‘A bummer the way it ended’: UNC coach Mack Brown, QB Drake Maye respond to loss to Pack

Mack Brown was asked about retirement and Drake Maye was asked if he had played his last game at North Carolina soon after the Tar Heels’ dismal 39-20 loss to N.C. State.

The answers Saturday were predictable. Brown curtly said he planned to return as UNC’s coach, his eyes flashing a little anger as he spoke. Maye, a quarterback destined for the NFL, said no decision had been made on entering the 2024 pro draft, nor if he would play in the Tar Heels’ bowl game.

These were questions that have been posed before Saturday. It was only natural they’d be asked again with the Heels (8-4, 4-4 ACC) ending a regular season that began with promise and ended so poorly after a 6-0 start filled with possibilities..

Brown was disappointed in himself, with the way he had his team prepared for a rivalry game so many, on both sides, wanted badly to win and savor. UNC had lost the last two games to State, including a gut-wrencher at Carter-Finley Stadium in 2021.

Yes, the Tar Heels had several injuries. Practice was limited. They were missing some weapons.

But to trail 26-7 at halftime and then 33-7 early in the second half?

“We were awful in the first half,” Brown said. “It’s as bad as I’ve ever seen us. We were awful on offense. We did some good things on defense early and then stayed out there too long and let ‘em score.

“It’s on me, completely. You can’t play as bad as we did in the first half without the head coach doing a poor job, obviously. It was bad.”

Drake Maye defends coach, team

Maye didn’t want to hear that. The redshirt sophomore walked into an interview area after the game with his left arm either bruised or dirty or both. Maye had sprained his left ankle in the fourth quarter, forcing him out of the game, but doggedly returned and played on, his white jersey smudged.

“A lot of things weren’t clicking and it all starts with me,” Maye said. “I’ve got to do a better job. You can’t start off bad and have a rough start like we did. It was a tough environment, on the road, in a big ACC rivalry game. You can’t do that if you want to win games.

“We had some times we lined up wrong. I’ve got to do a better job making better decisions and checking out of things. It starts with me.”

Maye did not complete a pass in the first quarter. His first completion was for 3 yards and he had just 58 passing yards at halftime.

Then again, with the Pack holding on to the ball nearly 11 minutes in the first quarter and 22 minutes in the opening half, there weren’t many opportunities. The Heels could not convert third-down plays, could not stay on the field.

By game’s end, Maye was 15-of-28 for 199 yards and two scores. He also had two interceptions, both on tipped passes, and lost a fumble as UNC had the only turnovers in the game against a fast-moving, aggressive Pack defense led by an inspired Payton Wilson.

Maye had a short scoring run in the third quarter after ripping off a scrambling 56-yarder that set up the TD. Maye then ran for a two-pointer, only to be called for unsportsmanlike conduct when he spiked the ball..

This would be Brennan Armstrong’s night. The lefthander, cool under pressure, finished with 329 yards and three TD passes for the Pack — two to flashy freshman Kevin Concepcion, a constant threat, and the third to Dacari Collins — as State had 504 yards in total offense.

After the final seconds ticked off, after a few words with Armstrong on the field, Maye made his way to a dejected locker room, ignoring hoots from jubilant Wolfpack fans. Brown was soon to follow.

Is Mack Brown done at UNC?

Speculation about Brown started recently given the way the season unfolded and to a degree unraveled, and his emotional response after UNC’s last home game at Kenan Stadium, a double-overtime win over Duke. And, of course, because of his age.

UNC released a statement Nov. 16 saying Brown was not retiring and that it was “full steam ahead.” . He said the same again Saturday.

“I’m planning on being back,” Brown said. “It gets brought up every year. When you’re 72, that’s a regular. You can mark it down. It’s the Thursday before the last game before recruiting starts because everybody is competing against you.”

So Brown will be back?

“Yes,” he said.

How about Maye?

Maye likely will not. The NFL guys like his talent and want him, and should pick him high in the first round. He’s that good, that tough.

“I’ve got to sit down with my family and make some decisions,” Maye said. “At the end of the day, going to Carolina, playing in Carolina blue has meant the world to me, been a dream come true. It didn’t finish out the right way but I may have another chance to do that.”

Many top NFL prospects now elect to sit out bowl games and reduce the chance of a serious injury. UNC will learn its bowl destination the day after the ACC championship game and Maye might want to go out a winner.

“A lot of things weigh into it, but I’d like to get one more chance out here with these guys,” Maye said. “It’s just a bummer the way it ended.”