Mack Brown: North Carolina doesn't have to play perfect in 2023

No. 10 North Carolina is off to their best start since Mack Brown’s return to the program. That’s because, in 2023, these Tar Heels have another gear that their head coach says his other teams haven’t had.

Brown explained his point to start his interview on ‘Andy Staples On3’ on Monday night. He reminded everyone that, at the end of the day, these are young men who aren’t capable of perfection in every game. That’s why this is team is different, though. As he continued, he said that UNC finally has a roster, whether through experience or confidence, that doesn’t have to nail it in order to come out victorious.

“It makes a point because, at times, there’s so many teams out there that have to play perfect to win. It’s hard to do that. We don’t have PCs or video games – these are human beings,” said Brown. “They’re young people, they’ve got girlfriends, they got parent issues. They lost their billfold, they lost their cellphone, and they flunked class. All these things happen in their lives and then we ask them to come and they’re entertainers on the weekend. They have real lives during the week.”

“Most teams have to play really, really well to have a chance to win. Ours is older, we’re experienced, we’re confident,” Brown said. “We did some things that we weren’t proud of on Saturday (against Miami), coaching and playing, but we were still able to beat a really talented football team. We’re really proud of that.”

Brown also added that the amount of players that North Carolina can rely on now has also played a part in their 6-0 start.

“The other thing is we’ve got more depth. We’re playing more people so we’re not as tired,” explained Brown.

North Carolina is getting it done on both sides of the football this fall. On offense, they have the No. 15 unit in the country that is averaging 37.3 points per game with QB Drake Maye, RB Omarion Hampton, and a deep wide receiving corps. Their much-improved defense, which currently ranks Top-50 nationally, has added another layer as they’re allowing the fewest points per game of Brown’s second stint in Chapel Hill.

Add in the qualities that Brown described and there’s no wonder that they’re beating opponents by an average of over 16 points. It’s hardly a fluke either as all but one of their wins have come against Power Five competition.

At 72, Brown isn’t afraid to call it how it is. He knows the Tar Heels need to continue to improve but was clearly thrilled with UNC’s results to this point considering how they haven’t yet peaked.

“I’m in a stage of my life too, Andy, where I can just tell the truth and give facts out. A lot of people can’t. It is true that we’ve got to play good, we’ve got to keep getting better. But we haven’t played near our best game yet and we’re 6-0. That’s exciting.