matchup with UNC as Duke’s head coach and his first showdown with the Tar Heels since 2021, his last season at Miami.
*Looking for his first win against North Carolina as a head coach, Diaz was complimentary of the Lindsey-led offense, particularly the tight end room.
“I think they do a really nice job of how they move the ball around. [They have] tight ends that pose matchup problems,” said Diaz. “Tight ends who have the skillset of wide receivers and height, they present a catch radius that even if they’re covered, they’re technically open.”
*While UNC has a plethora of playmakers on the outside, Omarion Hampton is the engine that powers the offense. Diaz knows just as well as anyone how dangerous Tar Heel running backs can be, as evidenced by the record-setting performance by Javonte Williams and Michael Carter against his Hurricanes in 2020.
*Even with the tape on Hampton, he doesn’t think any team has yet to figure out how to slow him down.
“I don’t know if anybody has really figured that out. He’s been successful running the football on just about anyone he’s gone against which is why to me, he’s one of the top backs in the country.”
*Stopping the run has been a problem for the Blue Devils in recent weeks, as Duke ranks 60th in college football, allowing 127.2 rushing yards per game. This number is deflated due to allowing just 30 rushing yards in the season opener against Elon.
*Since defeating the Phoenix, Duke has surrendered 132 rushing yards against Northwestern, 179 rushing yards against UConn, and 168 rushing yards against Middle Tennessee State.
