Mack Brown met with the media on Monday following a bye week. Brown talked about
the offense in the Georgia State game, saying that he was proud of the way they were finishing drives and scoring touchdowns and was adamant that they continue to do so. Brown said that the QB protection needs improvement, “Drake’s having to leave the pocket too often.” He was proud of the defense as well but also said that there was still room for improvement. “We want to force more turnovers.” He wants improvement on first down, in the red zone, and he wants more communication in the secondary. Brown has said that good defense is achievable with this team, but they have to play more consistently.
Brown said that he is excited to play Notre Dame and thinks that this will be a great test
for this UNC team. He especially expressed the need for good play on the line of scrimmage
against a team like Notre Dame. “You’re gonna to have to play a great game to beat Notre
Dame.” Brown will be going against Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman this weekend and expressed his respect for the Notre Dame coach. “I’ve admired him, they did such a
tremendous job at Cincinnati before Notre Dame, and he has a great future ahead of him.”
Brown was asked about UNC not being in the polls, he responded by saying that the “polls don’t matter until the college football playoff poll comes out.”
Brown talked about the injury updates of Josh Downs and Antoine Green and said that
in order for them to play Saturday, they have to be able to get hit in practice and stay healthy.
These would obviously be huge additions to UNC’s already promising receiver group. Brown
also said that there are challenges with returning players, especially with rotation, and how
many plays they can play. In terms of the impact they could make on limited plays, “Josh is the best player on the team and Antione Green is an NFL receiver.” Clearly, the coach thinks
that if they can play, they can make an impact. Here are some takeaways from what the coach said.
1. The Defense is Showing Improvement:
Brown likes the direction of the defense but just wants more consistency and attention
to the little things. “The Defensive lineman can blow up the offensive guy but because his head was in the wrong place it’s a 20-yard run.” But this defense can be very good with the attention to detail and Brown said so.
2. If Josh Downs Can Play, UNC Will, Get Him the Ball:
Brown said that as long as Downs is on the field, he will see the ball. However Brown
gave no indication the injured UNC receiver would play this week against Notre Dame, so it
likely will once again be a game-time decision on whether Downs plays this weekend.
3. Brown Wants Consistency and He Wants it Now:
UNC has been inconsistent for some time now, and Brown has noticed. UNC needs
consistency on the defensive side of the ball if they want to contend in the wide-open, but
brutal, ACC coastal division. Brown talked about how good this team can be with consistency
and it’s safe to say UNC fans agree.
UNC will play Notre Dame in a high profile matchup on Saturday. The Heels will look to
improve to 4-0, while Notre Dame will try to make it back to .500 on the season.