Mack Brown addresses his approach to handling outside criticism

Despite some stumbles in recent weeks, North Carolina still has a lot to play for and head coach Mack Brown wants to keep his players focused on that, not any outside noise. And with an ACC Championship on the line, Brown shouldn’t have too much trouble keeping players locked in.

Criticism from afar (and close to home) is part of the price of admission for coaching and playing college football, but Brown knows players can’t afford to get caught up in it. That’s why he’s happy to serve as a firewall between blowback and the locker room.

“More to play, more to do. Nine wins with two games left? A chance to win a championship, which we haven’t done but once since 1980? There are so many things on this table that are really cool,” Brown said. “I am not going to allow anybody to beat these kids down.”

The conference championship, in particular, had Brown’s interest. As he mentioned, the Tar Heels have not won the ACC since 1980. That championship in 1980 was the fourth for North Carolina in a 10-year span, winning titles in 1971, 1972, 1977 and 1980.

A win against Clemson would send the Tar Heels to the Orange Bowl, likely for a matchup with Ohio State.

But regardless, a nine-win season is already better than all but one North Carolina football season in the last two-plus decades. Outside of an 11-win season under Larry Fedora in 2015, the Tar Heels hadn’t exceeded eight wins in a season since 1997.

Brown just wants his players to keep sight of that. He’ll handle the outside flak.

“Can’t live off yesterday, win or lose,” Brown said. “You gotta grow up, you gotta mature and you gotta move to the next day. Don’t let anybody talk to you about bad things right now. This is one of the best years in this school’s history. And still a lot out there to play for. So, and I have to be the front of that. And I told them I am so proud of them.”