Extra Points: Mack’s Dandy Dozen

Never is a long time.
            But Mack Brown and his remarkable coaching résumé scaled yet another height on Saturday when the Tar Heels popped South Carolina 31-17 in Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
            Coupled with having won 158 games at Texas from 1998-2013, Brown notched his 100th victory in Chapel Hill and became the first coach in college football history to hit the century mark in wins at two separate institutions. In the locker room afterward, Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham presented Brown with a custom-made jersey with his name and the digits 100.
            "I've coached at four special places, and I've stayed long enough at two of them to win a hundred-plus games at one, and hopefully we'll get a hundred-plus here shortly," he said. "I'm very, very thankful I've been able to coach this long, and I just love these kids. This is what makes this job so special when you have nights like tonight."
            One hundred of anything is a lot, worthy of champagne and horns and confetti. And a list, of course.
            Here, then, in celebration and tribute is one observer's chronological ballot of a dandy dozen of Brown's wins at Carolina. Actually, make that a baker's dozen. Arguments invited.
            1990 WAKE FOREST 31-24 — After 2-20, you've gotta show something. The Tar Heels do exactly that vs. Bill Dooley (who had beaten his former school three straight years with the Deacons) as freshman Natrone Means explodes for 134 yards and two TDs on an early October Saturday night in Winston-Salem.
            1990 DUKE 24-22 — That 41-0 loss and those late-game gadget plays from a Steve Spurrier-led Duke squad on the final day of the 1989 season fester for a year. Means runs wild in Wallace Wade Stadium on the traditional (for the era) season-finale for 256 yards and three touchdowns as Carolina launches a 13-year win streak over the Blue Devils.
            1992 VIRGINIA 27-7 — Brown was 0-4 vs. Cavalier Coach George Welsh to launch his tenure at Carolina, and the Tar Heels had not beaten a Top 20 team in a decade. But a 37-yard Mike Thomas-to-Corey Holliday touchdown pass gets the Tar Heels clicking as they dominate in Kenan Stadium and go on to post an 8-3 record and land a Peach Bowl berth.
            1992 MISSISSIPPI STATE 21-17 — Bracey Walker blocks two punts and Cliff Baskerville adds a 44-yard pick-six as Carolina prevails on national TV in a cauldron of Georgia Dome emotion on New Year' Day 1993. Of added note is Brown is coaching against his brother, Watson, the offensive coordinator for the Bulldogs.
            1993 USC 31-9 — The Tar Heels venture west to open the season in Anaheim in the Disneyland Pigskin Classic, with QB Jason Stanicek perfectly executing Carolina's option offense as the Tar Heels steamroll the Men of Troy and spoil John Robinson's return to the sidelines for Southern Cal.
            1993 N.C. STATE 35-14 — It had been a difficult five-year losing streak to the Wolfpack, including one defeat on a 56-yard, line-drive field goal at the gun. But Carolina snaps that skid with authority with Curtis Johnson busting a 50-yard TD to open the second half and the Tar Heels coasting in Carter-Finley Stadium on what would be the first of seven straight wins over State.
            1995 VIRGINIA 22-17 — Brown's eighth season at Carolina features a defense re-tooled to play more press-man coverage and bring more heat from every angle. Safety Omar Brown is captured in Sports lllustrated with a perfectly-timed break-up of a late-game pass from Mike Groh, securing the win over the No. 9 Cavaliers in Kenan Stadium.
            1996 CLEMSON/SYRACUSE — This is a "two-fer." With a salty "D" and new West Coast offense, Carolina pummels the Tigers 45-0 on opening day in Kenan Stadium. Then, goes on the road in the aftermath of Hurricane Fran to upset the No. 9 Orangemen 27-10 in a noisy and sweaty Carrier Dome. Juco transfer QB Chris Keldorf passes for 436 yards over two games and the defense yields just one touchdown.
            2019 MIAMI 28-25 — What a magical night in Kenan Stadium as Mack 2.0 returns to Chapel Hill and a packed house and national TV audience watch freshman QB Sam Howell engineer a nine-play, 75-yard drive for the winning score. Howell connects with Dazz Newsome on a 10-yard pass with 1:01 left to collect the victory.
            2019 DUKE 20-17 — It could have been a disaster, the Tar Heels fumbling inside the five on a potential game-securing drive, then Duke driving the length of the field to the Carolina two. But Chazz Surratt sniffs out Duke's trick play and intercepts a pass with 14 seconds left. The win is Brown's ninth straight over the Blue Devils (now up to 12).
            2020 MIAMI 62-26 — What an odd, odd year, with Covid-19, mostly empty stadiums and social distancing dominating. Carolina ventures to Hard Rock Stadium in early December and annihilates the No. 9 Hurricanes with 778 yards of offense and 10.4 yards per play. That win lands Carolina its first ever berth in the Orange Bowl.
            2023 SOUTH CAROLINA 31-17 — And what a way to get win No. 100 as the Tar Heels' coach. Mack wanted sacks; he got nine. He didn't want to give up sacks; Carolina yields zero. He wanted to run the ball; the Heels grind out 168 yards and dominate time of possession with 33 minutes and set up some big Drake Maye completions on play-action passes.
            THE Carolina rolls in authoritative fashion.
            You couldn't have scripted a milestone much better than that.

Lee Pace began writing "Extra Points" in 1990 and has worked as a writer and/or broadcaster for all 100 of Mack Brown's victories as the Tar Heel head coach.

Players Mentioned

Drake Maye

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