Mack Brown explains North Carolina's fourth quarter defensive struggles

North Carolina burns bright, but it burns quickly. On Monday, head coach Mack Brown addressed the team’s tendency to struggle in the fourth quarter, especially on defense.

“I have to think we’re getting tired, that’s the only thing,” Brown said. “I’ve asked our coaches every week to look at it. And we don’t substitute at linebacker. We have to, we’ve just got to start substituting more to get Power [Echols] and Cedric [Gray] off the field.

“They’ve got to be worn out to play as many snaps as they played at this time of the year. And we say we’re going to do it and haven’t done it.”

In its last four ACC games, the Tar Heels have failed to outscore their opponent in the fourth quarter. The mistake was nearly catastrophic in the team’s most recent outing. In UNC’s 47-45 win over Duke, the Tar Heels gave up 22 points in the fourth quarter, allowing the Blue Devils to force overtime.

While North Carolina escaped last weekend with a win, it hasn’t always been so lucky. In their Week 9 loss to Georgia Tech, the Tar Heels surrendered 265 yards of offense (246 rushing yards) and 22 points to in the fourth quarter.

In total, UNC has given up 790 total yards and 65 points in the fourth quarter in its last four games against Power Five opponents. Despite the team’s weakness, it’s managed a successful season. Sitting at 8-2, UNC has a chance to win 10 games in a season for the first time under Brown.

Mack Brown set to return for North Carolina

The 72-year-old head coach only intends to build on his momentum. On Thursday, North Carolina assistant AD Jeremy Sharpe said Brown will be back for at least the 2024 season.

“It’s that time of year, so someone is going to start this rumor in hopes of affecting our team and/or recruiting like they’ve done past 2 years,” Sharpe said in a statement. “Mack (Brown) is full steam ahead. In fact, he already has spring practice planned & is currently setting up recruiting visits for December, so no, he’s not retiring.”

Brown is one of four active college football head coaches with a national championship to his name. He originally left UNC to take the Texas job, where he won the title in 2005. His time in Austin went through the 2013 season where he took a break from coaching for five seasons.

North Carolina opened back up, giving him an opportunity to return. Brown has a record of 38-24 since getting back into coaching and has made an appearance in one ACC Championship game.

On3’s Griffin McVeigh also contributed to this article.