Mack Brown: North Carolina will remember Wake Forest win 'for the rest of their lives'

Mack Brown’s North Carolina Tar Heels never once gave up against the undefeated, No. 9-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons, providing what the head coach labeled a moment to remember for both the student-athletes and the program.

Wake Forest was one of just a handful of undefeated Power Five teams remaining, and many thought that Brown’s North Carolina team — which has failed to meet high preseason expectations — would have very little chance on Saturday, entering with just a 4-4 record.

For most of the first half, even the first three quarters, the popular theory prevailed. Brown and the Tar Heels looked severely outmatched, as Wake Forest jumped out to a quick lead. But North Carolina never once gave up; quarterback Sam Howell was able to lead the offense to a huge fourth-quarter comeback. North Carolina outscored Wake Forest 24-7 in the fourth, and Brown’s team ultimately prevailed 58-55, moving North Carolina’s record to 5-4 and giving Wake Forest its first loss of the season.

“There were 150 recruits out here today that saw a crowd that was loud and into it, and they may still be on the field. That’s one of the reasons I was late getting in,” Brown said with a smile in his postgame press conference. “This was a special win for our program. Nobody deserves to win more than these young people, and I’ve had enough in my life. I don’t want to lose, but I want to win for them because they’re the ones working so hard.

“I’ve told them every Saturday, you build memories. That’s what you do. And this is a game that they will remember for the rest of their lives,” Brown said, concluding his postgame conversation. “And I’m really, really proud that my name is associated with them.”

Mack Brown turns in emotional press conference after North Carolina win

Brown was emotional after North Carolina’s upset victory, especially considering the difficulties presented in 2021. The Tar Heels began the season projected to be one of the top teams in the ACC, while Howell was projected as a Heisman Trophy candidate; instead, North Carolina fell short of expectations, and so too did Howell. The Tar Heels sure did a good job of rebounding on Saturday, though, keeping their bowl eligibility hopes afloat.

“It’s been a hard year. Just everything has been tough. Nothing has been easy. What [the win] does is it gives them some hope that there’s still some more out there,” Brown said postgame. “We’ve got to get one more to get to a bowl and that was a commitment we made to the seniors. We wanted them to have three-straight bowls. And that was really important. I told the guys after the Notre Dame game that when you lose a tight game, the rewards you get are the lessons that you learn. You don’t have much joy in it, but it’ll help you for the rest of your life.”

North Carolina took those lessons in stride and executed Saturday against Wake Forest. Running back Ty Chandler had a career-best day, rushing for 213 yards and four touchdowns, helping North Carolina overcome the 18-point deficit. Meanwhile, Howell overcame his early-season struggles and threw for 216 yards and a touchdown, all while rushing for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Howell executed five-straight perfect drives at the conclusion of the game, as North Carolina scored on each of their last five possessions.

In the process of leading Brown’s Tar Heels to a win, Howell also became the North Carolina program’s career leader in total offense, breaking a record previously set by Marquise Williams, who held the record with 10,423 yards.

“After a game like today, you get rewarded for all that you put in,” Brown said. “This is the enjoyment. So, it should give them more confidence, it should have people look at them differently.”