A ‘maturing’ UNC football team: Tar Heels have shown they can win close this season
North Carolina’s 5-1 record looks a lot prettier than the details of how it has gotten to the midway point of the regular season. But the Tar Heels are starting to appreciate even the ugly parts and it’s becoming their identity.
This may be the most resilient team UNC coach Mack Brown has had since returning to Carolina in 2019. The Heels are 3-0 this season in games decided by a touchdown or less. They have a combined record of 7-11 in that category from Brown’s previous three seasons.
“When you can win close games and especially on the road, that’s when your program is getting better and you’re maturing,” Brown said. “You’re expecting to do that. I thought our team expected to win Saturday and that’s a hard place to get to — last year, we didn’t.”
It’s like the Heels are comfortable dealing with drama. They’ve already had plenty of it this season with the wild fourth quarter at Appalachian State in which they needed a stop on a two-point conversion to seal the win. And at Georgia State where they gave up an 18-point lead and trailed by seven in the second half.
The latest example came Saturday at Miami. UNC quarterback Drake Maye threw his second of two interceptions that gave the Hurricanes the ball with a chance to take the lead early in the third quarter. The Canes had momentum on their side from scoring 10 points in 90 seconds to close out the first half. It was one of several times in the second half Carolina’s defense came up with a big stop.
The unit forced a fumble on a fourth down run during a drive that reached the UNC 26 that would have tied the game in the fourth quarter. With 1:14 left in the game and Miami needing only a field goal to force overtime on its last possession, Kaimon Rucker tipped a pass that DeAndre Boykin intercepted to ensure the victory.
“They could have caved really, really easy and I never saw any panic,” Brown said. “I never saw any problems on the sideline with, ‘Oh my gosh, here we go again. We’re gonna lose a close game.’ To me, your program is elevated by winning close games. That’s what you have to do.”
Brown said even when it’s looked like Carolina was in-fighting, the optics didn’t tell the whole story. It looked like a potential implosion against Georgia State, but linebacker Power Echols gathered the defense on the sideline. There was the incident against Notre Dame when cornerback Tony Grimes picked up a late hit penalty and pushed linebacker Noah Taylor when he was approached about it.
Brown said he’s encouraged by a player-led team and insists what looks like arguing and finger-pointing was really just players holding each other accountable. The past two games appear to prove Brown’s point. The Heels’ defense rallied together.
“Nobody pointed fingers. We had the little talking on the sideline that everybody got all excited about and really that’s helped us grow up,” Brown said. “Because they’re making each other be accountable and I liked that. I even had a family member say, ‘What’s it about, fighting on the sidelines?’ I said, ‘nobody’s fighting on the sidelines. Somebody is trying to get somebody else to play better.’”
The sideline confrontations gave way to a different kind of finger pointing against Miami. Receiver Josh Downs broke a pattern to the inside, but Maye threw incomplete to the outside ending a drive scoreless at the Miami 7. Downs hit his chest to acknowledge that it was his fault, even though offensive coordinator Phil Longo said on Monday Maye didn’t make the right read.
“I just think this is a team that, unlike last year’s, is a team that likes to play, they like each other and they are feeling much more confident about themselves,” Brown said.
The Heels will put their 2-0 mark in the ACC Coastal Division on the line at Duke (4-2, 1-1) on Saturday.
This story was originally published October 11, 2022 at 6:10 AM with the headline "A ‘maturing’ UNC football team: Tar Heels have shown they can win close this season."