Mack Brown: Georgia Tech ‘lined up and whooped us’ in 2021, providing motivation

North Carolina has already punched their ticket to the ACC championship game to face off against the Clemson Tigers. Clemson has the conference’s best defense and will require a ton of attention if the Tar Heels are to defeat them and claim the crown of kings of the ACC.

Still, before they face off against the Tigers, North Carolina will have to take on two more opponents. One of them, Georgia Tech, beat the Tar Heels soundly in 2021. As North Carolina head coach Mack Brown put it: they ‘lined up and whooped us’ in 2021. And that whooping the yellow jackets gave the Tar Heels has provided the team with extra motivation.

“Well, I would think so because it helps me make sure I’m focused on Saturday,” said Brown. “When you go back and look at it, they rushed for 263 yards, and we rushed for 63. And they had eight sacks and forced three turnovers; we gained none. And it’s the same players. Absolutely just lined up and whopped us and did it without question. So yes. It’s been brought up, and a lot of our same players are playing against a lot of their same players.

“We fully understand that this game was more important to them last year than it was to us, which is not good. We’ve got our hands full on Saturday. That’s why everybody on this team is talking about Georgia Tech, not all the other stuff that could be around to be distracting. And I think the fact that we didn’t play as well against Virginia has also helped us this week… because it’s not the best team, it’s the best team on Saturday. And Georgia Tech is coming to be the best team on Saturday.”

In their fourth game of the 2021 season, North Carolina was pummeled on the road by Georgia Tech 45-22. And it wasn’t like that Tar Heels’ team was void of talent. They entered the game ranked No.21 in the nation with an impressive offense led by Sam Howell. This year their matchup is much later in the year, and North Carolina has much, much more on the line. But never mind the external noise outside of this matchup.

North Carolina has pride and redemption as motivation against Georgia Tech this time. As Brown said earlier in Nov., he does not want his team backing into the ACC championship game; he wants them to prove their worth. And what better way than exacting revenge on the team who beat them soundly the last time North Carolina faced them.