Mack Brown says touchdown drive to end the half was 'huge' for North Carolina

North Carolina coach Mack Brown was happy to see his team end the first half against South Carolina on a high note. The Tar Heels carry a 17-14 lead and some momentum with them into halftime after going on a 75-yard touchdown drive for the go-ahead score with 2:50 remaining in the second quarter.

Quarterback Drake Maye threw his first touchdown of the game on that drive, connecting with Kobe Paysour for the 34-yard score. Speaking with ESPN for a halftime interview, Brown talked about how big of a swing that was with UNC set to receive the ball first in the second half.

“That was a huge drive to go back on top,” he said. “That last five minutes of the half and the first five minutes of the second half, which we get the ball, is huge. Leading at halftime is such a huge indicator that gives you a better chance to win.”

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Tar Heels in the first half, however. Brown pointed out that North Carolina had to settle for a field goal on the drive before Maye’s touchdown throw as penalties set it back a few yards.

Although the Tar Heels were able to bounce back and take the lead, the coach wants to see them clean things up. South Carolina is sure to come back out looking to go back on top in the second half, and Brown doesn’t believe field goals will cut it in a game with two high-profile quarterbacks.

“When we kicked the field goal — which we can’t kick field goals and beat Spencer Rattler — they were self-inflicted wounds,” he said. “We dropped passes, we had a delay of game and we had a motion penalty. Then we gave up an easy touchdown with five plays. So we’ve gotta settle down. We’ve gotta make sure that we do what we do best and we’ve told them that. Be confident, be consistent, get your respect back and be tough and finish.”

The Tar Heels heeded their coach’s advice to start off the third quarter strong and score touchdowns on their first two drives. That ended up being all they needed as they hung on to win by a score of 31-17 despite a scoreless fourth quarter.

Mack Brown and North Carolina will look to carry that momentum over into Week 2 when they face Appalachian State in Chapel Hill.