UNC football feeling mandate to ‘win more games’ in Year 4 of Mack Brown’s 2nd tenure

If it seemed like everything was going Mack Brown’s way his first two seasons back as North Carolina’s head football coach. Last season’s reality check slowed down at least some of that momentum.

Brown is not panicking, likening it to more of a speed bump than a roadblock. He believes the Tar Heels are winning in every aspect of the program, but added now they have to do more of it on the field.

“Everything in this program is good, you need to win more games,” Brown said. “That’s it. Period. So grades are good. Kids are good. Recruiting is good. Facilities are good and getting better. Everything’s good; we need to win more games and that’s on us as coaches to put them in positions to do that.”

The Tar Heels’ 6-7 record last season was disappointing enough, but it was the way they lost games that caused Brown the most frustration. He pointed out their win against Virginia and loss to Georgia Tech in consecutive games typified their inconsistent effort last season. No amount of pep talks or guest speakers could motivate them to gain an edge.

In fact, Brown believed he had the opposite effect. When he’d tell the team they didn’t play hard enough, Brown said it would elicit eye rolls and brush-offs from players who thought he was just trying to make them angry to play well.

“When we look back at it and we look at all our potential, our record didn’t show our talent that we had,” said junior defensive tackle Kevin Hester Jr., who admitted he didn’t fully grasp how uneven their play was until after the season was over.

It’s why Brown tweaked his approach this offseason. He has emphasized effort, attitude and — more than anything else — competition. It seems like Brown has talked more about benching players who are struggling than he did in his first three seasons combined. He believes in most positions the Heels have the depth to do it, which wasn’t always the case last season.

“There’s a key to each team, and I missed it last year, whatever that key was,” Brown said. “I said some similar stuff, different ways and some listened and some didn’t, obviously, because they didn’t play hard all the time. This team seems to be listening. We’ll know after we play.”

UNC no longer leaning on ‘rock’

Maybe they’re listening because, as Brown said, the Heels know they don’t have all the answers. With Sam Howell at quarterback the past three seasons, perhaps they were lulled into thinking they did.

Howell, who is now with the Washington Commanders in the NFL, owns virtually every major passing record in program history. Howell was also the team’s second leading rusher last season with 828 yards, which ranked ninth in the ACC, and had 11 rushing touchdowns.

“He was like our rock, a lot of people depended on him to do a lot of things that he didn’t need to be doing,” receiver Josh Downs said. “Like he didn’t need to be running the ball as much as he was exposed to, but he did it. I feel like this year, it’s gonna be more of a group effort.”

Downs is one of just four players who started the majority of games on offense last season. With receiver Antoine Green out with a shoulder injury, Downs and offensive tackle Asim Richards are the only two projected starters who also started the season opener last season.

The questions on offense are centered around which players are going to be the biggest contributors. The season-ending injury to British Brooks means Carolina doesn’t have any running backs who have gained 100 yards in a game.

Aside from Downs, and with Green out six to 10 weeks, Carolina doesn’t have another receiver or tight end who has had a 100-yard receiving game. But the biggest question is, who will be delivering them the ball?

Quarterbacks Drake Maye and Jacolby Criswell have been battling to earn the starting spot since Howell declared for the NFL draft. That competition lasted throughout spring drills, into fall camp and Brown still hasn’t named a starter.

Downs is confident that, whoever is the choice, the Heels offense will rally around him.

“We’re gonna have a great quarterback, I’m not really worried about that position like a lot of people are,” Downs said. “They were just sitting behind Sam, but they got talent. You can’t beat out a guy that’s in the NFL that was already there and established, so they were just waiting their turn.”

Simplified defense

Gene Chizik was waiting for the right opportunity to get back in coaching after sitting out the past five seasons to be with his family. He’s won national titles, as the head coach at Auburn and as the defensive coordinator at Texas on Brown’s 2006 winner.

Chizik also served as the Heels’ defensive coordinator in 2015 and 2016. His return to UNC as the assistant head coach for defense has Carolina believing it will be a much-improved unit over last season.

Chris Collins plays the “Jack” position, which is essentially defensive end, in Chizik’s defense. He said outgoing defensive coordinator Jay Bateman’s scheme was at times too confusing, but Chizik has simplified things.

“Last year, it wasn’t that we didn’t have the ability, we didn’t have talent, we have all the ability, we have all the talent on our defense,” Collins said. “It’s just that sometimes when you’re thinking a million miles per hour on that field, it slows your play down. And when it slows your play down, you can’t use all the ability God gave us. That’s why I feel that was the main problem last year.”

Carolina’s defense has finally gotten old upfront. The line should be the strength of the unit with the size, speed and depth to make plays. The Heels believe they will finally be able to consistently pressure the passer without relying on blitzes or schemes to generate sacks.

“They got a chance to be really, really good,” Chizik said of the front four. “I think they got a chance and should be the focal point and starting point of this defense. If I can get them to play right, they will be. But I think we can be as good as they want to be.”

Unlike the offense, the Heels have a lot more experience in their defensive rotation. It’s quite possible sophomore linebacker Power Nichols is the only second-year player or younger in the starting lineup for the season opener against Florida A&M.

‘I know we’re going to be good’

Even with their unknowns, the reasons for optimism are there for the Tar Heels. The program is at a crossroad similar to Brown’s third season in Chapel Hill during his first tenure at Carolina. He recalled a conversation with the legendary voice of the Tar Heels, Woody Durham, from that 1990 season.

The Heels, after suffering consecutive 1-10 records during Brown’s first two years, were off to a 4-2 start and had just tied Georgia Tech when it was the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. Durham asked Brown if he felt good about Carolina’s tie with the Yellow Jackets.

“I said, ‘No, but I know we’re going to be good. I don’t know when it’s going to be, but I know we’re going to be good,’ “ Brown said.

“And that’s the way I feel about this team. And that’s the way I feel about this program.”