North Carolina HC Mack Brown on upcoming matchup with Wake Forest
Ahead of this week’s showdown with Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, head coach Mack Brown has his No. 15 team 8-1 and is preparing for a return to the ACC Championship. Much of the team’s success can be attributed to the offense, which ranks fifth in points (48 TDs) and 497 yards per game.
“We’re doing better in the red,” Brown said in his midweek news conference. “We go more aggressively on fourth downs and do them. Our kick game is better. We have fewer sacks, fewer penalties. It’s a game of customs. Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make a difference and we’re doing those things better this year.”
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Leading this prolific offense is redshirt quarterback Drake Maye. In his freshman year with the Tar Heels, Maye leads the nation with 31 passing touchdowns, is third in QBR (89.5) and fifth in passing yards (2,964). For Brown, his ability to cut turnovers is even more impressive — Maye has thrown just three interceptions this season.
“He really cared about the ball,” Brown remarked. “On Saturday we had nowhere near a loss in sales. He didn’t have a passport anywhere near where anyone could intercept him.”
Maye has also brought a new flair to offense. Despite his youth, his confidence and desire to continue developing throughout the season has been a huge stepping stone.
“He’s so competitive,” Brown said. “He wants to win every game. Football is so important to him. He has a really good learning curve and when he sees he needs to fix something he puts his full weight on it and fixes it.”
Looking back at Wake Forest, Brown, much like Dave Clawson, recalls recent games between the two teams as high-scoring affairs that led to massive comebacks.
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“It’s another tough street game,” Brown said. “We’ve had two incredible games at home in the last two years. Sam Hartman is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He’s been so effective against us in recent years.”
But Brown hasn’t forgotten his first game against the Demon Deacons as head coach in North Carolina. In 2019, Wake Forest drove a huge margin to victory and won the Big 4 that season. Despite the past two years’ success against the Deacs, that loss is still memorable.
“The first year we were here at Winston Salem, we came back and we fought and we made it close at the end,” he added. “They were a lot more physical than us and played a lot better than us. They whipped us pretty well up there.”
This week, preparing for Wake Forest’s offense has been a big focus for Brown and his team. There’s a lot to tell between Hartman and a litany of threats at the receiver.
“They can throw the ball and really hit you,” Brown said. “They throw it deep 20 times a game. They have really good receivers that go up and get it. That’s them. We’ll have to do a great job of covering [receivers].”
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In the past two weeks, Hartman has thrown six interceptions for Wake Forest and fumbled the ball three times. Maybe Hartman is on the verge of a turnaround, or maybe it’s going to be another fight. Regardless, Brown is ready to see him at his best.
“We’re going to find his best video and take out highlights and clips,” Brown said. “And that’s what he’ll be against us. We expect that and we expect him to play great.”
Even though Wake Forest is 6-3, Brown expects the Demon Deacons to put up a tough fight for his team.
“We saw it against Clemson and they’re one of the best teams in the country,” Brown said. “Now we’re 8-1, so we’re going to do their best.”
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