University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
GoHeels Exclusive: Midweek Notebook
November 27, 2019 | Football, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
Standing inside Kenan Stadium's Blue Zone for his introductory press conference exactly a year ago Wednesday, Mack Brown spoke of the past and the future.
He talked about his first stint as North Carolina's head football coach and detailed how that experience influenced his decision to return. He answered questions about his overall vision for the program and how he planned to address recruiting, especially in state.
Not to be lost amid all that, though, he made his plans for this season clear.
"I'm going to tell (the players), 'Enjoy your holidays, because this is the last time you're going to have them,'" the Hall of Fame coach said then. "We're planning on winning next year. For the seniors, you can't say, 'We're going to rebuild. We're going to play all young guys.' We want to win next year. We want to win now."
Brown's opinion on that matter never changed. And on Saturday in Raleigh, UNC can become bowl eligible for the first time in three years with a win over NC State.
"You heard Mack when he got here, he wanted to win right now," Michael Carter said on Tuesday. "He doesn't do this for his brand or for his personal accolades. All he wants to do is win. For these seniors, they've been through so much. They've seen the top and the bottom. Just for them to have a rejuvenating experience for their senior year is special.
"It really boils down to how much do you care about your teammates, to send them out the right way. Personally, I play hard every week because I know there are dudes like (Myles Dorn), (Aaron Crawford) and (Jason Strowbridge) who would kill for more games here at UNC, more games in Kenan. Our team, we're young in some spots, but we understand what's important. And I think that's sending our seniors out right."
Carter was one of five players who met with reporters on Tuesday evening. Here are three more notes from what they had to say:
'Doing what we've got to do'
At 4-7 overall, NC State can't gain bowl eligibility, but Brown has told his players and reporters that the Wolfpack will treat Saturday's contest as a bowl game. That could make the rivalry game even chippier than normal.
"It's definitely always been one of the more physical games I've played in just because I feel like guys are trying to give their best shot at the end of the year," Crawford said. "They know what's at stake. … I feel like people try to get in as much as they can."
Javonte Williams said it'll be important for the Tar Heels to play smart and stay composed.
"We know we've got the players to compete," Williams said. "I feel like with NC State, knowing they don't have anything left after this game, we just have to be smart and don't get into fights and things like that because that could just mess up our chances. So playing smart and doing what we've got to do is the biggest thing."
'What the rivalry brings'
Dorn, whose father Torin played running back and defensive back for Carolina from 1986-89, had been well educated on the rivalry with NC State by the time he arrived in Chapel Hill. Still, that didn't completely prepare him for what it's like to be a part of it.
"My freshman year I didn't really understand it, because when you get recruited by both of them, they both love you," Dorn said. "But as soon as you commit here, they automatically hate you. You don't realize that until you step foot back in their stadium."
As much as he'll try to prepare them, Dorn said the younger players will have to learn that themselves Saturday.
"We have a young team, so I don't think they necessarily know exactly what the rivalry brings," he said. "They'll figure that out as soon as they step out of the tunnel for warmups and people get to talking and the fans are yelling your name and doing all kinds of crazy stuff. I think the intensity will definitely jump up Saturday."
Learning to lead
Amid all the praise Sam Howell has received since Saturday's win over Mercer, when he broke Mitch Trubisky's single-season school record for passing touchdowns and established a new mark for FBS true freshmen with 32, Brown has mentioned how the freshman quarterback kept encouraging his teammates after exiting the game.
Brown said the next step for Howell is to lead, while also continuing to play well. Howell acknowledged that Tuesday.
"I've definitely tried to emphasize it a little more," he said. "Especially someone in my position, you kind of need to be that leader on the offensive side of the ball. I also think it just comes with the process, just getting more comfortable with the team and things like that."
Standing inside Kenan Stadium's Blue Zone for his introductory press conference exactly a year ago Wednesday, Mack Brown spoke of the past and the future.
He talked about his first stint as North Carolina's head football coach and detailed how that experience influenced his decision to return. He answered questions about his overall vision for the program and how he planned to address recruiting, especially in state.
Not to be lost amid all that, though, he made his plans for this season clear.
"I'm going to tell (the players), 'Enjoy your holidays, because this is the last time you're going to have them,'" the Hall of Fame coach said then. "We're planning on winning next year. For the seniors, you can't say, 'We're going to rebuild. We're going to play all young guys.' We want to win next year. We want to win now."
Brown's opinion on that matter never changed. And on Saturday in Raleigh, UNC can become bowl eligible for the first time in three years with a win over NC State.
"You heard Mack when he got here, he wanted to win right now," Michael Carter said on Tuesday. "He doesn't do this for his brand or for his personal accolades. All he wants to do is win. For these seniors, they've been through so much. They've seen the top and the bottom. Just for them to have a rejuvenating experience for their senior year is special.
"It really boils down to how much do you care about your teammates, to send them out the right way. Personally, I play hard every week because I know there are dudes like (Myles Dorn), (Aaron Crawford) and (Jason Strowbridge) who would kill for more games here at UNC, more games in Kenan. Our team, we're young in some spots, but we understand what's important. And I think that's sending our seniors out right."
Carter was one of five players who met with reporters on Tuesday evening. Here are three more notes from what they had to say:
'Doing what we've got to do'
At 4-7 overall, NC State can't gain bowl eligibility, but Brown has told his players and reporters that the Wolfpack will treat Saturday's contest as a bowl game. That could make the rivalry game even chippier than normal.
"It's definitely always been one of the more physical games I've played in just because I feel like guys are trying to give their best shot at the end of the year," Crawford said. "They know what's at stake. … I feel like people try to get in as much as they can."
Javonte Williams said it'll be important for the Tar Heels to play smart and stay composed.
"We know we've got the players to compete," Williams said. "I feel like with NC State, knowing they don't have anything left after this game, we just have to be smart and don't get into fights and things like that because that could just mess up our chances. So playing smart and doing what we've got to do is the biggest thing."
'What the rivalry brings'
Dorn, whose father Torin played running back and defensive back for Carolina from 1986-89, had been well educated on the rivalry with NC State by the time he arrived in Chapel Hill. Still, that didn't completely prepare him for what it's like to be a part of it.
"My freshman year I didn't really understand it, because when you get recruited by both of them, they both love you," Dorn said. "But as soon as you commit here, they automatically hate you. You don't realize that until you step foot back in their stadium."
As much as he'll try to prepare them, Dorn said the younger players will have to learn that themselves Saturday.
"We have a young team, so I don't think they necessarily know exactly what the rivalry brings," he said. "They'll figure that out as soon as they step out of the tunnel for warmups and people get to talking and the fans are yelling your name and doing all kinds of crazy stuff. I think the intensity will definitely jump up Saturday."
Learning to lead
Amid all the praise Sam Howell has received since Saturday's win over Mercer, when he broke Mitch Trubisky's single-season school record for passing touchdowns and established a new mark for FBS true freshmen with 32, Brown has mentioned how the freshman quarterback kept encouraging his teammates after exiting the game.
Brown said the next step for Howell is to lead, while also continuing to play well. Howell acknowledged that Tuesday.
"I've definitely tried to emphasize it a little more," he said. "Especially someone in my position, you kind of need to be that leader on the offensive side of the ball. I also think it just comes with the process, just getting more comfortable with the team and things like that."
Players Mentioned
Running Back
/ Football
Defensive Line
/ Football
Defensive Back
/ Football
Quarterback
/ Football
Defensive Line
/ Football
Running Back
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